Getting a job with salary security is no small task these days. A bank job is one of the respectable jobs with good pay and benefits even though it lacks the old glamour. More than commerce graduates, those pursuing professional courses like engineering are more likely to attempt for banking profession these days. Admission to the clerk post in the bank is based on competitive examination, interview etc. Lakhs in the country appear for the exams with the dream of getting a bank job. Half of them are doing temporary jobs in other private companies and must have taken loans from banks for various purposes. Some may be in default on education loans. None of these things have been a hindrance to getting a bank job so far. However, the recruiting authorities are making a new qualification mandatory for bank jobs. A strange condition has been put forward to present a good CIBIL score related to loan repayment for the job. Adding qualification in more courses along with basic qualification is understandable but the logic of linking default in loan repayment with competitive examination is not understood.

The new criteria come at a time when the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection has started this year's first selection process for officer and clerk posts. How can applicants show good CIBIL scores if they have not taken any loans? The provision also states that those who do not have a bank account are not required to produce the CIBIL score. What graduate doesn't have a bank account these days? This stipulation has created a huge headache for the candidates. A decrease in CIBIL score is not a crime of treason. Candidates cannot take the new system lightly. It has been said that the CIBIL score must be strictly updated before joining the job and those who do not have it must obtain a no-objection certificate showing that there are no arrears. Failure to do so may result in losing the chance to get the job.

If banking is to be done better, smart people should be hired. CIBIL score should not be the criterion for it. It cannot be forgotten that the banking sector has been brought to its current state by those who set such standards. Candidates should approach court against this provision. Either choose the candidate by checking the CIBIL score or consider the competitive exam alone. It is not correct to consider both. These banks are unable to do anything about those who steal tens of billions of rupees. Such strange norms are aimed at convincing that a person who defaults on a small loan is not even eligible for a job. Let them catch the big sticklers first. These reforms can come later.