Despite the announcement by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday that Regional Rural Banks (RRB) examination would be allowed to write in 13 languages including Kannada, several opposition MPs from Karnataka said that their core demand was not fulfilled by the Centre.
Karnataka’s demand was that Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS), which conducts recruitment to the RRBs, should hold the examination as per the pre-2014 system.
In the pre-2014 system, candidates writing clerical, Grade I officer or multi-purpose staff examinations should know the local language and that they should have studied in local language at least till Class VII.
However, the NDA government in 2014, modified this and removed the mandatory local language proficiency clause and added that the selected candidate should learn the local language within six months of joining the duty or during his probationary period.
“This allowed outsiders to land jobs in RRBs functioning in Karnataka and a large number of Kannadigas deprived of jobs,” says Congress Rajya Sabha member G C Chandrashekhar.
Since RRBs were functioning in small towns and villages and banking staff should know the local languages to deal with customers, he said
Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna demanded the Union minister to implement the pre-2014 recruitment system so that the local candidates get job opportunities.
Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy had written to the Finance minister stating that dilution of local language proficiency requirement rule by the IPBS was against the very purpose of establishment of RRBs which are meant to cater the needs of rural people, the chief minister added.
