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The government of Madhya Pradesh opened district coordinator and block coordinator posts for the effective implementation of the Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act 1996.
These posts were put forward by the panchayati raj department under a scheme called Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan.
Controversy surrounds hiring process
The recruitment campaign was officially carried out by CEDMAP, a government agency. Newslaundry learned that it was then subcontracted to MPCON Ltd, a subsidiary of PSU.
Advertisements for these positions were posted in November 2021. Monthly salaries were set at Rs 25,000 for block coordinators and Rs 30,000 for district coordinators.
Based on grades and educational qualifications, the candidates were shortlisted on a merit list that came out on February 4.
The interviews were scheduled for February 9, 10 and 11. However, at least 12 candidates who appeared on the merit list reported that their interviews were cancelled.
Subsequently, it was learned that 88 people were hired without their names appearing on the list of merits.
None of the 88 newly hired coordinators were from the list of 890 candidates who were shortlisted based on qualifications and educational qualifications, and all 88 appointees have partnerships with Sangh Parivar, according to Newslaundry.
Some confirmed this to be true, others hung up, and one even threatened the reporter.
Later investigations revealed that these appointees come from districts dominated by tribes like Barwani, Dindori, Alirajpur, Dhar, Khargone, Shahdol, Ratlam, Narmadapuram, Mandla, Anuppur, Betul, Chhindwara and Khandwa.
The new hires hadn't even been on the merit list. Instead, they were hired without following proper procedures, ignoring hundreds of applicants in the process. The BJP, led by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, is in power in Madhya Pradesh.
Those appointed attended a three-day training programme from February 13 to 15 in Bhopal. Chief minister Chauhan and his officer on duty, Laxman Singh Markam, were in attendance.
Markam is also a serving Indian Naval Armament Service officer who’s a familiar face at events organised by the BJP and RSS.
MP govt accused of favoritism again
This is not the first time that the Madhya Pradesh government has reportedly favored Sangh Parivar members in job appointments.
In 2018, the state government was accused of hiring candidates with RSS feeds for contract teaching positions in public schools. The government later denied the accusations, calling them "unfounded."
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