Guwahati, Feb. 20: Assam
police plan to adopt a transparent recruitment policy to eliminate the
possibility of corruption and nepotism in recruitment of police
personnel.
Additional director-general of police (administration) Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta told The Telegraph that
the primary objective of the policy was to make the overall induction
process free of human interference as far as possible.
The thrust of the policy will be on
developing an information technology-enabled system for recruitment of
policemen in a very transparent and merit-based manner.
Mahanta said under the proposed policy,
the entire recruitment process would become automated and
biometric-based. Machines or electronic applications will be used
to evaluate answer scripts, prepare lists or rolls and maintain data,
including fingerprint and iris details of candidates.
The electronic devices will be used to
record data relating to physical tests during recruitment. “There will
be two components in the physical test — mile run and long jump. The
entire physical test will be video-graphed, which will make manipulation
of results impossible,” Mahanta said.
He said the written exam will be held on
an optical mark recognition sheet and the answer sheets will be
evaluated through computer scanning.
Since law and order is a state matter, the
Union home ministry had written to all state governments and Union
Territory administrations in 2010, asking them to adopt a
technology-based transparent recruitment process for the police forces,
free of any human interference.
The home ministry wrote the letter after
it observed that police recruitment in almost every state was mired in
allegations of corruption. There were also allegations that aspirants do
not get jobs as constables and sub-inspectors unless money is paid.
Uttar Pradesh was the first state in the
country to devise such a policy in 2009. Central paramilitary forces,
including the SSB and the CRPF, adopted it in 2010.
In the Northeast, Meghalaya approved adoption of the policy in 2012 and it is under implementation.
A senior police officer said under the
policy, the functions related to recruitment of police personnel would
be outsourced to a professional agency. “The agency will be selected in a
transparent manner and its functioning and performance will be
monitored by a consultant to be appointed by Assam police.”
He said a request for proposal would be
issued within the next few months, inviting bids from competent agencies
to which the recruitment process will be outsourced.
The source said the state police are also
considering giving more weightage to the written test than the physical
test under the policy, which is exactly the opposite in the existing
system.
The All Assam Police Association had
stated last month that 12,000 posts were lying vacant in the state
police force. It demanded immediate filling up of these vacancies and
also sought the creation of 30,000 new posts. According to the
association, because of manpower shortage the state police force is hard
pressed to take on militant groups operating in the state.
