In an apparent attempt to assuage the hurt feelings of the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) communities, the Uttarakhand Government on Thursday restored the earlier practice of keeping the first position in recruitment roster for SC. This decision was taken in the meeting of the state cabinet on Thursday.
The State administration also promptly issued a government order (GO) for restoring the earlier practice of keeping the candidate of SC community on first position in recruitment roster. The order would remain enforced in new recruitment in jobs of Uttarakhand Government, educational institute, corporations and public sector undertakings. In another order the State Government decided to undertake a special recruitment campaign to fill the vacant posts of reserved categories.
These measures are being viewed as government’s attempt to win back the confidence of SC and ST. These communities were annoyed at the state government’s decision to remove the benefit of reservation in promotions on Wednesday.
Roster system
In the new recruitment, a roster system is followed. On September 11 last year, the Uttarakhand Government issued a new policy of reservation roster in government services, corporations, public enterprises and educational institutions.
Under which the first five places in the roster of new recruitment were kept for candidates of general category while the sixth position was earmarked for SC candidates.
In the pattern followed earlier, the first position was kept for SC candidates. Interestingly the decision on roster was taken on the recommendation of a cabinet committee headed by Yashpal Arya. When the SC, ST organisations raised furore on the new system, Arya publically stated that he was not taken into confidence on the issue. The state government then constituted a new Cabinet committee headed by Madan Kaushik on the issue.