Candidates should be shown mercy

The first thing the youth try to do after completing their education is get a job. They will not have high salary expectations if the financial situation at home is bad. Most of them will be satisfied even if they get a job in the private sector. A few will try to go to the Gulf countries. Now there are no such possibilities as before in the Gulf countries also. Those who are determined to get government jobs will go for coaching or do a combined study. Some of them may have made it to the PSC list. They will keep checking the vacancies and appointments in government offices from time to time and wait with prayers.

All fronts promise in their manifestos to expedite appointments to attract candidates during the election season. However, once they come to power, they forget this or pretend to have forgotten it. Those who have made it to the PSC list will hold demonstrations and satyagrahas in front of the secretariat to remind them of this. Public suicide threats are common when the list is about to expire. That usually ends as futile cries. Many departments do not report the expected vacancies on time. There are many senior officials who are doing research on how long it can be delayed to inform the PSC of the vacancies expected in their own department. Many people deliberately forget how hard they have worked to reach their current position. Even the higher authorities are not assiduous in this regard.

The Personnel & Administrative Reforms Department has ordered the reporting of expected vacancies, which is a hope for tens of thousands of candidates. The Personnel & Administrative Reforms (P&AR) Department has mandated that all appointing authorities report their expected vacancies for the 2026 calendar year to the Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) by December 26. There are thousands of candidates who have not got jobs, despite being included in various rank lists, due to not reporting vacancies correctly. The circular also states that all vacancies that arise when the rank list is available should be filled from the relevant rank list itself. NJD (Not Joining Duty) vacancies should be reported as soon as the specified joining time is over.

It is the responsibility of the Head of the Department to determine the district where an entry cadre post vacancy is likely to arise when a promoted officer retires and inform the district officer. Vacancies on leave and deputation of six months or more should be considered as expected vacancies and reported to the PSC. The circular also stipulates that the vacancies reported to the PSC will not be filled through promotion/transfer. This order is in keeping with the sentiments of the young generation who dream of a job and a steady income. This order should not face the same fate as the many past orders issued with expectations. The heads of departments should abandon the attitude that creates obstacles in the future path of the candidates. The government should not forget that it has the responsibility to ensure that.