CHENNAI: Much to the relief of job aspirants, the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) on Tuesday released a notification for the recruitment of 6,244 positions across various group IV categories. This marks the first time that roles such as forest watcher, forest guard and milk recorder are to be filled through exams conducted by the commission.
Until now, these were filled by the respective departments through compassionate grounds and departmental recruitment giving preference to locals.
The last TNPSC group IV exam took place in July 2022, filling 10,178 positions. Job seekers expressed disappointment over the limited number of vacancies announced despite no exam being held last year.
Under the group IV category, positions such as VAO, junior assistant, typists, junior inspector of cooperative societies, bill collector and others are included with the examination scheduled for June 9.
Candidates can opt to be considered for forest department positions such as forest guard, forest guard with a driving licence, forest watcher and forest watcher (tribal youth) while filling application. Candidates not interested in these positions can select the option ‘posts other than forest guard/forest watcher’ or choose ‘all the posts.’
“Candidates who apply for ‘all the posts’ will be shortlisted for forest department positions based on their rankings. However, many prefer not to choose these roles as they involve 8 to 12-hour shifts within reserved forests, typically favoured by locals or those from nearby areas,” explained a teacher at a TNPSC coaching centre.
A section of job seekers rued that until 2019, an average of 10,000 to 12,000 group IV positions were filled through TNPSC exams. Due to the lockdown, exams were not conducted in 2020 and 2021.
L Rajesh Kumar from Theni said, “Approximately 18.5 lakh candidates took the group IV exam in July 2022, with results announced last March. Given the huge demand for these jobs, the number of vacancies is too less and should be increased to a minimum of 10,000.”
The deadline for submitting online applications is February 28.