Sans interviews PSU banks asked to focus more on exams

THE Finance Ministry has instructed public sector banks to strengthen written examination for recruitment of clerical and sub-staff posts. This follows the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions order asking all the government ministries, offices and PSUs to complete process of discontinuation...
of interview for junior level posts from January 1 this year.
The ministry also said that interviews will not be taken even in cases where selection was made purely on the basis of performance in interview. But they may continue with skill or physical test.
All the advertisement for future vacancies will be without the interview as part of the recruitment process.
The decision to change the recruitment process follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi's directive that there was no need for holding interviews for lower level posts. "PSBs (public sector banks) may explore other alternatives to strengthen written examination such as by including psychometric tests, etc. to replace interview mechanism," the Department of Financial Services said in a communication to chief executives of all the 27 state-owned banks.
The PSU banks were asked to take "necessary action" to discontinue interviews in the recruitment process for the clerical and sub-staff posts by December 31, 2015.
The Committee of Secretaries chaired by Cabinet Secretary in its meeting held on November 13 had recommended discontinuation of interviews in PSU banks for junior level posts.
Modi had earlier announced that from January 1, 2016 there would be no interviews for central government jobs in Class-III and IV categories. He had termed it as a "New Year Gift" to the youth and a major step to curb corruption.
Recently, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) had said that skill test or physical test may continue as it is different from interview.
"However, these tests will only be of qualifying nature. Assessment will not be done on the basis of marks for such tests," it had said. In case of specific posts where a ministry or department wants to continue with interview as a process of recruitment, a detailed proposal seeking exemption has to be sent to DoPT with the approval of the minister or minister concerned.
The ministries will have to send a detailed report to the DoPT by January 7 regarding this.