New Delhi: The executives' association at Coal India Limited (CIL) has urged the government to introduce reforms in the selection procedure followed by the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) for senior-level PSU appointments. In a letter addressed to Dr Jitendra Singh, the Minister for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, the principal general secretary of All India Association of Coal Executives (AIACE) PK Singh Rathor urged the Centre to allow all participants who apply for a particular post to appear in the interview round.
"We demand that all the applicants for the advertised Post be considered for the interview. If their number increases beyond 15, they may be called for a preliminary round of interview, performance in which can be considered for shortlisting the ultimate 15 for the final round. This amendment may ensure the inclusion of a candidate who is competent enough but not finding a place in shortlisted 15 under the present system. This will also pave the way for transparency in the entire selection process," Rathor said.
The letter pointed out that eligible candidates can apply any number of times in a calendar year, but they are allowed to appear only up to four times in selection meetings. Referring to a recent appointment at Coal India Limited, Rathor said, "In the last few years, we have observed interesting phenomena. Sometimes, the No 1 candidate selected in a panel by PESB, fails to join the post in time due to various administrative and vigilance reasons, and on the other hand, a candidate below No 1 ranks, gets selected and joins a PSU. It also happens that, in a selection interview none of the candidates are found suitable, but within a very short span, one among these is selected for the coveted post in another selection interview. A recent case in Coal India Ltd is a ready example."
The AIACE principal general secretary also suggested that in cases where the number of applicants increases beyond 15, the PESB could hold a preliminary interview round for shortlisting candidates for the final interview round. "In light of the above facts, our association requests to make necessary amendment/ improvement in the existing procedure of selection. We demand that all the applicants for the advertised Post be considered for the interview. If their number increases beyond 15, they may be called for a preliminary round of interview, performance in which can be considered for shortlisting the ultimate 15 for the final round. This amendment may ensure the inclusion of a candidate who is competent enough but not finding a place in shortlisted 15 under the present system. This will also pave the way for transparency in the entire selection process," the letter said.
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