When the Government of West Bengal set out looking for class 8 pass candidates — between the ages of 18 and 40 years — to fill the 2,000 contractual posts of ‘Ban Sahayaks’ or forest assistants, little was it prepared for the deluge of applications, several of which were from postgraduates, research scholars and engineering students.
The selected candidates, who will work as forest assistants, will be required to work on contract in the area of prevention of man-animal conflict and basically ensure the safety and protection of wildlife. Apparently, many of the applicants, who were way overqualified for the job, have expressed their willingness to take up the job wholeheartedly.
Despite being a contractual position with the West Bengal Forest Department, it is the fact that the job will make them an employee of the state government, that attracts these applicants. Also, given the pandemic situation and the uncertainty of the future, candidates are willing to take up any government job that comes their way.
The candidates had to go through a reading test as well as a writing test to prove their knowledge of the Bengali language or any language that is officially recognised by West Bengal. The candidates were also expected to know how to write in English or Hindu, and possess general knowledge. Their fitness in terms of personality, for the job was also tested.
