THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a recent development, the Devaswom Recruitment Board has implemented 10% reservations for the economically backward forward caste candidates appearing for various posts in the Devaswom board recruitment exams. It was the Devaswom Recruitment Board Chairman Adv. M Rajagopalan Nair, who announced this through a press conference. The first list with the new financial reservation for the LD clerk/Subgroup officer grade 2 posts will be published on November 1, he said.

The list has been prepared on the basis of the marks scored in the OMR exams alone. According to him, the interviews for the posts have been avoided in order to avoid any sorts of complaints regarding the selection of candidates. While the existing reservation ratio of the recruitment board is 68:32, it will soon become 50: 50 with the new reservations. Out of the 68% general seats,10% will be reserved for the economically backward among forward castes. While the Ezhava community and other backward classes have been awarded an extra reservation of 3% each, the SC/ST community has been awarded 2% extra reservation. Various Devaswom boards along with the Devaswom recruitment board have decided upon the standards that must be considered to determine the economic backwardness of the forward castes.

Out of the 1,43,587 candidates who applied for the LD clerk/ subgroup officer grade 2 posts, 85,173 candidates appeared for the exam. Among these, 183 candidates have been included in the main list and 173 have their names in the supplementary list. The final list will be published after checking the caste/ creamy layer certificates of the candidates. It must be noted that the financial reservation is being implemented for the first time in the state.