Common written examination for banks : an unfair game

 

Common written examination for banks : an unfair game

The Common Written Examination (CWE) for recruitment in banks had come with a great sigh of  relief  as it saved a  lot of money, time, energy and duplicating efforts  on the parts of both i.e., banks and its aspirants but it is just a half of the solution. With the result of first such CWE for bank officers is announced, the duplication and chaos has now been shifted to rest of the selection process. The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) which has been authorized to conduct a common examination has handed over the score cards to all successful candidates. SBI is not a part of this common pool as it has decided to conduct its recruitment examinations separately. In the next phase all 19 participating  banks will issue separate advertisements against their vacancies and CWE successful candidates need to apply separately to each participating bank with the same IBPS score card.

It is quite likely that as soon as the results of IBPS examinations are declared, every member bank of the pool would like to absorb and retain the best of the successful lot. This will create an unhealthy competition amongst banks and pressure will be put on the candidates to handle so many interview schedules simultaneously. Each bank will have an average of 1500-2000 vacancies every year and if the same lot  of IBPS pass-outs  are interviewed , theoretically, most of the banks may end up selecting the same set of candidates. This situation will also lead to frequent switchovers by candidates from one bank to another on account of their preference for a particular bank or  place of posting. Apart from this if the same lot is interviewed in most of the banks (on the basis of merit in their CWE score cards) a sizeable number of candidates will loose the opportunity to be interviewed.  In practice, three candidates are called for interview against one post  and final selection is being made after adding interview marks to the CWE score. In such scenario, depriving some one a chance of being interviewed  can be a serious irregularity.

Now let us evaluate the above apprehensions in the real backdrop of current situation.  Ever since the result of IBPS officers exam is declared  0n 12^th December 2011, three banks have published their employment notification for the post of officers so far and others will follow soon. The last date of applying is nearly the same in all three banks and in all probabilities their interview schedules may collide. One can easily understand the happenings of  the sequence of events described in previous para in the current scenario.

The other anomalies and unfair treatments visible in the process of selection lies in different eligibility criterion and rules observed by different  banks. The basic criterion for being eligible in appearing in CWE  was a simple pass in graduation, now all the three banks who have notified so far have asked for a minimum of 55% in graduation. One bank has expressed  a preferential treatment to candidates holding a diploma in banking and finance. The same bank has asked for a three year service bond of Rs.200000/- from the candidates joining it. This is highly unfair. If a candidate is eligible for 19 banks on the same score card how one bank can deny this opportunity to him. All participating banks are not at par in terms of their size, branch spread, business and career opportunities, hence it is unfair to restrict someone through such tactics.  Some banks have made it mandatory to have computer course from a reputed institute. Now what will be considered as a reputed institute ?. how one can fulfill such unforeseen requirements. One of the banks has allowed all successful candidates irrespective of their score in CWE but others have fixed their own cutoff marks (around 60%) to be eligible to apply.

Why can’t the participating banks agree on a common criterion in respect of age , educational qualification, and cut off marks, if not,  they should go back to the old system of  individual recruitment exercise. Earlier to CWE , individual banks were asking candidates to apply online with a exam fee and there was no fee charged for interview process. Now candidate has to apply to all 19 banks separately with a interview fee of Rs.200/- per bank. In the process all benefits of common examination procedure in terms of  saving money , time ,energy  and duplication efforts are lost.

The purpose is not merely to criticize the new system but also to suggest a fair solution to this problem. The solution lies in formulating an end to end common recruitment process like civil services exams. The exam should be held once a year and IBPS or any other independent authority should be entrusted with the job of selecting banking personnel through a complete process of written and in-person evaluation. Banks should indicate their vacancy requirements to the evaluation authority. A common merit list will be prepared and candidates should be given a chance to select the bank of their choice on the basis of their position in merit.

BHARAT SHARMA

C-44/8 “Bargad Aashram

Rishinagar Extension , Ujjain

(The letter writer is running a Free Guidance center for bank recruitment exams)

tweets for anna

As published in free press indore on 23/08/2011

Here are some tweets in lighter vein

• This is a fight between “ India against corruption” and “India for corruption”.
• As per Delhi police 3 days are enough to complete fast unto death, means one should die within three days if fast is observed.
• He (Anna Hazare) was arrested for the fear  of  breach of peace and was released later in the evening for  the same reason.
• Government readily agreed for Ramleela maidan with the hope that it may prove second time lucky (after Baba Ramdeo) for it.
• The common man becomes an outsider to the parliament  for five years , as soon as  he exercises his vote in the election.

SENDHWA Bus carnage deserves national attention

As published in free press indore edition on 26/08/2011

It was no routine news or accident, it was most brutal and heinous crime against the innocent fellow human beings by few animals of their own species. Just imagine  that you are sitting in a bus with your family, your bus driver gets involved in a fight with another bus staff on the issue of passenger sharing and while you look on , the door of your bus is locked from outside and your bus is set on fire.  Any one of us could have been there. There was no unruly mob, no communal riot, no accident ,no natural disaster but it was just the  internal rivalry of  already infamous private bus mafia that has led to this incident near sendhwa (MP)  where a busfull of passangers were burnt alive inside a locked door bus.

It was really shocking to see the poor coverage and mild reactions of this incident in the press and the media. At the root of the problem , it is the governments’ failure and inefficiency in MP , not to be able to run the state road transport corporation, which is still running efficiently in many states of our country. The harassment of staff and passengers by the private bus mafia on the  government run buses of other states which passes through our state is quite rampant. The government and local administration have no interest or political will to control this high handedness of private bus operators. Everyday on every route the passengers are forced to travel in the ill maintained, uncomfortable buses and are suffering at the hands of private bus owners, and now the sendhwa incident is the climax of brutality.

Surprisingly , our sensitive CM has also not shown the required concern and courage to reach up to the real cause of the incident. He found the single door buses as the culprit not the private bus mafia. He announced a handsome compensation to the victims of the tragic incident but avoided the underlying issues of this incident. I request that public transport policy should be reviewed in the light of this incident. Fast track court should be set up and stringent punishment should be awarded to those who have done such dastardly act. MPSRTC should be revived and all private buses which are in good condition should be taken over (like land acquisition ) and be run by the state.

Some time back an excise inspector was burnt alive by a  petrol pump staff in maharashtra , which sparked a sharp criticism on the oil mafia and central government was deeply shaken to the extent that it seriously thought about  removing direct kerosene subsidy. The incident was mentioned by the finance minister in his budget speech. I wish this incident should also become  an eye opener for government as well as public.

Bharat Sharma

C-44/8 Rishinagar Extension

Ujjain

Advice, not interference

As published in free press indore edition


The government’s intolerance to any kind of dissent , political or otherwise is visible  even to a blind  so it is not strange if America has observed it and has put it on record. It is not an act of interference but a piece of advice  to a nation which boost itself of a matured democracy. So far  we  have displayed   great restraint  in handling cross boarder terrorism, tolerated all kinds of nuisance from neighboring Pakistan , followed a democratic and judicial process in cases of Afjal guru and Kasab’s conviction, scored well on the human rights scale,  and  remained soft on naxalites. All these  painfully patient responses have  established  our image as a truly democratic nation in the eyes of the world, therefore present  government’s violent and oppressive methods of  handling peaceful and nonviolent movements like those of Baba Ramdeo and Anna Hajare has not only shocked our countrymen but also has surprised the world community which  sincerely believes us as champion of democracy.

American advice apart, if we handle peaceful protests with  reasoning, transparency ,openness and dialogue then it will enhance credibility of the government. There is no need of playing political tricks by trying to defame the movement  or its leaders. Corruption can not be justified if  both parties accuse each other of being involved in it sometime or the other.  Let us address the issues not the individuals, eliminate the problem not the protester.

The rise and fall of petrol

As published in free press indore edition on 13th August.

The Government has forgotten all logic and reasons , it had put forth at the time of  deregulation of  petrol prices, specially the assurance of a floating price regime based on international crude oil prices. It was the only consolation   that whenever the base price will come down ,  relief will be passed on to consumers, but at the first sight  government has made its wicked intentions clear. As indicated by the  finance minister government  is in no mood to pass on the benefits of lowering of  international crude prices to the people at large, instead it will oblige the oil companies for making up their earlier losses.

Well said, Mr.Finance minister. Next time whenever you will reduce  taxes on any commodity in your budget, rest assured , respective industries or companies will adjust their losses too. You were also quick to anticipate  the momentary gain of  diluting inflation but this will not undo the permanent impact of high inflationary  fever in the past two years. Do you have any plans to make up those earlier losses ?.  Go back five years , calculate the inflation at 3 percent per annum and bring the prices to that level , then only the oil companies be allowed to compensate their losses.

We, the poor and middle class of this country will never forgive or forget you for this dubious growth theory persued at the cost of inflation because the growth is not evenly distributed however  the inflation isssssssssss.

Bharat Sharma

C-44/8 , Rishinagar Extension

Ujjain

RESERVATION ADDICTION TO DE(RE)SERVATION

It were Rajasthan’s Gujjars and now Hariana’s Jats, who are taking the country at ransom for their reservation demands. To add to this Govt. has opened a new pandora’s box , by indicating religion based reservations to muslims in the name of minority. Other minoritiy sects like Christian , Jains, Boddhs, Sikhs and Parsis are already in the row. We have already reached the limit of 50% reservation set by the honourable supreme court  and some states have even exceeded this limit through some number jugglery.

Indian constitution had put a time frame for reservation, there after it should have been phased out in a timely manner, but it happened the other way.  The reservation, which  was conceived as a medicine to the problem of inequality in our society has itself become a disease.  A continuous increase in  the doses of medicine  shows that it is not working for the illness, and will not work even if you replace the whole diet with that medicine. It has reached  the level of addiction both for its beneficiaries and the vote centric politicians.

The reservation is not serving its purpose because it has not made them strong and competitive, instead it made them  support addict and morally handicapped. This concept of easy success is alluring other communities as well and  demand for reservation is rising aggressively. The  benefits of reservations like economic and status upliftment  are accruing only  to the person benefited and are not passing on  to the his surrounding community. The benefited persons and his immediate family starts considering them superior to their own community fellows and purpose of community development through reservation is defeated.

It is high time that Government and political parties should rise above their vested interests and start winding  up this flop show. The way government is revamping the age old practice and methods of providing subsidies, reversing the policy of  regulating oil prices etc. they should also review  reservation policy and adopt de(re)servation  instead. The new reservation aspirant should also understand that further slicing the existing OBC quota will not bring much  benefit to their community.

Bharat Sharma

C-44/8 Bargad

Rishinagar Extension

Ujjain.

HOLI-RANGPANCHMI : MAKE IT A ONE DAY AFFAIR

As published in Free Press Indore edition on 30/march/2011


Customs, procedures or rules, everything change with time in a live society. Marriage ceremony has no longer been a week long affair now, it has shrunk to one to two days even in villages. No one has time, all relatives flock at the eleventh hour and returns even before the ceremony ends. The format of most popular game (Cricket) in india has changed from five days to one day and then to the length of  a matinee show(20-20). Likewise Holi, a celebration of colors, customarily observed  from poornima to panchami  should also be restricted to a one day affair, specially the color part of it.

The real spirit of Holi is in applying a little bit of Gulal and meeting people with love and affection, rest all is either nonsense or nuisance, hence extending its activities up to Rang Panchmi has no justification. There is no official holiday for Rangpanchmi but offices/schools/colleges can not function due to negligible turn up of staff and the concerned beneficiaries.  Markets remain closed and whole system gets paralyzed.

Therefore , I appeal to all social leaders and activists to give a serious thought to this  and help build a consensus on this issue. Government and local administration should ensure that market and offices should function properly and streets remain safe for those who do not want to participate in it. The festival enthusiasts should confine their activities to Dhulendi (Holi) divas. On other days, they may organize such gathering in private halls to celebrate it with their friends/relatives or group members.

Bharat Sharma

C-44/8 Bargad

Rishinagar Extension

UJJAIN