By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: A day after the candidates vying for the post of Unarmed Branch (UB) and Armed Branch (AB) constables questioned the transparency in recruitment process (TRP), the State Police has defended its recruitment procedure which, according to the department, is being carried out considering the merit of the candidate and the existing State reservation policy.
“There is a ceiling on the number of candidates to be called for the interview which is dependent on the number of vacancies in the Police Department. As per the policy laid down by the TRP the total number of candidates to be called for the interview shall be 1.5 times the number of vacancies in each category based on the reservation policy of the State Government. ,” Additional DGP-cum-Chairman of the Central Recruitment Board (CRB) BL Buam told reporters here on Thursday adding that those who have scored lesser marks in the Physical Efficiency Test (PET) and the written tests have not been called for the interview.
As per the reservation policy, 15 per cent of the vacancies is reserved for Open category, 40 per cent for the Khasi-Jaintia category, 40 per cent for the Garo category and 5 per cent for Other Tribes (OT) of the State. Moreover, 25 per cent of armed branch constables should be women.
Buam informed that 776 candidates were called for the interview for the post of AB constables and 1118 candidates were called for the post of UB constables. There are 503 vacancies for the post of AB constables and 739 for the post of UB constables.
Further clarifying on the questions raised by the eligible candidates whose names did not flash in the list of candidates selected for the personal interview, Buam said, “In accordance with the policy laid down, we have to select candidates based both on merit and the existing reservation policy.”
The Additional DGP informed that the cut-off percentage is fixed category-wise. In the Open category, the cut-off mark for the post UB constable is 250 while that for AB constable is 325. Similarly, in the Khasi-Jaintia category, the cut-off mark for UB constable is 221.5 and that of AB constable is 295. For the Garo category, the cut-off mark for UB constable is 174 while that of AB constable is 269 and in the OT (other tribes of Meghalaya) category, the cut-off marks for UB constable is 193.5 and that of an AB constable is 288.
Briefing on the statistics, Buam said that the board issued a total of 58, 037 application forms and realized revenue of Rs 29, 01, 350 which has been deposited in the treasury. Meanwhile, the board received 42,404 applications for the various posts.
Out of the total 20,552 applications for the post of AB constables, 11,084 qualified in PET and subsequently 10332 appeared for the written test in which 5661 candidates were declared successful. Similarly, out of the 7313 who applied for the post of UB constables, 3567 qualified in PET and 3365 appeared for the written test out of which 2974 candidates were declared successful.
Reiterating that the recruitment is done in a transparent manner, Buam said, “The recruitment board is implementing the TRP in its letter and spirit.”
The Additional DGP said that the procedure of displaying the marks of the candidates in the PET and written test in the public domain is in itself a proof that the entire process is transparent.
“Everything is done in a digitalized manner and technology doesn’t lie”, Buam said adding that it is proposed to conduct the interviews under CCTV coverage, to ensure greater transparency.
In order to ensure uniformity and larger degree of objectivity in the interview process, Buam informed that a system of marking for the interview would be circulated among the members of the board, and the average of the marks awarded by the individual members of the board would be tallied by the Chairman.
The candidate would be separately assessed by each member of the board on a scale of 10, on the following attributes-physical appearance and personality, general awareness, presence of mind, alertness, leadership qualities, computer knowledge and related qualifications and communication skills.
It was also informed that the merit list will be submitted to the government for further vetting before announcement of the results.
When asked whether the submission of the final list to the government will pave the way for politicians to tamper with the results, Buam said, “At the end of the interview, we will have back-ups everywhere with different officials who act as independent agencies. The final result will be vetted by the personnel department and not the Home department and their job would be to check whether the board has listed the candidates in the correct category.”