CHENNAI: In an indication of the clamour for government jobs, a scarcelybelievable 992 PHD holders, 23,000 MPhil holders, 2.5 lakh post-graduatesand eight lakh graduates were among applicants for the exam conductedacross the state on February 11 by the Tamil Nadu Public Sevice Commissionlink> (TNPSC link>), seeking to fill 9,500posts of typists, Village Administrative officers (VAO) and stenographers.
While data sourced from the TNPSC shows that 19.83 lakh applied for theexam, a top official in the commission said more than 15 lakh had appearedfor the exam.
While the required qualif ication was securing a pass in Class X, thenumber of graduates who applied for the exam outstripped those who had onlycleared Class XII or Class X.
Non-engineering graduates
(6.2 lakh) accounted for the largest chunk of graduates among theapplicants.
Experts: Difficulty level of Sunday’s exam was high
The exam was conducted for recruitment of 494 VAOs, 4,349 junior assistantsand bill collectors, 230 field surveyors and draftsmen, 3,463 typists and815 steno-typists, all Class IV posts offering a basic pay scale of?5,200-?20,200.
Top government officials say this is a direct indication of the scarcity ofprivate sector jobs and the craze for the security government jobs provide.“This trend was visible in the recent selection of police constables byTNUSRB link> where 4,000 graduates andaround 500 post-graduates applied,” an official said.