On September 13, it was announced in the Tamil Nadu assembly that the state government has increased the reservation for women in government jobs from 30 per cent to 40 per cent. The announcement was made by Minister of Finance and HRM Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, who said that the state government was working towards bringing about necessary amendments to ensure gender equality.
The Tamil Nadu government will provide horizontal reservation for vacancies in the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) and the Teachers Recruitment Board (TRB). Additionally, those orphaned because of parents succumbing to COVID-19 will be given preference, along with first-generation graduates and students from Tamil medium government schools when it comes to government jobs. There will be a relaxation of two years in the age cap for recruitment exams, considering these exams were postponed due to the pandemic. To make sure that only locals are appointed to state government posts, the paper on Tamil language will become a mandatory part of the recruitment exams.
The state government has set aside a budget of about Rs 2 crore for special training of teachers, anganwadi staff, child-protection officers, noon-meal scheme employees and wardens of welfare hostels. Those government employees who are above 53, will be made part of a refresher course in time management and also be given training on leadership and public relations.
Interestingly, Tamil Nadu is ahead of all other states with 69 per cent reservation based on caste, in government jobs. Other states, such as Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka have been unable to go past the 50 per cent quota.
