Date:23/12/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/12/23/stories/2004122304681200.htm

National

``Non-Hindi candidates discriminated against''

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, DEC. 22. The AIADMK member, S. Gokula Indira, today raised in the Rajya Sabha the ``plight'' of non-Hindi speaking candidates appearing for Staff Selection Commission (SSC) examinations.

Speaking during Special Mentions, Ms. Indira said the new system, introduced in 1999, required candidates to answer descriptive questions either in English or Hindi. ``Because of this medium bias, 95 per cent of the candidates who secure appointments hail from Hindi-speaking States,'' she said, adding that more candidates from non-Hindi speaking areas would qualify if they were given the choice of writing their examinations in their mother tongue.

Moreover, candidates who appear for SSC examinations belong to rural areas and had studied in Government schools where the medium of education was the local language.

``Therefore this disparity or discrimination against the non-Hindi speaking candidates should be discontinued and they should be given equal opportunity. A similar system of examinations was being conducted for Defence Group `D' posts and in the Railways for many posts. ``I urge upon the Government to direct the SSC, the Defence and the Railways to conduct civil services model of examination to ensure that there was no justice or discrimination to non-Hindi speaking persons in national interest,'' she said.