Gujarat and Uttarakhand are among 18 states and Union territories which have ended the practice of holding interviews for recruitment to junior-level government jobs on the Centre's suggestion.
According to a status report released by Personnel Ministry today, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Manipur, Punjab and Puducherry have taken steps to end the practice of holding interviews for Class III and IV government jobs.
BJP-ruled Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Jharkhand are also taking necessary steps to implement the Centre's initiative launched with effect from January 1, this year.
However, there is no mention of BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh besides Delhi in a list detailing efforts being made or already made to implement the Modi government's initiative.
"Government of Gujarat has informed that the state government had implemented the policy of cancellation of interview in the direct recruitment on lower-level posts," the Ministry said in the status report.
The state government of Uttarakhand (which is now under the Central rule) has abolished interviews for the group C and B (non gazetted) posts. There has been no interview in Class 3 and 4 levels of posts, it said.
In Uttar Pradesh, there is no more interview for teachers, the Personnel Ministry said.
Haryana, Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Karnataka, Kerala, Manipur and Sikkim have also taken steps towards discontinuing interviews for recruitments to lower level government jobs.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address to the nation on Independence Day last year, had stressed on the need for bringing an end to the practice of holding interviews for group III and IV jobs where personality assessment is not an absolutely necessary requirement.
He had said it will help curb corruption in recruitment and make the exercise more objective and transparent, while emphasising on a merit-based online recruitment process.
The decision to discontinue interview for the junior- level posts across the country will be major step towards achieving the objectives of citizen-centric transparent governance, the Personnel Ministry has said.
