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'Caste Discrimination With Reserved Category Candidates': Delhi Social Welfare Minister To UPSC
Writer: Devyani Madaik
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Delhi, 17 July 2021 7:44 AM GMT
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Creatives : Devyani Madaik
A media enthusiast, Devyani believes in learning on the job and there is nothing off limits when it comes to work. Writing is her passion and she is always ready for a debate as well.
Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam suggested keeping the caste of a candidate confidential and choosing the interviewer randomly instead of clubbing reserved and general categories separately.
Delhi Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam, on Friday, July 16, said that the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) candidates belonging from minority communities have been facing caste-based discrimination during the interview process.
In his letter to the UPSC Chairman Pradeep Kumar Joshi, Gautam said systematic discrimination takes place while awarding marks to the reserved category students and had received numerous complaints, reported ANI.
"I would like to invite your kind attention to a number of representations received by me from candidates of the reserved communities who appear in various job interviews conducted by the UPSC. Many have alleged systematic discrimination in awarding the interview marks to reserved category candidates", the letter read.
Fewer Marks Awarded To The Reserved
This matter came to light through an RTI, which stated that there was a trend of awarding fewer marks in the UPSC interview to reserved category candidates.
Solution To Combat Bias
The letter laid a few solutions to eliminate the prejudice against the members of the reserved category, and they can be easily acted upon.
The minister suggested that the caste of a candidate could be kept confidential. Another significant step that could help is choosing the interviewer randomly instead of clubbing reserved and general categories separately.
Requesting the chairman to examine the potential solutions, Gautam said it would ensure equal opportunity to all the candidates in the prestigious field and help fight discrimination.
Govt Recommendation
Earlier in February, a government-commissioned draft report had recommended keeping the surnames or details about the religious or social background of candidates confidential for the interview process.
The report stated that chances of discrimination were high in civil services, at the center and state levels, during the personality test/interview.
The report was commissioned by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment on the progress of Scheduled Castes in seven decades. The Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry had prepared and submitted the report to the government.
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