The future doesn't seem perfect for Neenu as anticipated. The young woman from Manassery in Kozhikode had dreamed of a better life after securing the top rank in the Public Service Commission exam for the post of Assistant Professor in Commerce, held two years ago.

Two years later, she is concerned that her dream of getting a government job will not come true. In previous years, 150 people were given appointments. Now, even the first-rank holder in the PSC list is unsure of getting posted.

Neenu was in the midst of a divorce case when the PSC notification was issued. The case stemmed from a dispute over her decision to pursue higher education after being married off at a young age. During the prolonged legal battle, Neenu had prepared for the PSC exam even on court premises, hoping a job would help her support her daily-wage-labourer parents, two sisters, and her baby.  

She was extremely happy when the rank list was published. Since she had topped the list, Neenu firmly believed that she would be appointed in six months. However, her hope is fading.

Neenu travels to Thiruvananthapuram every month, hoping for positive news, but returns disappointed. Officials asked her why she was spending money on travel. She had met Higher Education Minister R Bindu, but the minister seemed helpless.

Many people asked Neenu to file a case. She doesn't have enough funds to wage a legal battle against the state. So far, she has been meeting her expenses with the PhD stipend. The stipend will stop next month, and the future seems bleak for the young woman.

Like Neenu, GS Saraswati Nair of Peyad in Thiruvananthapuram is awaiting appointment. She is the first-rank holder in the PSC's list for appointment to the post of Assistant Professor in Philosophy. She even went to the court, seeking a favourable order. However, a decision is pending.

The government’s usual justification is that there are 'no vacancies'. But that does not hold in Saraswati’s case. The Government College in Chittoor, Palakkad, currently has two vacant positions. Yet, the authorities have ignored these openings and kept the PSC list of 47 qualified candidates on hold. So far, only one differently-abled candidate has been appointed.

Neenu and Saraswati are not the only people facing an uncertain future. There are thousands of others like them. When vacancies go unreported, appointments are frozen, and temporary staff are hired instead, shattering the hopes of countless families across the state.

Diminishing hope
Job aspirants went on a strike in front of the Secretariat during the fifth year of the first Pinarayi Vijayan government. The then dispensation's reply to the strike was aimed at all PSC candidates. It drastically slashed the number of aspirants from the rank lists, justifying that the increased number of candidates was resulting in more people not getting appointments, leading to strikes.  

The current rank lists contain only half the number of candidates compared to those released before 2020. Appointments are offered to less than 50 per cent of those included in the rank lists. In some cases, less than 10 per cent were appointed from the rank lists. Reports have also mentioned lists from which no one was appointed. Vacancies are reported when aspirants go on strike or move the court after finding openings through RTI applications, or questions are asked in the state Assembly.

A quick look at the appointments to the post of lower division clerks (most appointments are made to this post) reveals the decline in offering jobs. The figures are as below:
2010- 15,375; 2013- 12,181; 2016- 12,069; 2019 notification (list published in 2022)- 7,594 appointments so far. (The rank list will expire on July 31).

The government has made drastic cuts in the rank list of last-grade servants (LGS), a post that receives the most applications. With barely a month left for the rank list to expire, only less than half the number of applicants — compared to previous lists — have been appointed.

When 15,519 appointments were made from the 2018 rank list, it decreased to 6,734 from the list published in 2022. The decline has been attributed to the government's move to delay the appointments. This is carried out through different means.

Sabitha of Malappuram has secured the 814th rank in the lower-division clerk examination. Her words reflect the government's apathy in delaying appointments. "The PSC's Preliminary-Mains reform forced us to take two tests, whereas candidates in other rank lists were spared. The rank list was not as long as the previous years. I expected an appointment soon since the list was short, and there were 100 non-joining duty (NJD) vacancies from the previous list. However, the government, which had not appointed sportspersons for 10 years, appointed them in 350 vacancies. Further, the government went for the dependent and promotion postings, which effectively nullified the chances of those who had taken two tests like us," she said.  

"Additionally, the government has not reported the vacancies properly. Postings to local self-government institutions were not made for about 1.5 years. The rank list's validity will expire on July 31. The only hope now is on retirement vacancies. If appointments are made for retirement vacancies, we will get posted in the openings in lower positions. However, the authorities are now asking how they could promote people in two months. The government has quashed our hopes by not initiating the promotion process despite knowing that retirement vacancies will arise," Sabitha further stated. "I am now 41, and past the age limit for taking PSC tests. I am disappointed since I had worked hard for years to get a job," she added.

Neenu, Saraswati, and Sabitha are among the several who have made it to the PSC rank list but have never been appointed. Posts to which more than 100 appointments were made earlier have seen fewer than five postings, even as the related rank lists are nearing their expiry dates. 

The by-election block
The by-election in the Nilambur Assembly segment has affected various appointments via the PSC. The most affected are the ones included in the last-grade servant (Malappuram) rank list, as it is valid only till July 18. Many had hoped for appointments following the vacancies created by retirements on May 31. However, the reporting of vacancies in some departments has been kept on hold due to the Model Code of Conduct in place. Though the vacancies could be reported with the approval of the Election Commission, many departments are unwilling to take that route. Candidates are worried that the present delay will have a cascading effect on the reporting of future vacancies as well.