Kerala: Engineers queuing up for peon jobs in the country’s most educated state, giving cycling test
The qualification sought for the post of peon in Kerala was 7th class pass along with the ability to ride a bicycle. Yet on Friday morning in Ernakulam, Kerala, a large number of B.Tech degree holders and graduates were standing in queue for jobs as peons in government offices. For which the salary is around Rs 23,000. An engineer who came to give the cycle test for the job of peon said that it is a ‘safe job’ in which there is no risk associated with continuous driving or food delivery platform. Apart from this, there is no risk of losing the job.
According to a report in ‘Times of India’, the interesting thing is that bicycle is no longer a means of transport but the rules have still not changed. About 101 candidates passed the ‘Cycling Test’. This is a test of their stamina and they have to wait a long time for the ‘ranking list’. To get a job as a peon in Kerala, one must have passed seventh class and know how to ride a bicycle. This time, B.Tech students also came forward and a large number of engineers stood in queue on Friday morning to apply for the job of peon in the government office in Ernakulam, Kerala.
The basic salary of a peon in Kerala is around Rs 23,000 per month. For many B.Tech holders appearing for the cycling test, a small job in a government office is less risky and more secure. This is much better than working in online food delivery services or big tech companies for around Rs 11,000 per month. K Prashant, a resident of Kochi, has a diploma in banking and runs a cafe. He said, ‘If we are posted in KSEB (state electricity company), the salary will be even higher, above Rs 30,000.’
While waiting to take the test he said, ‘I have been trying to get a secure job with a good income for the last few years.’ Although the cycling test serves no practical purpose, the State Public Service Commission Public sector agencies like KSEB and KSFE (Kerala State Financial Enterprises) keep insisting on cycling tests for the post of peon. Officials expressed helplessness and said that the state has not yet changed the old rules.
