Finance ministry relaxes rule to ensure more SC/STs called

The ministry relaxed the eligibility criteria to accommodate five more candidates, of which two belonged to the SC/ST category

In an election year, the government doesn't want to let go of any opportunity to present a Dalit-friendly image.

After interviewing as many as 31 candidates for the post of executive directors (EDs) in public sector banks only a few weeks earlier, the Union finance ministry on Friday hurriedly called another five for an interview, to ensure reserved category candidates got a better chance.

The ministry relaxed the eligibility criteria to accommodate five more candidates, by reducing the three-year residual service criteria to two years and nine months. Of the five more, two belonged to the scheduled caste/tribe (SC/ST) category. Of the 31 called in the first round, only one belonged to the reserved category. The selection is for vacancies in 2014-15.

The ministry justified the move by arguing that as SC/STs enter the service a little later (compared to general category candidates, the reserved category is allowed a higher age limit for entering the service), they should get a fair chance. "We need to understand the issue socially. So, a three-month exemption is fair," a top ministry official said.

Financial services secretary Rajiv Takru and Anand Sinha, deputy governor of the Reserve Bank, interviewed the candidates. While the RBI governor is chairman of the selection committee, traditionally a representative of the governor is sent for conducting the interviews for EDs.

It is not clear why the relaxation was not made earlier. In addition, no relaxation in the residual service criteria was granted for the post of chairmen and managing directors during the previous round of interviews for vacancies arising in 2014-15.

Ministry officials also said the process had to be completed before the retirement of Sinha. The interviews were conducted on Friday, his last day in office.

This comes in the background of the controversy over a new deputy governor's appointment at the central bank. The ministry had expressed its reservation on the search panel's recommendation of a relatively junior candidate to fill the vacancy due to Sinha's retirement Sinha, while G Gopalakrishna, the most senior ED of RBI, who is from a reserved category, was not selected. As a result of the ministry's reservation, the appointment process will be delayed. If selected, Gopalakrishna will be the first RBI deputy governor from a reserved category.

RBI was criticised recently by the SC/ST commission for ignoring eligible chief general managers for the post of EDs.