Guwahati, Jan 10: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on January 10 announced that the state has crossed a significant milestone in public employment, having provided more than 1.5 lakh government jobs since 2021, thereby exceeding the commitment made ahead of the Assembly elections. The Chief Minister described the achievement as a reflection of the government’s focus on merit-based and transparent recruitment.
In a post on social media platform X, Sarma said he was on his way to Sarusajai to hand over appointment letters to more than 6,000 candidates selected for Grade III posts through the Assam Direct Recruitment Examination (ADRE). “We have given above 1.5 lakh government jobs till today. More to come,” he wrote.
The announcement followed a series of large-scale appointment ceremonies held over the past two days. On Thursday, Sarma distributed appointment letters to 4,369 candidates selected for Grade IV posts under ADRE, while over 6,000 Grade III candidates were issued appointment letters earlier. With these latest recruitments, the total number of government jobs provided during the tenure of the present government has reached 1,50,033.
Addressing a programme at the Jyoti-Bishnu International Cultural Centre, the Chief Minister said the ADRE process was among the most complex recruitment exercises undertaken by the state, with transparency posing the biggest challenge. He pointed out that the earlier system of conducting separate departmental examinations often led to overlapping test schedules, allegations of corruption, prolonged legal disputes and persistent staff shortages in government offices.
To overcome these issues, Sarma said the government brought in a unified recruitment mechanism by enacting new legislation and constituting separate commissions for Grade III and Grade IV posts. He noted that the examinations were conducted on a single day across 28 districts, with more than 9.12 lakh candidates appearing. Internet services were suspended during the exams to ensure fairness and prevent malpractice, he added.
Highlighting the credibility of the process, the Chief Minister said no court cases had arisen from the recruitment exercise, which he described as a major departure from past practices. He urged newly appointed employees to work with sincerity and ensure prompt service delivery to people visiting government offices.
Sarma also announced that the ‘Swagata Satirtha’ portal would reopen on February 1 to allow government employees to apply for mutual transfers. Emphasising merit-driven governance, he said transparent recruitment has helped restore the trust of Assam’s youth in public institutions, while the state continues to encourage entrepreneurship as an additional pathway for employment generation.
