Less Jobs In Private Sector Forcing Engineers & MBA's In Gujarat To Become Constable

Haresh Vitthal, a Lok Rakshak Dal (LRD) jawan posted in Navrangpura police station, holds an MBA degree. He was among the two management graduates posted here along with a woman constable who recently got transferred.

In fact, the police station has five other LRD personnel having professional degrees including BCA, BA, B Ed, PGDCA and MSc.

As per data compiled by the Gujarat Police, around 1,000-odd candidates selected as LRDs in 2017 hold professional degrees.

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Ironically, the eligibility criteria for the job is only Class 12 pass. LRDs are hired on fixed pay for a period of five years after which they are inducted as regular constables, a class three post.

G S Mallik, IGP, Vadodara Range, chairman for 2017 LRD recruitment, said that out of 17,532 LRD jawans selected, over 50% held graduate or postgraduate degrees -- a qualification higher than the eligibility criteria.

¡°I had appeared for both sub-inspector and LRD exams and got selected for the latter. I decided to take up the job as I am preparing for other competitive exams.

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There surely is some dissonance as a higher degree doesn't translate into matching work allocation like computer operation or writing FIRs. Many a times, we are only wielding lathis on the roads during bandobast,¡± said an LRD, holding an MBA degree.

Gaurang Jani, associate professor with Gujarat University¡¯s department of sociology, said that unavailability of secure jobs in the private sector is a major factor responsible for the disparity in education and jobs.

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¡°Well-paying job opportunities in private sector are drying up. No wonder, highly educated youth is getting attracted to secure jobs with lower job profile and salaries,¡± he said.

He added that several sections of society equate power with a police job and thus there is lure of khaki at every level.