The Uttarakhand Purva Sainik Kalyan Nigam limited (UPNl), the authorised outsourcing agency of Uttarakhand government was able to recruit 2680 candidates from January 31, 2016 to December 30. This figure shows a marked decrease of 527 candidates this year when the number of recruitment done by the agency during the year 2015 is compared. The agency had recruited 3207 candidates last year.
When asked the reason behind the decrease, the Managing Director of UPNl, Brigadier PPS Pahwa told The Pioneer that the decrease had occurred as the outsourcing agency sponsored only those candidates who were either ex servicemen or their wards. After complains of sponsoring of non army background candidates by the UPNl, the state government on June 9 this year cleared that only ex-servicemen, their children, wives or widows should only be eligible for recruitment through the outsourcing agency. Earlier non army background candidates used to get into the selection process of UPNl due to political and other pressures. The plea for most of these selections was non availability of trained personnel from armed forces background. These selections posed a question mark on the very existence of an agency which was created with an opportunity of jobs to ex- servicemen and their family members in a state which has a considerable population of armed forces veterans and serving personnel.
The UPNl is now working on a plan to provide skill training to the ex servicemen so that their employability increases. This measure would ensure better remuneration to them as well. Brig Pahwa said that this skill training would also involve revision of early training. He said that a proposal for this type of training would be made to the government.