Government job: Why can’t you clinch even one in next 4 years?     

By Akash Shukla

Lucknow: The fascination for a government job is far from dead in Uttar Pradesh. The craze pretty much came to fore when 23 lakh applications were witnessed against 368 openings for peons.

The information on applicants is more than staggering: Among those who applied, the list includes 255 PhD holders, 1,52,730 engineering and technical degree holders, 24,969 postgraduates, and 7,500 ordinary graduates.

The applicants' qualifications showed an apparent paradox of desperation and desire as there were some who had just passed class V and there were many others who even had a PhD to boast against the peon's profile, if selected. Among others, there were MBAs, graduates and postgraduates.

The advert for the same was published on August 10 in newspapers and online. All applications had to be filed online before September 14. The job description invited applications for the posts of farrash (janitors or floor cleaners) and anusevaks (peons) in the Secretariat Services. The tabulated advert spoke of posts in Group D category. It included 218 posts in the general category (GT), 76 posts in the SC category, 5 posts in the ST category and 69 posts for applicants in the Others Backward Class (OBC) category.

The job includes cleaning, mopping, serving water and tea and assorting files properly. However, the silver lining in the cloud is the pay scale for the hopeless-hapless aspirants.

With a Grade Pay of Rs 1800, if selected, they would take home a range of Rs 15,000 per month.

Secretariat Administration secretary Prabhat Mittal expressed his amazement on the application count. Even if the interviews were conducted at the rate of 40 per day in one selection board, six days a week for seven hours per working day, the procedure would attain completion in around 4 years.

On being asked, an applicant quoted facts on Narendra Modi and said: "Even our PM was once a tea seller and many big shots did petty jobs in the beginning."

On being asked about any information on PhD scholars who had applied for the same, he said there was one from Jaunpur. However, on being contacted, he was not reachable.

Many-a-source pleading anonymity revealed that government job fixation ahs once again made the so-called job-providing middlemen pro active and they are promising a peon position if they are ready to cough up Rs 10 lakh.

As expected, the official concerned had apparent and interesting remarks to make on the same.

A television channel quoted Skill Development Minister Abhishek Mishra. "Government is a better paymaster," he said. One more minister said it was because of the laptop initiative that was taken up by the Akhilesh government. The initiative made it possible for applicants from rural backdrop to manage their applications online.

In a similar advert in 2006, vacancies for 260 similar posts were published. Painting the picture of apathy in black and white, around 1 lakh people had applied against the same.

In a National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) report, the count of unemployed in the age group of 15-35 in Uttar Pradesh is all geared up to touch the 1-crore mark by 2017. This lays threadbare the job policy of condition in the state and we haven't yet started on baton charge and cane charge once you choose to be committed for the 'dream sarkari job' that you pine and whine for.