Candidates getting selected for jobs and deployed in other states as per the job profile should learn the local language to be able to provide better services, Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said here on Tuesday.

Sitharaman, after handing over orders to successful candidates at the Rozgar Mela, encouraged more candidates to apply for jobs in public sector undertakings located in Tamil Nadu. Referring to the Centre's Rozgar Mela, Sitharaman said the government has been holding it since October 2022 and about 10 lakh people have received job offers so far.

 "Today 51,000 appointment orders are being given across the country by Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) virtually. I was told 553 people are getting job offers from Tamil Nadu," she said. Speaking of improving the delivery of services to be rendered by the candidates post their selection at a public sector undertaking or bank, Sitharaman said, "If a job offer is given to a candidate who will be serving in a bank and would be in direct contact with the customers daily, he or she should learn the local language.

"For example, if a candidate has got placed in Karnataka he should learn Kannada. If he is posted in Tamil Nadu, then he should learn Tamil, Due to lack of (knowledge of) local language by candidates, there is a laxity in the service rendered," she said. The offer letters are being presented to both gazetted officers and non-gazetted officers.

"Wherever you are deployed, you should learn the local language. Candidates selected from other states, please learn the local language where you will be posted" she said. Sitharaman also rued that not many apply from Tamil Nadu for jobs in public sector undertakings. She said if 300 people had applied for 100 job positions in a state like Tamil Nadu, one could shortlist 100 people from the state. "But only 100 people apply for 100 positions and only 60 or 70 get selected and we cannot leave the remaining 30-40 posts vacant.

We fill by bringing in candidates from other states," she said. That is why a large number of candidates from Tamil Nadu should apply for such posts so as to ensure that they get postings in their own state, she said. "Only if there are large number of candidates from Tamil Nadu, we can fill all the positions in the state," she said.