Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh today said that a Common Eligibility Test (CET) for job aspirants will be conducted across the country from early 2022. The CET was scheduled to take off before the end of this year, but is likely to get delayed on account of COVID pandemic, he said.
Speaking after the launch of e-Book Civil List-2021 of IAS officers, Dr Singh said, the CET is a path-breaking reform carried out by Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) to bring about "Ease of Recruitment" for young job aspirants and it will prove to be a major boon for youth, especially those living in far-flung and remote areas.
This landmark reform is also a reflection of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's deep and sensitive concern for the youths and his keenness to provide level playing field and equal opportunity to youth across the country, he added.
The Minister further informed that the National Recruitment Agency (NRA) for conducting Common Eligibility Test has been constituted with the approval of the Union Cabinet.
The NRA will conduct CET to screen and shortlist candidates for jobs in government sector for which recruitment is presently carried out through the Staff Selection Commission (SSC), Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs) and Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS).
Dr Singh said that the NRA will be a multi-agency body which will conduct the common test to screen and shortlist candidates for Group-'B' and 'C' (non-technical) posts.
The most significant feature of this reform is that every district in the country will have at least one Examination Centre which would greatly enhance access to the candidates living in far-flung areas, he added.
Dr Singh said that the historic reform will provide a level playing field to all the candidates, regardless of his or her background or socio-economic status. There will also be a huge benefit to women and Divyang candidates and for those who find it financially unaffordable to appear for multiple tests by travelling to multiple Centres.
