Kumaraswamy writes to Union Minister Jaitley over Bank exam

Bengaluru: Former Chief Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) State president H.D. Kumaraswamy has urged Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to have a relook at the amendment to the language proficiency clause on the examinations conducted by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection.

In a letter to Jaitley, the former chief minister said the amendment was likely to affect quality employment opportunities for rural youth in Karnataka and other States. They can only write the exam only in Hindi or English according to the new rule. Earlier, aspiring candidates could sit for the exam in their respective language, and this helped hundreds of youths from rural areas to get jobs in the banking sector, Kumaraswamy said, adding that the new rule benefits people from the Hindi belt.

Recently, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had written to Jaitley opposing the amendment. “The change has virtually shut the door to employment for those candidates from rural and economically backward areas that have proficiency only in the local language. The changes also go against the basic principles of our Constitution and are detrimental to the interest of our [rural] youth,” the chief minister wrote.