BHUBANESWAR: Call it crisis in professional jobs or obsession for Government jobs, many technocrats, including three IITians and two IIITians have opted for clerical jobs in Odisha Secretariat this year.Of the 500 Assistant Section Officers (ASOs) recently selected by Odisha Public Service Commission and appointed by State Government, over 70 pc are BTech engineers, three are IITians, two are IIITians and five are MTech degree holders.
More interestingly, 12 bank probationary officer (PO) also have opted for ASO job along with three BPharma graduates, one Bachelor of Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery (BHMS).In-service people from Government of India jobs in sectors like railways, coastguard, defence, postal, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force and from the office of Comptroller and Auditor General of India and Coal India also have joined the Secretariat service.
Among the new recruits are at least 25 technocrats who have left their lucrative jobs in multi-national companies like Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, IBM, Wipro, Accenture and Capgemini.Additional Secretary of Home Department Partha Sarathi Mishra said IITians and bank POs opting for Odisha Secretariat Service (OSS) is unprecedented. “Almost all ASOs recruited last month are highly qualified. It is good for the State as quality of work and professionalism will improve,” he said.
The State Government this time adopted an innovative method to place the selected candidates. Unlike previous years, they were placed and allotted departments as per their domain expertise. While candidates having banking background have been posted in Finance Department, those with exposure in statistics have been placed in Planning and Coordination Department. Similarly, candidates with engineering qualification have been posted in Works, Energy, IT, Education, Steel and Mines, Industry, Agriculture, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water.
“Every department has been provided with one technocrat and one management graduate to work in the IT and accounts wings. The qualified youths will better understand the schemes, programmes and policies of the Government and work efficiently. They will be provided departmental training,” Mishra said.
What could be the reasons that prompted technocrats to leave lucrative jobs for OSS? Officials said ASO job is non-transferable and has been updated to Group-B. Pay package is good. At the entry level one would draw around `40,000 per month and there is scope for promotion up to Additional Secretary level.
However, this is not for the first time that technocrats have preferred jobs other than their usual sector. Earlier, they have also joined banks as POs and clerks, railway services and other competitive jobs possibly due to job crisis in professional sectors.
An IITian Tarun Prasad Sahu, who has been posted in Rural Development Department, said after completing BTech last year he was looking for a Government job as he was never interested for private sector. “I was selected for Cognizant during our campus placement. But I did not opt for it. I am happy to join as ASO and contribute to the State. Continuing with the job one can become an Additional Secretary one day,” he added.
Job switch
3 IITians posted in Rural Development Dept, Steel and Mines Dept and IPR Dept
5 MTech grads posted in Works Dept, Energy Dept, Agriculture Dept, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Dept
70 pc new recruits are BTech Engineers
Plus points: Job non-transferable and confined to Secretariat
Scope for promotion up to Additional Secretary level
Competitive pay package at entry level