Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Tuesday stated that a Common Eligibility Test for job aspirants would be conducted across the country from the beginning of 2022.

He said this unique initiative undertaken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to screen and shortlist candidates for recruitment to central government jobs was scheduled for this year but is getting delayed owing to the pandemic.

The minister said that the National Recruitment Agency (NRA) for conducting Common Eligibility Test has been constituted with the approval of the Union Cabinet. The NRA will conduct CET to screen or shortlist candidates for jobs in government sector for which recruitment is presently carried out through the Staff Selection Commission (SSC), Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs) and Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS).

The union minister said that the NRA will be a multi-agency body which will conduct the common test to screen and shortlist candidates for Group-‘B’ and ‘C’ (non-technical) posts. “The most significant feature of this reform is that every district in the country will have at least one Examination Centre which would greatly enhance access to the candidates living in far-flung areas,” he added.

“There will also be a huge benefit to women and Divyang candidates and for those who find it financially unaffordable to appear for multiple tests by travelling to multiple Centres,” the Union minister added.

Speaking about the e-Book IAS Civil List 2021, Singh said the dynamic list will help in selecting the right officer for the right assignment based on available profile and is a vital source of information on the officers manning various posts for the general public.

He said the e-book IAS Civil list is an effort by the Department to contribute towards Digital India initiative of the Government of India. “This effort will also ensure economic utilization of resources by reducing the burden on government exchequer,” he added.

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