A note issued by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has put an abrupt halt to the ongoing recruitment process for the 1,100-odd jobs at the Goa Medical College and Hospital. The brief note has directed all government recruitment processes for Group C posts to be handed over to the Staff Selection Commission. It also says that all recruitment advertisements issued subsequent to the passing of the law in the recent Assembly session are to be withdrawn with immediate effect. And once again, the government has ended up making a complete mockery of its recruitment process.
Why are job-seeking Goans taken for a ride all the time? Is this some kind of a prank or political one-upmanship that is playing in the background? And why should Goans, who continue to be desperate for jobs, made to suffer?
The job openings were announced much before Ganesh Chaturthi and were prominently highlighted in the media. Thousands of Goans have patiently endured the agony of waiting in a queue to lay their hands on the precious form which had to be only collected physically from the Dean’s office. A defiant Health Minister Vishwajit Rane had to succumb to public pressure and belatedly start the online application process only after realizing that the GMC cannot cope up with the procedures. But bitter lessons haven’t been learnt from past experiences. Lest we forget the serpentine queues that candidates were forced to stand in for hours together, in some cases even staying overnight in the vicinity of the venue, only to realize that jobs have not materialized due to procedural hurdles.
Just at a time when people saw a ray of hope in an otherwise bleak job scenario, the chief minister’s note came as a dampener nullifying the entire process. Handing over recruitment processes to Staff Selection Commission is undoubtedly the right decision. It will bring in transparency and build up a level of trust amid the general practice of having quotas where merit takes a back seat. But why expose people to such agony and pain of going about this futile process?
This only indicates that all is not well within the government. The lack of communication and coordination between departments are showing. There was enough time for the CM to stop the process immediately. A delay of this kind reflects insensitiveness towards the hardships of the people. Moreover, by stopping the process and not giving any definite clue over the jobs makes it even worse.
On the flip side, how was the Health Ministry allowed to go ahead with the process, contrary to the law in place? This recruitment was in contravention of the law and could have been challenged anytime and the chief minister should initiate appropriate action. It impacts people and it shows the government of the day in poor light.
It’s time ministers refrain from playing with the sentiments of the jobless and stop dangling the job-carrot. Government should show genuine concern because unemployment continues to be the biggest worry. It’s a shame that job promises are given such bizarre twists.
