Central Government plans to conduct Common Eligibility Test in 12 languages; Draws flak from job aspirants in States

New Delhi: Center Government plans to conduct the Common Eligibility Test (CET) in 12 language. Apart from Hindi and English, exams will be conducted in 10 other Indian languages, providing equal opportunity to the youth seeking jobs in banking, Staff Selection Commission (SSC) and Railways.

There is also plan to gradually expand the CET's scope to other languages of the 8th schedule, officials privy to the developments in the Ministry of Personnel said.

There are 22 languages in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution. As per the information, the CET exams will initially begin with 12 languages and then include other languages as part of its examination process.

States and Union Territories (UTs) can avail the Common Eligibility Test to be conducted by the National Recruitment Agency (NRA) for job selection, the decision for which was passed at the Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday.

The plan that the CET score would be shared with the recruiting agencies with the state governments and UT administrations as well as Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) and also later on with the private sector. The Ministry of Personnel also confirmed it in a statement on Saturday.

"CET would actually help the recruiting agencies including the state and UT governments to save the cost and time spent on recruitment, while at the same time also be convenient and cost-effective for the young job aspirants." said the Ministry citing Union Minister Jitendra Singh's statement on the issue.

The government has planned to give relaxation in the upper age limit to Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Class (OBC) and other category candidates as per existing government policy who will be appearing for the exams.

"The CET will have no correlation or incompatibility with the rules of recruitment like domicile followed by certain states or UTs," the Minister has added.

To streamline the recruitment process in India, the Union Cabinet approved setting up of the National Recruitment Agency(NRA). The new agency will conduct a Common Eligibility Test (CET) to select candidates for non-gazetted posts in the central government and public sector banks.

The agency will conduct a common entrance test for SSC and the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) and Railway Recruitment Board (RRB).

For forming the National Recruitment Agency, the central government has already sanctioned Rs 1,517.57 crore.

Meanwhile,the move has also caused apprehensions whether it would reduce the jurisdiction of the State governments in recruitments and eventually lead to fewer opportunities for job aspirants from states.The Union Govt's decision to set up National Recruitment Agency draws flak in many States,especially Tamil Nadu.

MDMK Chief Vaiko said the national level test will bring more non-Tamils into the State government jobs as it did in banks, railways and public sector undertakings of the Central government.

"On the face of it, the Center's proposal appears like it simplifies the recruitment process for Central government jobs, but it has conspired to create 'one recruiting agency for one nation'. How come examinations for filling Revenue Inspector posts in the State can be conducted in Bihar or Uttar Pradesh," asked Vaiko.

Job aspirants point outs that if the recruitment process is nationalised through NRA and CET, candidates from the each state will have to compete with highly educated unemployed candidates from across India, and thus it will soon turn to become another UPSC civil service exams.