GUWAHATI, March 7 - With �imprecise� and �vague� job advertisements issued by government departments often landing the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) in trouble, its acting Chairman Brig (retd) Ranjit Borthakur has written a letter to the State Chief Secretary to hold a workshop among government officials to enlighten them on the matter.
�The draft advertisements received from various departments fall far short of the requisite information. In some cases, they are not even in consonance with the service rules of the department. In most cases, these advertisements are sent back seeking clarification which leads to inordinate delays,� Brig Borthakur said.
In his letter to the Chief Secretary last week, the APSC chief said proper scrutiny of the applications becomes extremely difficult since advertisements in many cases are vague regarding educational qualifications, desirable qualifications, experiences, age, etc.
�Such delays as well as mistakes at times at our end encourage candidates to take legal course,� he said. For example, the draft advertisement for the post of Agriculture Director states that the candidate should have experience in a �top position� in the field of Agricultural education or Agricultural extension.
�The word �top position� is very vague. Moreover, the officers� association of the Agriculture department later pointed out that one qualification and experience sought in the advertisement does not match with the department�s service rules,� the APSC chairman said.
Denying allegations by the Assam Public Works (APW) about alleged favouritism in the recruitment process to the post of Agriculture Director, he elaborated how the recruitment process (for the post of Agriculture Director) began and how certain flaws in the recruitment advertisement led to protracted correspondences with the department, ultimately forcing it to indefinitely postpone the interview. The High Court has also stayed the proceedings of the interview.
�There was no malafide intention in the recruitment process to the post of the Agriculture Director. At a time when we are trying to set things right in the Commission, such allegations are painful,� he said.
He also informed that the APSC is organising a brainstorming session on March 31 to seek suggestions from stakeholders on adopting the UPSC model for its combined competitive examinations.
