Despite Reforms, Haryana's Youth Frustration Over Government Jobs Persists­ — Ground Report From Rohtak

Ashish is a double graduate from Titoli village, 15 kilometres from Rohtak city. He graduated first in 2021 and chose to appear for multiple Group A and B state government examinations.

However, with limited vacancies announced and frequent cancellation and re-introduction of exams, he decided to pursue a second degree in the meantime.

“It is only this year that the government opened some vacancies. There are still serious concerns with the recruitment system. I’ve been preparing for state-level Group A exams for four years, but there have been no recent updates," he tells Swarajya.

“Look at me. I completed my BSc and now I’m pursuing a BEd to make use of the waiting time, and also to expand my eligibility for more vacancies," he says.

As Haryana heads into an election on 5 October, employment remains one of the key issues in the political discourse.

As per recent reports, three prominent Congress leaders from Haryana have made bold promises of government jobs in exchange for votes.

– Neeraj Sharma, a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Faridabad, claimed he would be allocated a quota of 2,000 jobs, promising one job for every 50 votes from a village.

– Another senior Congress leader, Kuldeep Sharma, contesting from Gannaur, said he had provided jobs to 1,700 people and pledged an additional 25 per cent of jobs to voters.

– Haryana Congress president Uday Bhan declared he would be a "power centre" for securing jobs for 5,000 individuals.

On the other hand, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has promised 2 lakh government jobs and 5 lakh employment opportunities under various schemes, including the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme.

The party has also pledged jobs for Agniveers and announced plans to build 10 industrial cities modelled after IMT Kharkhoda, which they say will create 50,000 more jobs.

"There are many like me, especially in rural areas, who continue to wait like this due to repeated failures in securing a government job through the Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC)," Ashish says. "Most of the times it is late announcements, cancellations, delays in scrutiny, instant changes in eligibility, making it difficult to get a job."

Much like anywhere else in the country, a government job is highly coveted in Haryana. The stability a government job offers is a big draw. An elevation in reputation and stature in the local circles is another.

Besides, the value of a government job-holder in the marriage market is not insignificant.

Over the past 20 years, the provision of government jobs in Haryana can be studied as having undergone three phases:

1. Pre-2014

2. 2014-2019

3. 2019 to present day

Pre-2014

Recently, the BJP compared its record with that of the Congress, claiming that while the latter provided 86,067 jobs during its 10-year rule (2005-2014), the current BJP-led government has provided 144,000 jobs through a more transparent process.

They current administration took charge in 2014. Before that, the Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Congress government was notorious for a lack of rules and ‘sifarish’ selections (based on recommendations) in the recruitment process.

The system had become so corrupt that it earned the nickname "kharchi-parchi system," indicating jobs were secured through money or connections rather than merit.

"Before 2014, most jobs were given through personal connections, caste preferences, or bribes. There were government agents who would collect money from candidates and decide whose name would move forward for selection," teachers from government institutes in Rohtak tell Swarajya.

Most of these teachers admitted that this was a common practice known to all. Moreover, the nexus primarily benefitted people from Rohtak and nearby areas, which is also the hometown of the former chief minister.

A government teacher from a nearby village, who had been appearing for state exams since 2011 but only recently got a job, also had a story to tell, on assurance of anonymity.

“Between 2011 and 2013, I appeared for four different exams and cleared two. For the other two, I am not sure if the results were rigged. In one of those recruitments, I passed all the stages,” she tells Swarajya.

“But a day before the final list was to release, some candidates received phone calls for appointment. I know this because a few people I know got the call, but I did not. The next day, when the list was out, my name was missing. It was clear that appointments were made before the list was announced.”

She continues, “This had been the trend for most recruitments in the state in those years. Even earlier, during Om Prakash Chautala’s time, my brother faced a similar situation in police vacancies.”

“He was excellent in the physicals, which was the key for selection in those years. Everyone knew how well my brother performed, but today he has no job in the police, while another person, from the neighbouring village, known to have had some contacts, was appointed for the same vacancy. Rs 1 Lakh per mark, the price we found out which was paid,” she says.

The situation was not too different before Hooda's tenure either.

Former chief minister Om Prakash Chautala was convicted in 2013 in a major teachers' recruitment scam that took place between 1999 and 2000.

Chautala, his son Ajay Chautala, and others were found guilty of manipulating the recruitment of over 3,000 junior basic trained (JBT) teachers using forged documents. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) led the probe, which culminated in a conviction in January 2013, sentencing Chautala to 10 years in prison.

2014-2019

Mohit and Anju, both PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) candidates at Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU), spoke to Swarajya.

“After coming to power in 2014, the government under M L Khattar introduced major reforms compared to previous administrations.

“Earlier, those from poor backgrounds who lacked money or connections had no chance, as there was no merit-based selection process.

“This government eliminated this informal quota system where jobs were distributed based on connections, caste, and money,” Anju said.

One of the major changes came about in the recruitment of Group C and Group D services.

Group D staff, who work as sweepers, peons, typists, and gardeners, are critical to the functioning of government offices. To improve recruitment, several policy and structural reforms were added to simplify and make the process transparent.

“On the policy front, the government scrapped interviews for Group D candidates. For these jobs, interviews were unnecessary, left room for bias and delays. Now, recruitment is based only on an exam,” Mohit said.

As per reports, previously, each department had its own set of rules for Group D recruitment, thereby causing delays. In response, between 2017 and 2020, the Khattar government worked to streamline the process.

The key step was conducting a common exam across all departments for these positions, implemented through the Haryana Group D Employees Amendment Bill, 2019.

“The document verification process was also changed. Earlier, many of the applicants had to verify their documents physically even before the exam. This was switched to an online process, with only selected candidates requiring verification,” Mohit added.

These reforms resulted in the successful recruitment of nearly 18,000 Group D employees across 74 departments within six months in early 2019 — Haryana’s largest recruitment drive in 15 years, as reported in ThePrint.

Additionally, the government introduced more detailed results, providing specific information about candidates beyond just roll numbers and scores, further enhancing transparency in the selection process.

Since implementing these reforms, the state managed to recruit around 45,000 candidates in 18 months, compared to approximately 75,000 over the 13 years prior.

2019 to present day

However, for the anonymous teacher quoted above, the change in government after 2014 did not fully resolve the longstanding issues.

She qualified for a TGT position in 2014-2015, based on merit as the recruitment process began to shift, but had to wait nearly nine years before finally receiving her appointment last year.

Many qualified candidates for TGT English and Sanskrit positions have faced similar delays, with appointments coming years after they had passed the exams.

“The government may have focused on fixing the old patterns, also a previous CM was jailed, which showed there would be no tolerance for fraud, but there are still issues. People like me have suffered through it."

Another student in Rohtak remarks, "Congress ruined the system with their 'parchi-kharchi' approach, while the BJP has issues with its poor execution of its policy changes on the ground."

“The second term under Khattar was complicated by the coalition with the JJP. One reason for this is the differing policies between the two parties, especially around reservations, transparency, and vacancies, which led to a lack of unified decisions, ”, she adds.

“Moreover, frequent cancellation of exams has increased.”, she continues, “This issue was always there, but the previous government never reported it. These cases are being highlighted now under the new government’s system. But this is also an issue.”

Between 2019 and 2024, more than five paper leaks in recruitment exams occurred in the state, including the Haryana Police Constable Exam in August 2021, and the most recent being the Haryana Civil Services Judicial Exam in January 2024.

She speculates, “Who knows, maybe they’re conducting these exams without recruitment plans in mind, just to give the appearance of action.”

In the last five years, no major vacancies materialised until this year, leading many to believe it’s a move timed for the elections.

PhD students like Anju and Mohit have finally been able to apply for assistant professor vacancies, which were posted only a month ago.

However, they have also seen many of their peers apply for Group D positions, just to ensure they get some kind of employment.

Recent report making rounds revealed that 39,990 graduates, 6,112 postgraduates, and 1,17,144 candidates with higher secondary qualifications have applied for contractual sweeper positions that offer just Rs 15,000 per month.

On this, another PhD scholar, Preeti, shares, “This happens all the time. People, regardless of their qualifications, apply for all jobs, in this case, Group D jobs."

"But the government doesn’t realise that whenever the Group A shortlisting happens, many will leave these roles to move up. What will happen with the mass shifting and those positions then?”

All of these reasons — majorly rooted in the politicisation of the recruitment for political advantage, as students suggest — have become a key concern, especially among the youth. And for the same, the BJP government is facing growing backlash.

At the same time, many openly suggest that if Congress returns to power, there will be a return to unfair practices, corruption, and irregularities in exams and recruitment.

Meanwhile, many also believe that if the current government had done more to improve recruitment policies at the ground level, they could have gathered wider support ahead of the elections.