Following the Imphal Free Press (IFP) expose on certain discrepancies in the recruitment process for 750 vacant posts in various Autonomous District Councils (ADC) of Manipur, the state Tribal Affairs & Hills Department has indefinitely put on hold the written test scheduled to be held on December 13 in an order issued on Monday.
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IFP in its report published today (December 5, 2022) had raised several questions with regard to the modalities of the recruitment process and absence of actual reservation figures besides the legality of holding such recruitment by ignoring the four new ADCs and the political issue of such a large scale recruitment in the absence of elected ADCs.
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The IFP expose went viral in the social media and it created ripples in government circles and among the general population which led to the state taking a decision on postponement.
In a convey letter issued by the deputy secretary (TA and Hills) today, the chief executive officers (CEOs) of the Autonomous District Councils of Chandel, Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, Tamenglong, Senapati and Ukhrul were informed of the state government’s decision to postpone the written test slated to be held on December 13 this year.
The state Tribal Affairs & Hills Department had fixed December 13 as the date for written examination for a total of 750 Group C and D posts which are spread across the six districts of Chandel, Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, Tamenglong, Senapati and Ukhrul with each ADC getting 125 posts each.
The recruitment notice for 750 posts for the six (old) ADCs was first issued on March 21 this year by ignoring the Manipur High Court judgment and Manipur (Hill Areas) District Councils (Sixth Amendment) Act, 2022 with regard to creation of the four new ADCs. But, it was put on hold due to Covid-19 restrictions.
A fresh recruitment notice was issued by the CEOs of the six ADCs on November 8 following a directive from state TA & Hills Department, once again ignoring the four new ADCs created by the relevant Act and Manipur High Court order.
IFP had reported that the government had ordered the recruitment process for the six ADCs while undermining the state government’s own gazette notification and the Manipur High Court order for creation of four new ADCs in Kamjong, Pherzwal, Noney and Tengnoupal districts..
Among others, the IFP report had highlighted the total disregard of reservation norms for ST/SC and OBC while issuing the recruitment notice leaving room for manipulation and juggling in the number of posts; confusion with regard to Oral test in local language or dialect carrying 10 marks; written test for 90 marks with multiple choice type questions carrying one mark without a transparent method of evaluation like Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) system which leaves little room for manipulation or mark tempering.
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The most important aspect of the report was the boom in black market for fake diplomas and degrees initiated by the eligibility requirement for TET passed or diploma and degree in elementary education over and above senior secondary, graduate or post-graduates has somehow created an unprecedented frenzy in the dubious market of fake certificates and degrees.
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