Job-seekers can write RRB exam in Kannada

BENGALURU: Bringing cheer to those looking for jobs in regional rural bank across the country, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday announced that candidates can now take recruitment exams conducted by Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) in 13 languages other than English and Hindi.

For Karnataka, where the government, MPs in both Houses of Parliament as well as public social media campaigns had been pushing for IBPS exam to be conducted in Kannada to help rural youth, the move comes as a great boost. However, concerns over domicile conditions laid down in the 2014 notification have remained unanswered. 

“To provide a level playing field and to expand employment possibilities for local youths, it has been decided that examination for direct recruitment of officers (Scale-I) and Office Assistant (Multipurpose) in RRBs will be conducted in 13 regional languages in addition to English and Hindi,” Sitharaman said.  

While Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, who is currently in the US, took to Twitter to welcome the Centre’s decision, he made fresh appeals over the requirements of domicile and proficiency in local language. “I would also request @nsitharaman to revert domicile condition from 2014 notification. Candidates should study in the local Language up to class 10 to be eligible for the posts...,” he tweeted. 

‘Candidates from rural areas will be benefitted’ 
“I would also request @nsitharaman to revert domicile condition from 2014 notification. Candidates should study in the local Language up to class 10 to be eligible for the posts. This would really help Kannadigas secure bank jobs in Karnataka. This is the real need of the hour,” he tweeted. He also thanked the minister for responding to the state government’s request to allow banking job aspirants from the state to write in Kannada.

Kumaraswamy insisted that rural candidates will be hugely benefitted by this. Though the move has been widely welcomed, many took to social media to express concerns over domicile conditions not being addressed, pointing out that it doesn’t solve the issue of priority to local youth at large. 

“Unless the recruitment policy of 2014 is reimplemented, there’s no respite for Kannadigas. While providing the option of writing the #IBPS exams in Kannada is a welcome move, let’s not forget the real and bigger issue — the domicile requirement” (sic) tweeted Ramachandra M, a Twitter user from Karnataka. Twitter was flooded with posts expressing concern along similar lines.