Patna: Close to five lakh graduates, engineers, MBAs and MCA degree holders in Bihar have applied for the posts of gardeners, gatekeepers, sweepers in the latest round of a recruitment drive being carried out by the State Government.
The government had earlier this year had come out with an advertisement to fill up 166 group D posts in Bihar Vidhan Sabha, but to its surprise, the number of candidates who have applied has not only broken all records, but the applicants comprise M.Tech, B.Tech and diploma holders as well.
News wire ANI reported that two-third of the candidates who have applied for the positions, are overqualified for the posts, reflecting the ongoing sluggishness in the job market.
The interviews for the posts began in September this year and so far, 4.32 lakh applicants have already appeared in the interview round.
“Youths with higher qualifications are ready to work as peons. Nothing can be more unfortunate than this. People from other states like Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand are also coming here for jobs, which means that even these states are reeling under unemployment,” state Congress leader Prem Chandra Mishra was quoted as saying by ANI.
Amit Jaiswal, post-graduate in English said people with higher education degrees do not even get a job with a basic salary of Rs 10,000 in the private sector. Therefore there is a deluge in application.
“Unemployment is one of the reasons, but the people who have applied for this job want to go for government jobs. They don’t want to enter the private sector,” said another applicant.
Recently, an IIT Bombay graduate had made it to the headlines after he decided to give up a cosy private job for a less paying job in the Railways. He is currently posted in the Ranchi division of South Eastern Railway.