The finance minister recently announced that henceforth recruitment exams for jobs in regional rural banks (RRBs) will be conducted in 13 regional languages, other than English and Hindi. Therefore, those candidates who are fluent in local languages will also be able to apply and get jobs in RRBs.
Since most RRBs follow a functioning that is specific to the state and focussed on the rural areas, it makes sense to hire people who are well versed with the local language. Knowledge of the local tongue will only add to the efficiency of the candidates and help them discharge their duties well.
Presently the 45 RRBs in the country are functioning with a total staff strength of 90,000. Till now there was a common recruitment process in English and Hindi, to hire officers for these RRBs. In future, however, the process will also be conducted in Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Odiya, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu.
This is expected to ensure equal opportunity for all and a level playing field, while also increasing job prospects for young, local job seekers.
With the education system in the country as it is today, most of the candidates who are educated in their local languages are at a disadvantage when it comes to public exams. This is because they are not comfortable with English or Hindi.
The decision to have examinations conducted in regional languages has been appreciated and welcomed. Suggestions have come up to have the recruitment exams for nationalised banks also conducted in regional languages.
