Karnataka: KPSC’s Delay and ‘Botched’ Selection Process for JTOs Creates Anxiety

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) has “botched” up the Junior Training Officer (JTO) recruitment to such an extent that the 401 candidates who received appointment orders may also have their jobs terminated in the future.

Several candidates who have scored well in the written tests have filed objections with the Karnataka State Administrative Tribunal (KSAT) alleging that their experience certificates were improperly scrutinised. The KSAT has found merit in several cases and urged the KPSC and the Department of Training and Employment to review their applications.

In 2018, KPSC announced 1,520 vacancies for the position of JTOs. This is a teaching position at the government-run Industrial Training Institute (ITIs). The openings were for a range of trades including fitter, turner, engineering drawing, electronics mechanic etc. The tests were conducted in December 2018.

Due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the preliminary list was published three years later, in November 2021. After inviting objections, the final list was subsequently published in May 2022. Out of the 960 selected candidates in the final list, only 402 candidates received the appointment orders. The other 500+ candidates have been visiting the department of training and employment for several months hoping to receive their appointment orders. But they may be in for a long wait.

Several candidates whose names did not appear in the final list filed objections with KSAT. As per some candidates, KPSC seems to have “botched” up the selection process because they failed to correctly scrutinise the applications filed by the job aspirants. For example, for a fitter trade, eligible candidates can have a diploma in mechanical engineering or a National Trade Certificate from an ITI. Candidates also have to submit experience certificates in the relevant field.

Some candidates have alleged that this is where the KPSC filtered out candidates who may have worked in the mechanical department of the industry but did not specifically mention ‘fitter’ in the experience certificate. The job notification also mentions the factory/industry they have worked at must be registered under the Factories Act, of 1948. This has also been challenged by the candidates. They say that several of these trades can be set up without registering under the Factories Act, of 1948.

NewsClick reached out to the department which will recruit the final candidates. Jyothi K, Commissioner at the Department of Training and Employment, told NewsClick: “We have stopped the issue of orders. We have requested KSAT to club all the cases (candidates with genuine objections) and give us a comprehensive order.”

Speaking about the objections filed by candidates, she said: “Several candidates claimed they had been rejected due to the experience certificate. The objections filed by candidates have been accepted by KSAT. They have issued orders to us and to KPSC that if the format (of the experience certificate) does not allow a candidate to present all
the details, you have to reconsider the rejected applications. We have to review all the experience certificates again and request the KPSC to select the candidates accordingly.”

However, this has thrown the futures of all selected candidates into uncertainty. Even though 402 candidates have received appointment orders and have begun work, they may have their selection nullified in the future. The other selected candidates are equally devastated because many of them have quit their jobs in anticipation of appointment orders from the government.

A candidate who wished to remain unnamed said that he had quit his job after finding his name in the final list. He even submitted all his original documents, like his diploma and B.E. certificate. He has not yet received the appointment order and has been without a job since May. He had a package of Rs. 7 lakh/annum at a private company when he decided to quit. Now he is forced to take loans to meet his day-to-day expenses. He cannot apply for another job because he does not have any original documents with him. He is terrified to take it back because he thinks he will lose his chances of getting a government job. A job which comes with a basic pay of Rs. 33,000/month. Far less than what he was earning earlier.

Another candidate, who also wished to remain unnamed, said that KPSC officials were being ‘pressured’ to stop the recruitment process. There is a conspiracy theory going around in this circle that high-ranking bureaucrats are being paid bribes by unworthy candidates for selection, he alleged. They are now considering approaching the High Court. What they fear most is that the final list published in May could be cancelled. They are coping with the stress of the situation by forming support groups on WhatsApp.

Even after five years, the Karnataka government has not filled 1,520 JTO vacancies. In the meantime, another 500 vacancies have cropped up in the same department. The government will have to issue a fresh notification to fill up these vacancies, but not before completing the current round.

The delay has been partially attributed to the pandemic. However, the delay is largely due to the time-consuming process of vetting the documentation of the selected candidates. Other than the Scheduled Castes (SC)/Scheduled Tribes (ST)/ Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation, there is also a reservation for rural students; persons with disability; residents of Hyderabad-Karnataka region; project displaced persons; and students from the Kannada medium of education. The KPSC has to verify all the documentation related to these categories. There is also a police verification process.

While the process has been a traumatic experience for selected candidates, the vacancies have also been hurting the students of government ITIs. They are waiting for the teachers. But, the end seems
nowhere in sight.