PSC once again does a disservice to job-seekers

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Once again, the Kerala Public Service Commission has rejected the state government’s recommendation to extend the validity of rank lists up to April 30, 2012, with a dissent note from Chairman K S Radhakrishnan. The decision taken on Tuesday will adversely hit job-seekers in  more than 100 rank lists.The validity of some among them ends on December 31 this year. This is the second time in ten days that the PSC is rejecting the same plea by the state government.  Earlier, on December 19, the commission  had arrived at a decision not to give nod to the Cabinet’s recommendation to extend the validity of rank lists.The Cabinet  decided on December 21 to send the recommendation once again. However, a full board meeting of PSC on Tuesday disagreed with the dissent of the chairman, who was appointed after the UDF Government came to power.The government’s recommendation for extending the validity of the rank lists was based on the premise that the unification of the pension age on  March 31, 2011, had virtually put an end to any fresh recruitments this year and no supernumerary posts were created either, leaving thousands of  youths jobless. The PSC disagreed with the government on the ground that if the demand is conceded, it will set a wrong precedence as many of the rank lists in question were extended more than once earlier.Meanwhile, the indifferent stance of the PSC is likely to come up for consideration at Wednesday’s state Cabinet meet. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has taken a strong stand on  the issue and is  bent on seeking alternatives to outwit  the PSC decision. “There is no justification in any stance which denied jobs to the youth, especially after pension age unification which had stalled new recruitments this year,” he has maintained.