By B S Reporter
Rajasthan government has appointed Maj General (retd) Alok Raj as the chairman of Rajasthan Staff Selection Board. He will replace Hari Prasad Sharma retired IPS, who resigned last month. This is for the first time, a retired army officer has been appointed as the chairman of any recruitment agency in the state. Previously, among administrators only retired IPS and IAS were considered for the job. A month back till July, both the government recruitment agencies – RPSC and RSMSSB were helmed by retired IPS officer. Sanjay Shrotriya, who is a retired IPS is currently the chairman of RPSC.
Upen Yadav hunger strike
The appointment of Maj General Alok Raj is considered to be the manifestation of continued agitation by leader of unemployed Upen Yadav , who was on hunger strike since five days demanding immediate appointment of the chairman. The appointment of the chairman is likely to pave the way for smoothening of the ongoing recruitment and notification of fresh jobs. As many as one lakh government jobs are in the offing in various departments including education, social justice, animal husbandry, PHED and other departmentsdepartments.
“This is the victory of youth power. Now we request government to expedite notification of new jobs and declaration of results. We thank chief minister Ashok Gehlot for fulfilling our demand,” said Upen Yadav, president, Rajasthan Unemployed Integrated Federation.
Who is Major General Alok Raj (retd) ?
Major General Alok Raj (retd) is a decorated army officer with 37 years of exceptional service in the force. He was commissioned in 1983 with Sikh Light Infantry.
The General officer was last posted in Mumbai holding two important appointments – Additional Directorate General, National Cadets Corps (NCC), Maharashtra and second as the Chairman Board of Administration & GM Canteen Stores Department, at Adelphi in Mumbai.
During Corona period, as the chairman of Canteen Stores department, Major General Alok Raj showed exceptional skills in managing the uninterrupted supply of food and other important goods during the crisis.
As a Major General, he commanded a prestigious Infantry Division on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal and Assam.
While posted as Chief of Staff of Gajraj Corps in Operation Rhino, he was conferred with coveted ‘Ati Vishist Seva Medal' (AVSM) by the President in 2019 for exceptional services he rendered in the Northeast.
Road ahead:
In Rajasthan, the government recruitment exams are marred by paper leaks and delays in conducting of exams. He has task cut out to streamline the recruitment process and plug the gaps to bring transparency in recruitment.
Alok Mathur is a law graduate. Journalism is his first love which he now pursues in the latter half of his career. Controversies and crime are the right triggers for him.
 Alok Raj as the chairman of Rajasthan Staff Selection Board. He will replace Hari Prasad Sharma retired IPS, who resigned last month. This is for the first time, a retired army officer has been appointed as the chairman of any recruitment agency in the state. Previously, among administrators only retired IPS and IAS were considered for the job. ){kind=link}