Recruitment examination for filling some posts in regional rural banks (RRB) will be held in 13 regional languages apart from English and Hindi to provide a level-playing field to the candidates, the government said on Thursday.
In a statement in Lok Sabha over the medium of examination for direct recruitment to certain levels in RRBs, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said candidates educated in local languages are presently at a disadvantage.
Sitharaman said 45 RRBs are functioning across India and have staff strength of around 90,000 employees.
The minister said that the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPs) conducts common recruitment process for recruitment of officers (Scale - I, II and III) and Office Assistants (Multipurpose) in RRBs on an all-India basis in English and Hindi medium.
"To provide a level playing field and to expand the employment possibilities of local youth, it has been decided that examinations for direct recruitment of officers (Scale I) and Office Assistants (multipurpose) in RRBs will be conducted in 13 regional languages in addition to English and Hindi," she said.
She said the languages were Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Konkani, Malyalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Odiya, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu.
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The minister said that the candidates will, in addition to English and Hindi, also have the option to choose the regional language of the state that they have opted for, from among the above languages, as their medium of examination.
The decision will be implemented from this year, she said.
The minister said that various representations have also been received that recruitment examinations for RRBs should be held in regional languages.
She said the functioning of RRBs is state specific and knowledge of the local language of a particular state and region would help the candidates in performing their duties effectively.