75,000 applications for 30 peon posts, shocked officials cancel exam
An unanticipated response of over 75,000 applications for 30 posts of peon in a Chhattisgarh government department forced officials to cancel the recruitment test scheduled for August 30, underscoring the nation’s unemployment crisis.
Among the applicants for the lowest of government jobs that fetch a monthly pay of ` 14,000 are graduates, postgraduates and engineers.
“We were astounded. For 30 posts of peon, we received as many 70,000 online applications and more than 5,000 came by post. Several postgraduates in arts and science as well as engineers have applied,” said Amitabh Panda, commissioner, depart- ment of economics and statistics. The directorate had specifically mentioned “Class 5 pass” as the requisite qualification cap for candidates of the Grade-D post. Overwhelmed by the flood of applications, the department cancelled the test because it was not prepared to handle so many candidates. A decision will be taken in a few months to fix another date for the examination after making necessary arrangements.
According to experts, the massive response not only suggests the magnitude of unemployment among the youth but also highlights the sense of fear among qualified candidates when they apply for such low-income jobs. “The challenge the young people are facing in terms of unemployment or underemployment is getting enormous. Awareness must be created at the high school-level regarding various options available in other sectors as well,” noted academician Jawahar Surisetti said.