THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Bank will recruit about 1,200 personnel through the employment exchange for temporary appointment in various positions. This is a stop-gap arrangement to run the business until the Public Service Commission recruits candidates for permanent employment, according to the bank.
"The bank is facing a severe shortage of personnel. Nearly one-fourth of the posts are remaining vacant. Though the recruitment has been handed over to the PSC, it would take time for the commission to complete the recruitment procedures for various posts. We hope to manage the situation with the help of temporary staffers recruited through the employment exchange," bank president Gopi Kottamurickal told The New Indian Express.
The president said the elected director board could frame the draft special rules in minimum time. The approved draft has been handed over to the PSC.Every month, the bank witnesses 65-73 retirements in various positions, ranging from office attendant to managerial staff. A serious crisis is in the offing if temporary appointments are not made, says Kottamurickal.
It would also affect the recently launched massive programme to reclaim loan arrears. "The present NPA level of 18.64 per cent should be brought below 10 per cent to fall in line with the RBI's direction. If not, the apex bank will not give clearance for expansion programmes like opening new branches," he said.
Meanwhile, the bank's recruitment has come at a time when the employment exchange faces a huge drop in registrations. The number of persons in the live register of the employment department was 29.31 lakh as on December 31, 2021 when compared to the 37.77 lakh six months before.