Time to rejoice for several cop aspirants in Manipur. Much to their relief, Chief Minister N Biren Singh announced on June 8 that the results of the long-awaited 10th and 11th IRB recruitment will be declared this June. The chief minister also mentioned that the IRB personnel will be used as highway protection force once their training is completed.
The stalled recruitment process for 10th and 11th IRB Rifleman and Jemadar, which began in January 2019 rendered as many as 7,165 youths jobless for the last three years and their future in limbo. Time and again, the candidates had been knocking at the door of the Chief Minister for the declaration of the result. However, nothing significant was achieved.
As many as 6,750 candidates were selected in the written test and had given their viva voce examination. However, the result of the viva voce is yet to be declared. The viva voce for the 415 candidates selected in the written test for the Jemadar post is also yet to be conducted. As the wait grew longer and frustration seeped in, many have been commenting on several social media posts by the chief minister, enquiring when the result of the recruitment would be declared.
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Chief Minister N Biren Singh, normally known for his quick and active response to comments directed to him in Facebook, would clamp up whenever someone comes up with a comment on the pending IRB result. It was like a story he left unfinished and continues to haunt him like a nemesis even in his dreams. As much as he would like to directly interact with netizens, IRB queries would shut him up. So, it seems he has decided to announce the result.
Interestingly, amid the chaos of political and crime-related news, the latest news on IRB recruitment published by the Imphal Free Press grabbed maximum attention of the netizens. One single post on IRB recruitment on the Imphal Free Press Facebook page with the title - "Results of 10th and 11th IRB recruitment will be declared in June: CM N Biren Singh" garnered 16,106 engagements, reaching 307,056 people till the time of filing this piece. The post has also been shared 87 times by viewers, which is a significant number. One Facebook user commented "Thank you CM, class 10th and 12th results will also be declared in the month of June. So, June is the best month of 2022 in Manipur…”
The particular news was the most read news of the day, leaving behind the other "news that matters". The fact that the result of the IRB recruitment being one of the most awaited news and most read news of the day, reminds us of the trend of seeking and preferring government jobs over other private job opportunities.
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The craze for government jobs among the youth of Manipur is no different from other states. This could be due to the lack of other lucrative job opportunities in the state, or for future security reasons. It will not be wrong to say that many educated youths in the state are facing unemployment problems, though the government has launched several welfare schemes such as the Manipur Start Up Scheme to help the youths become self-reliant.
However, thanks to social media! Social media today has become one of the most influential platforms and driving forces to disseminate information and nudge the leaders and all stakeholders on issues concerning the general public. No doubt, the concerned authority is accountable to the denizens.
For those candidates, who were worried about the age bar and those who have been patiently and eagerly awaiting the results of the long pending IRB recruitment, they can heave a sigh of relief as the chief minister has given his word. Let's hope that the chief minister keeps his word and not shatters the hopes and dreams of several cop aspirants.
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