Even as protests against hiring a black-listed company for conducting recruitment spread in different parts of the Union Territory, the Jammu and Kashmir Service Selection Board (JKSSB) on Friday defended its decision to engage this company.
Seeking to ally apprehensions on the hiring of APTECH Limited, Rajesh Sharma, chairman of JKSSB said the agency is not blacklisted as of date, though it was blacklisted in Uttar Pradesh in May 2019 for three years that expired in May 2022.
"I would like to clarify that blacklisting is a restrictive term valid for a period. This agency is not permanently blacklisted for conducting exams", he said and pointed out that the present protests seem to be motivated to derail the functioning of the Board.
Sharma said the particular agency is already conducting exams across the country and at the Centre.
He further claimed that the agency has qualified the parameters prescribed for tendering and was the highest bidder on quality-cum-cost based selection (QCBS) mode. He further said the tendering process has been undertaken strictly as per the rules on the subject.
Job seekers cautioned against vested interests
Observing that the ongoing agitation is politically motivated, the JKSSB chairman cautioned the job seekers against certain elements trying to malign the process of recruitment. He assured the youth that there will be no compromise on transparency and merit.
He said that JKSSB is committed to conducting exams in a fair, transparent, and secure manner.
"Do not pay heed to rumour mongers and those with ulterior motives, who are only here to disrupt the processes," Sharma said while interacting with media persons. He said there would be no compromise on transparency and merit.
"Justice will be ensured. Youth's ability and merit will be respected and strict action will be taken against all those elements who are trying to harm the future of meritorious aspirants," the JKSSB chairman said.
He further said there are certain elements spreading distortion and misinformation on the issue.
Agitating youth seek support from civil society
Youth Against Corruption (YAC), which is spearheading the ongoing agitation against hiring a black-listed company claimed that the company was black-listed and was also fined for its malpractices is recently involved in many states and Ladakh Union Territory.
Addressing a press conference, Vinkal Sharma of YAC said that the JKSSB is turning blind eyes toward recent paper leaks done by Aptech in Leh.
YAC condemned authorities for suppressing the voice of aspirants against corruption in recruitment. He responded strongly to the statements given by the JKSSB Chairman in the media today.
He said the chairman should answer how and why tender conditions were modified to make an easy entry for a blacklisted firm.
Demands of agitating job seekers
- Roll back Exam Calendar issued by JKSSB to be conducted by the black-listed company.
- Technical Investigation into all exams conducted by the black-listed company.
- Public/Government Recruitment should be conducted by the Government body and the role of private players should be ended.
- A strict law against paper leaks in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
