In order to reduce the emphasis on Hindi and English, the Jharkhand government has decided to include regional and tribal languages in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Staff Selection Commission (SSC) examinations.
The language paper in JPSC mains examination, which will include all the regional and tribal languages besides Hindi and English, will now be of 150 marks, as against 100 marks earlier, and the social science paper in mains would have 40 per cent Jharkhand-related questions.
In SSC, which takes care of Class 3 and 4 recruitment, a new paper on languages and literature has been introduced. Under this, an aspirant can choose any of the following: Hindi, Urdu, English, Bengali, Odia, Santhali, Ho, Kharia, Kudukh (Oraon), Mundari (Munda), Khortha, Nagpuri, Panchpargania and Kurmali.
Also, the minimum qualifying marks for Hindi and English have been reduced from 40 per cent to 30 per cent. The percentage of Jharkhand-specific questions has also been increased from 30 per cent to 40 per cent.
“The idea is to allow more local aspirants to take up government jobs by giving them a level playing field. Earlier, they had to compete with people from outside and within the state in Hindi and English, which is not their mother tongue,” said an official.
