Jharkhand Combined Civil Services Rules 2021 framed first time since state formation

For the first time since the Jharkhand’s formation, the government has framed Jharkhand Combined Civil Services Rules, 2021 for the recruitment into Jharkhand Administrative Service, Jharkhand Police Service among other services. The cabinet passed the rules Wednesday.

It assumes significance since the former six exams have been marred with controversies around corruption. The Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC), which conducts Combined Civil Service Examination, has conducted only six exams in 20 years. In 2010, an FIR was lodged against a former member allegedly masterminding the irregularities in written exams and interviews. The matter is in the High Court too after many said that there were problems around the selection process.

A senior officer said: “There were rules earlier which led to various problems including corruption. Now we have tried to rectify it by framing new rules and a calendar will be released shortly.”

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The rules said: “The concerned cadre controlling department shall calculate the number of vacancies each year on the January 1 with respect to the service to be filled in that particular year by direct recruitment and shall provide requisition for appointment to the Commission after roster clearance through the Department of Personnel, Administrative Reforms, and Rajbhasha.”

The rules said that the candidates who obtain minimum qualifying marks of 40 per cent in aggregate shall only be considered by the Commission while preparing the selection list for Main examination and for preparing the merit list for the purpose of the main (interview) test. However, the minimum qualifying marks will be relaxed to scheduled castes/ scheduled tribes and females to 32 per cent; extremely backward classes to 34 per cent; backward classes to 36.5 per cent; primitive tribal group to 30 per cent.

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One of the major disputes were the cut offs in the previous examinations, which the new rules have tried to address. “The adequate number of candidates to be admitted to the Main examination will be approximately 15 times the total number of advertised vacancies to be filled in the year of the various services and…(in case the vacancies do not arise) amongst the (reserved) candidates, the commission may at their discretion keep the cut off marks maximum up to 8 per cent less than that kept for the last selected candidate, but it shall not be less than the minimum marks,” the rules.

There will also be an option of migration. The rules said: “If a candidate belonging to a reserved category and selected under unreserved category without availing any relaxed standard is allocated service of her/his choice under the unreserved category then she/he shall be adjusted against vacancy of unreserved category.”