Guwahati (Assam) [India], January 10 (HBTV): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday distributed appointment letters to 4,369 candidates selected for Grade IV posts through the Assam Direct Recruitment Examination (ADRE).
With this, the total number of government appointments made during the tenure of the present state government has reached 1,50,033, surpassing the commitment made during the 2021 Assembly elections.
After the recruitment process through ADRE was initiated, the state government for the first time distributed appointment letters to 24,787 selected candidates on May 10, 2023. Of these, 11,048 candidates selected by the State-Level Recruitment Commission were appointed to Grade III posts, while 13,739 candidates were appointed to Grade IV posts.
In the second phase, the process to fill Grade IV posts during 2023–24 was undertaken, culminating in the distribution of appointment letters to 4,369 candidates on Friday.
Addressing a programme held at the Jyoti-Bishnu International Cultural Centre at Khanapara in Guwahati, Chief Minister Sarma said the recruitment process initiated through ADRE was extremely complex and that maintaining transparency and public trust throughout the process was a major challenge.
‘Earlier, each department conducted its own recruitment examinations, often resulting in two or three examinations being held on the same day, causing serious inconvenience to candidates. With nearly 200–300 examinations being conducted annually, effective monitoring was difficult, leading to allegations of corruption at various levels. Consequently, recruitment processes were frequently stalled due to court interventions, resulting in acute shortages of officers and staff in government departments,’ the Chief Minister said.
Referring to the government’s commitment to provide one lakh government jobs in a transparent manner, Sarma said no previous government in Assam had appointed more than 15,000–16,000 youth during a five-year term. To address this, the present government constituted separate recruitment boards for doctors and engineers and introduced a unified examination system for appointments across departments.
‘New legislation was enacted, and two commissions were constituted for recruitment to Grade III and Grade IV posts. Despite multiple challenges, the recruitment process conducted in the first year was completed successfully,’ he said, adding that even internet connectivity had to be suspended during examinations to ensure fairness and transparency.
He said the credibility of the recruitment process was reflected in the receipt of 13,79,132 applications for Grade III and Grade IV posts under ADRE. While many states conduct examinations over multiple days with different question papers, Assam conducted the examination in a single day at multiple centres, including private educational institutions.
Sarma informed that examination centres were set up in 28 districts and that 9,12,717 candidates appeared for the examination held on October 27, 2024. The results were declared on March 7 last year.
He further stated that oral examinations were conducted from June 17 to July 7, following which board members submitted the marks awarded to candidates on a daily basis to eliminate any scope for irregularities.
‘After the final results were declared on October 15, appointment letters were distributed to 4,369 candidates today. The entire process was completed in a fully transparent and error-free manner, with no court cases filed. Recruitment based purely on merit and transparency has renewed faith among the youth, encouraging them to focus on studies,’ the Chief Minister said.
Calling upon the newly appointed candidates to serve with dedication, Sarma urged them to ensure that poor and needy citizens visiting government offices receive timely solutions to their problems.
He also announced that the ‘Swagata Satirtha’ portal will be reopened on February 1 to facilitate mutual transfers among government employees seeking postings at preferred locations, adding that around 10,000 government employees benefited from this facility last year.
The Chief Minister said the newly appointed candidates are living examples of transparent and merit-based recruitment in Assam and urged them to carry this message of change to future generations. He added that alongside government recruitment, the state government is placing equal emphasis on promoting entrepreneurship so that Assam’s youth can find employment within the state and contribute to its development.
He further urged the new appointees to withdraw their family members’ names from the Orunodoi scheme if they are currently beneficiaries so that another deserving family can benefit.
Emphasising respect for parents, Sarma said the appointees’ success was due to their parents’ blessings. He encouraged them to present their parents with a gift from their first month’s salary, to regularly save a small amount, and to donate it annually to a place of worship so that society benefits from their success.
(ANI)