Kollam: A major outreach to candidates on the rank lists of the Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) is on with meetings being called in all districts under the aegis of the Non-Gazetted Officers’ (NGO) Union. Meetings of candidates who figure on the rank lists such as those of the Lower-Division Clerk and Last-Grade Servant have been already conducted in different districts.
The unusual move is apparently orchestrated by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in a bid to mollify job aspirants in the aftermath of the bad press the top ruling party received of late over a slew of backdoor appointments to government departments and public sector enterprises.
The CPM has been unnerved after reports of irregular appointments of the relatives and children of its leaders in different departments came to light.
Though it has been a practice of the NGO Union to call meetings of those in the PSC rank lists and persuade them to join the organisation, in the current context, the meetings are also aimed at pacifying the candidates. At such meetings, the leaders of the NGO explain that no permanent appointments are being made to temporary posts anywhere and that when temporary postings are done, they follow the legal procedures.
If, however, there have been any contract appointments, they have been in missions formed for various purposes. The leaders also promise that the appointments that were on a slow pace during the COVID-19 crisis, would be expedited now.
Several PSC rank-holders had expressed their displeasure over the move to recruit CPM sympathisers for various temporary jobs in the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation.
Taking note of this, the CPM began conducting the meetings under the leadership of those who are sympathetic to the party in the rank holders' associations.
