GUWAHATI, May 27: Assam Chief Secretary Ravi Kota on Wednesday chaired a high-level review meeting on the operationalisation of the state government’s ambitious plan to create two lakh government jobs over the next five years, in line with the commitments made in the Sankalp Patra and decisions of the State Cabinet.
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| Officials attend a high-level review meeting chaired by Assam Chief Secretary Ravi Kota on the operationalisation of the state government’s plan to create 2 lakh government jobs over the next five years. (Image: X/CSAssam_) |
The meeting focused on preparing a comprehensive and structured roadmap for recruitment across various government departments, field offices, autonomous bodies, colleges, universities, missions, and societies throughout Assam.
According to officials, extensive discussions were held on mapping existing vacancies as well as anticipated openings arising from retirements and expansion of services. Departments were asked to undertake detailed assessments of year-wise retirement projections and grade-wise vacancies, particularly in field-level offices where manpower shortages are often more acute.
The review also examined the identification of posts to be filled through direct recruitment and measures to streamline recruitment procedures to ensure greater transparency, efficiency, and timely appointments.
One of the major concerns discussed during the meeting was the shortage of manpower in remote and difficult areas of the state. Officials deliberated on possible policy interventions and incentives that could encourage employees to serve in geographically challenging locations and improve staffing in underserved regions.
In addition to direct government recruitment, the meeting also discussed strategies for promoting entrepreneurship and self-employment among the youth through schemes such as the Chief Minister’s Atmanirbhar Asom Abhijan (CMAAA) and allied programmes. The government aims to complement formal public sector employment with livelihood generation initiatives and enterprise support schemes.
The deliberations further covered the preparation of annual employment targets, department-wise recruitment projections, and monitoring mechanisms to ensure systematic implementation of the employment mission over the next five years.
Officials noted during the meeting that the Assam government has already undertaken more than 1.64 lakh recruitments during its previous tenure through the Assam Direct Recruitment Examination (ADRE) and various departmental recruitment processes. The state government has repeatedly highlighted employment generation as one of its major governance priorities.
The ADRE process, introduced by the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led government, was aimed at centralising recruitment procedures for Grade III and Grade IV government posts and reducing delays and irregularities in appointments.
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The Chief Secretary directed all concerned departments to conduct detailed internal reviews and furnish actionable inputs to facilitate preparation of the five-year employment roadmap. Departments have also been asked to provide realistic vacancy assessments and implementation plans to support the large-scale recruitment drive.
Government sources said the proposed employment strategy would seek to balance administrative efficiency, transparency, workforce requirements, and long-term public service needs while ensuring opportunities for qualified youth across the state.
The Assam government’s employment initiative is expected to remain one of the key policy focus areas in the coming years, particularly amid rising demand for public sector jobs among educated youth in the state.
