Unfair exchange: Give bribe, get no job

want a job? register yourself at any employment exchange. pay bribe. but it does not mean you will automatically get a job. one consolation is that palm-greasing is restricted to lower-level officials. the amount involved is also meagre compared with the other departments. the innocence as well as ignorance of the youth who would have just passed sslc or puc, is exploited by peons and clerks.this correspondent was witness to how money actually changes hands here. this is how it works. padmanabha, who had passed sslc, approached an official in the janata bazaar employment exchange to register his name seeking a job either in the government or any public sector industry. registration is simple. he had to produce his sslc marks card for proof of qualification, proof of residential certificate and two photographs. the clerk took padmanabha out for a cup of coffee. this is the beginning of the operation. the clerk told padmanabha about his jobless days, and how he got into the government service by bribing. he promised to help him out. once the rapport was established, the talks veered round to `money' -- to be given to `higher- ups' to alter the seniority list and send an interview card. the bargaining started with the clerk quoting rs 2,000 for the service. after much haggling, the figure was scaled down to rs 500. and padmanabha was told he would get the card `shortly'. but reality is something else. youths like padmanabha never get the interview card because rarely the government sends requisition to the employment exchange directorate asking for candidates, as recruitments have been frozen in most departments. if it takes place, it is through the karnataka public service commission or district-level recruitment committees. but gullible youths like padmanabha don't know this. ``the perception among today's youth is that money can buy anything, including a job. this innocence is cleverly exploited,'' additional director (employment) of the department of employment and training t. prabhakar told this newspaper. there are 45 exchanges in the state, including one each for physically handicapped, women and sc/sts. as on march 2001, about 19.05 lakh youths had got themselves registered, of whom a little above two lakh are graduates. the exchanges send the list of eligible candidates if there is any requisition either from the government or public sector industries for the posts of drivers, fitters, turners, constables, drivers and conductors on the basis of seniority. asked about corruption prevailing in the exchanges, prabhakar said there has been no specific complaint. ``whenever we sought to take action against the official, the complainant has never turned up for second hearing. however, we tell the job-seeking youths that there is no way one could alter the seniority list, and advise them not to fall prey to the touts,'' he added.