• Recently, the union minister announced the setting up of a National Recruitment Agency which will conduct an online Common Eligibility Test for shortlisting candidates for the majority of central government jobs twice a year.
• The multiple recruitment examinations are a burden on the candidates, as also on the respective recruitment agencies, involving avoidable or repetitive expenditure, law and order or security-related issues and venue-related problems.

What is the National Recruitment Agency ?

• The setting up of the National Recruitment Agency is a historic and transformative reform which was announced in the budget 2020-21.
• There are various central government services for which the recruiting agencies conduct 3 stage screening tests according to their own criteria.
• Now, the NRA will conduct a common eligibility test for various services like SSC, Railway recruitment board and for the institutes of banking personnel via online mode.
• It aims at reducing the burden on recruitment agencies as well as for reducing the cost of the agencies in taking various exams.
• Thus, there is no need for a 1st level screening test and the agencies can go directly for conducting 2nd and 3rd level screening tests.
• The NRA will have one centre in each district due to which youth will get opportunities across India.
• Thus, it will become a seamless process along with transparency and digitisation through the National Recruitment agency.

What are the major challenges ?

1. The major challenge is the accessibility to the rural and disadvantaged people as well as to the women.
2. The infrastructure in the aspirational districts is not upto the level which needs to be looked upon.
3. The awareness about the technology usage especially in the remote areas is poor.
4. The important attributes like language, mathematics and current events need to be inclusive while conducting common eligibility test.

Way Forward

• The infrastructure facility needs to be improved quickly especially in the aspirational districts.
• The capacity building in various aspects is the need of the hour.
• The digital divide has to be breached so that there is no discrimination between the rich and the poor.
• The Tier-2 and Tier-3 examinations need to be re-oriented.

Conclusion

• The National Recruitment Agency is the transformative reform and it will pave the way for ease of recruitment in the upcoming days.

Reference:

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfDzITnpqco