NEW DELHI: The Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board (DSSSB), which is responsible for conducting recruitment exams for non-gazetted and other junior posts, will fill over 20,000 pending vacancies by the end of this year. The move is aimed at creating more permanent jobs.

During its 49-day tenure, the AAP government had asked the board to clear the backlog, of which 19,719 vacancies were pending since 2007. The state government has now set a zero-pendency target.

Following this, DSSSB had conducted exams and interviews to fill nearly 20,311 vacancies in the past one year. Results have been declared for about 11,000 vacancies. Recruitment process for another 7,000 plus posts is yet to start. The turnaround is being attributed to a proactive approach by DSSSB besides the online application registration system that was introduced in 2013.

The implementation of a transparent examination scheme and interview policy seems to have helped in holding exams at short intervals. The new government now plans to make the recruitment process faster.

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia told TOI that filling the vacancies was a priority and the government would further streamline the recruitment system. The DSSSB came under fire from AAP when it had come to power in 2013. The government had then declared the constitution of a committee to frame a recruitment policy and step up recruitment for regular jobs.

Explaining the erstwhile Congress regime had created a system of contract employees, Sisodia had in January 2014 said, “It was never in the priority list of the previous government to fill the vacancies. Going through the data of DSSB, we have found that there were over 18,500 posts lying vacant in 2008 and there were 20 lakh applications received but no recruitment was done.”

The DSSSB is responsible for conducting recruitment exams for various Group B (non-gazetted) and Group C posts in departments of Delhi government, local bodies, public sector undertakings and autonomous bodies under the state government. The 11,531 vacancies where results have been declared pertain to posts like teachers, staff nurse, paramedical staff, technical and scientific post of forensic science laboratory, prison department and fire service.