Is this pace enough for PSC?
text_fields
The Public Service Commission (PSC) plays a pivotal role as the recruiting agency for government-controlled institutions and organizations. This institution is instrumental in even determining the fate of the nation. And that is the reason why, like the Election Commission, the PSCs in their respective states have also been established as special constitutional bodies. The reason for envisaging it in that role is the clear intention that it should be an independent institution, completely free from the red tape of the executive. However, the general experience is that this 'pure idea', like other independent institutions, has been thrown to the wind by PSCs. Kerala is one such state and Kerala PSC is capable of performing well in some cases, even when compared to other states. This observation is supported by the fact that 62 percent of the total PSC recruitments ofthe states are conducted in Kerala. Despite being a small state, the scope of work of the Kerala PSC is vast. The reason for this awareness is the political awareness of the people of Kerala that all public appointments should be conducted by the PSC. In that context, the Public Service Commission also has a 'Kerala Model'. However, it is unfortunate that there are also tendencies to discredit this model. For example, it is a constant plaint that not even a single person gets appointed even after a year or two of the rank list being published.
In the past few days, the media has been reporting on the controversial rank lists. The biggest controversy has been over the primary school rank lists. Out of the nine districts in the UP school teacher rank list, not a single appointment has been made in seven districts. There was no shortage of candidates in any of the districts where the recruitment was conducted. Thus not a single candidate was appointed to the post of L.P. School Teacher in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasargod districts. Only 38 candidates got appointment from the 1550-strong list of Malappuram district. Out of the total 20,589 candidates in the clerks' list, only 439 candidates have received advice memos - just two percent. No appointments have been made to the posts of Assistant Professor in Urdu, Islamic History, Philosophy and Sociology. It needs to be investigated why this is happening. This slow pace of Kerala PSC, which is working with an extensive infra-structure, cannot be denied as it points to the indifference of the government. During the first Pinarayi government, the PSC appointments were a little more efficient. During that time, 1.61 lakh appointments were made by the PSC; In the subsequent Pinarayi term, it is lower than 1.30 lakh. In fact, more appointments were needed at this time. Not only is that not happening, but the government is used to setting the process in motion and then stopping it half way and putting the candidates in the lurch.
When such criticism is raised, the government gets away by citing the lower rates of appointments in PSC's of other states, which is not the right approach. In fact, it should be remembered that the number of PSC applicants in Kerala is also increasing. This is a time when the general public is increasingly dependent on the PSC. In 2008, 17.42 lakh people applied for the PSC exams. That year, 25,762 people were recommended for appointment. In 2017, the number of applicants reached 1.21 crore; 35,911 people were recommended for appointment. That is, despite the number of applicants increasing sixfold, proportionate number of appointments are not being made. It is not practical either. However, applications should be invited for the posts for which vacancies have been reported and appointments should be made immediately. The problem is that this is not happening. It should also be noted that the number of applicants for each examination has doubled since 2017. The government has a duty to investigate the reasons for this. The main obstacle before the appointments is the failure to complete the recruitment process in time. As far as the teachers' appointments are concerned, the process of determining the posts for the academic year 2025-26 has not been completed yet. The Legislative Assembly records indicate that the details of the retirees in other departments have not been collected yet. Thiruvananthapuram MLA Radhakrishnan, who sought details of those who retired from various public sector institutions, companies and boards over the past ten years, was told by the Chief Minister, who is also in charge of the PSC, that the details were 'not compiled'. The Chief Minister's response to K.K. Rema's question about the number of PSC, contract and employment exchange appointments by PSC, contract and employment exchanges since 2016 was no different. The number of PSC appointments can be provided easily. However, the government is giving such evasive replies like 'being compiled' etc because then the government runs the risk of having to disclose the figurs of appointments by contract and others. Add to this the media reports that a large number of backdoor appointments are being made as the government's term is nearing its end, and the picture becomes clearer. At this stage, all one can ask for is to ensure that the hopes and expectations of the tens of thousands of young people who are waiting for the law to be passed are not crushed through backdoor appointments.