ONGC Recruitment norms flouted, says report

Guwahati/Bhubaneswar: A review committee of the Assam Assembly has accused oil behemoth ONGC of not adhering to various norms in recruitment of 22 posts reserved for people with disabilities (PWDs).

The panel has also asked the government to formulate regulations for 100 per cent reservation of local people in Grade-III and IV posts of the public sector undertakings (PSUs)of the state.

In its report submitted to the House yesterday, the Employment Review Committee of the Assam Assembly observed that the ONGC notification for recruitment to the 22 vacant posts did not follow the prescribed format, as mentioned in the Rule 4 of the Employment Exchanges Act, 1959.

"As per the Supreme Court verdict, it is mandatory to intimate the employment exchange, which then should sponsor the name of the candidates. The ONGC Assam Asset did not give any scope to the employment exchange to sponsor candidates against vacancies," it added.

The committee also pointed out that Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) claimed to have issued notifications to 10 local employment exchanges, asking them to inform eligible candidates with valid registration numbers about the vacancies, but when asked, the company could not provide details of the applicants.

The Assembly panel advised the government to formulate an overall recruitment policy, in accordance with findings of Gujarat Resolution, to provide jobs to local youths in PSUs such as ONGC, OIL, Indian Railways and Coal India.

"During the course of discussion, the committee observed that there is no clear government policy regarding recruitment of local people, including PwDs, in the Grade-III and IV posts of public sector undertakings in Assam.

"The committee recommends that the department concerned should formulate policy for cent per cent recruitment of local candidates in Grade-III and IV posts in all PSUs of the state," the report said.

The investigation by the panel also found out that not a single member representing the government or the Skill, Employment & Entrepreneurship Development Department was made a part of the selection committee, even as the norms suggest that the notification should be forwarded to the department first for wider publicity.

"The committee noted that that the ONGC Assam Asset had mentioned in their advertisement that the 22 vacant posts for PwDs are for Assam, but did not specify who can apply for the posts (and) whether it is restricted to the candidates of Assam only " the report said.

It asked the oil major to clearly mention that the Grade-III and IV PWD posts are reserved for the candidates of Assam while publishing the advertisements in future.

The review committee recommended that the existing 14 vacant posts for PwDs should be filled up through local employment exchanges and sought the creation of 30 new Grade-III and IV PWD posts for the local people of Assam.

"The committee recommends that the Recruitment Board/Selection Committee of PSUs and public enterprises should have at least one member representing the government of Assam/Directorate of Skill, Employment & Entrepreneurship Development, Assam," the report said.

The panel also said that the ONGC should associate itself with the local polytechnic institutes to provide apprenticeship to the students so that they can apply for Grade-III and IV posts in future.

Senior officials of the oil major, on their part, said they are yet to receive the Assembly committee   report.

It would not be wise to react on the matter before going through the report, one of the officials said.

"The appointments are made by ONGC head office in Dehradun. The officials there can furnish details on the issue," he added.