To support bereaved families, the Chandigarh Union Territory administration has announced that compassionate appointments will now be made through a structured point-based merit system. The new system applies to dependents of government employees who either died while in service or were retired on medical grounds, leaving their families without a stable source of income.
The administration has clarified that these appointments will be processed against a centralised pool of five per cent vacancies under the direct recruitment quota across all departments. This centralisation of Group C category posts is intended to streamline the process and ensure timely support to families in distress.
To further ensure fairness and consistency, the cases of all eligible dependents from various departments will be grouped together and assessed under the same merit framework. The primary aim is to offer assistance swiftly to those most in need, reducing bureaucratic delays and making the process more transparent.
However, the new guidelines also set clear boundaries. If a surviving spouse of the deceased employee is already employed in regular government service, the children of the deceased will not be eligible for compassionate appointment. Similarly, in cases involving unmarried deceased employees, if a sibling is already in government service, no other dependent from the family will be considered for a job under this scheme.
The introduction of a merit-based system, it is hoped, will bring more transparency and equity to compassionate hiring. It marks a departure from earlier practices that often lacked consistency and prioritisation. The move reflects the administration’s attempt to balance compassion with fairness, ensuring that job opportunities are reserved for families with the most urgent need.
