‘Fake appointment letters’ row: Chief Secretary admits to ‘goof-up’, says some want to discredit govt

Addressing mediapersons in Kolkata, Dwivedi said the administration has started a probe into the matter. “With an intention to malign and discredit the state government, a few people and a section of media are spreading false information that the state government during a placement drive offered fake jobs in lieu of money to students who have completed vocational skill development training. In such cases, the government only provides a suitable platform for prospective employers and students.”

The jobs were not offered by the state government as was being projected by a section of media and some people to malign the state government’s image, he claimed.

“During one such placement drive conducted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and its accredited aggregators, jobs to students trained in various polytechnics, ITIs vocational centres were secured. Out of thousands of jobs, one case cropped up in Hooghly where the CII purportedly secured jobs for 107 students. It was an anomaly committed by the aggregator named Skillzdesk,” he added.

The CII, the Chief Secretary said, was then asked to take action in this regard once the government came to know about it. “The CII had lodged an FIR on September 16 against Skillzdesk. It has also secured alternate jobs to all 107 affected candidates.”

“The government strongly condemns a malicious and mischievous campaign by some vested interests to malign and defame the state government. Such a slanderous campaign not only jeopardises the future of our students but also bring into disrepute industry chambers like the CII. The state government is committed to providing maximum employment opportunities to our students. The government is committed to protect the interests of students,” he added.