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Row over job advt making ‘Gujarati’ desirable

the goan I network

PANAJI

The Goa government’s Fisheries Department kicked up a controversy when a recruitment advertisement for one driver’s post released and published in some local newspapers stated the knowledge of ‘Gujarati’ language as desirable along with Konkani and Marathi.  

Fisheries Minister, Vinoda Palienkar, however, ordered the director of fisheries Vinesh Arlenkar to immediately withdraw the advertisement.  

“This is totally unacceptable and those officers involved in this will be acted upon,” Palienkar tweeted early Saturday morning.  

Besides middle school or equivalent and a driving licence of a light vehicle with two years experience as essential qualifications for the job, the advertisement also said knowledge of Konkani and/or Marathi and Gujarati was ‘desirable’.  

Government recruitment rules, however, mandate the knowledge of Konkani as ‘essential’ and that of Marathi as ‘desirable’ qualification for all types of jobs to ensure recruitment of locals.  

Fisheries department sources, however, said that an old draft of recruitment advertisements from Goa’s Union Territory era got inadvertently released to some of the 

newspapers.  

“During Union Territory, knowledge of Gujarati language was desirable along with Konkani and Marathi to ensure those hailing from Daman and Diu also come in the zone of consideration for government employment,” a fisheries department source said.  

Daman and Diu got delinked when Goa got Statehood in 1987 and with the Official Language Act passed in the same year the recruitment rules were also amended to make knowledge of Konkani essential and that of Marathi desirable. GOVT RULES

Government recruitment rules mandate the  knowledge of Konkani as ‘essential’ and that of Marathi as ‘desirable’  qualification for all types of jobs to ensure recruitment of locals

HOW IT HAPPENED

An old draft of recruitment advertisements from Goa’s Union Territory era got inadvertently released to newspapers. At that time, knowledge of Gujarati language was  desirable along with Konkani and Marathi to ensure those hailing from  Daman and Diu also come in the zone of consideration for government  employment


WHAT THE ADVERTISEMENT SAID

Besides middle school or equivalent and a driving licence of a light  vehicle with two years experience as essential qualifications for the  job, the advertisement said knowledge of Konkani and/or Marathi and  Gujarati was ‘desirable’  

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