Bengaluru: An extraordinary gazette notification dated July 27 2019 issued in Kerala invited applications through a ‘One Time’ Registration Scheme for assistant surgeon and casualty medical officers.

The notification was issued by the Kerala Public Service Commission. However what is quite interesting or do we say shocking is that vacancies have been notified for the Schedule Caste Converts to Christianity (SCCC).

This is the third time that such a motivation is being issued to fill up the 25 vacancies. Similar notifications have been issued since December 14. It states that the pay scale is Rs 45,800 to 89,000.

The notification states, “The above vacancies are now in existence. The ranked list published by the commission as per this notification will be valid until candidates are advised and appointed against the vacancies earmarked for SCCC community but remain unfilled due to the paucity of the candidates during the currency of the ranked list published on 25.03.2013 for the post (Category No.567/2012, Gazette Date:19.11.2012).”

"This is the third NCA notification, published due to the non-availability of sufficient candidates belonging to the SCCC community for the post as per first NCA notification dated 26.12.2014 (Category No. 597/2014) and second NCA notification dated 30.12.2016 (Category No. 485/2016),” it further states.

More importantly the notification also says, “direct recruitment (from candidates belonging to the SCCC) community only. It also says that applications submitted by candidates belonging to communities other than the SCCC community will be summarily rejected. No rejection memo will be issued to such applicants,” the notification also stated.

Encouraging conversions:

The question is: Why does Kerala have a department called the Kerala State Development Corporation for Christian Converts from Scheduled Castes and the Recommended Communities Ltd? 
The very fact that a department has been formed to those who convert, not only sounds discriminatory but also appears to encourage conversions.

The mission and vision of the department states, “Kerala State Development Corporation for Christian Converts from Scheduled Castes and the Recommended Communities Ltd., Kottayam was incorporated in 1980 under the Companies Act 1956 with the main objectives to promote the comprehensive social, educational, cultural and economic upliftment and other living conditions of the Christian Converts from Scheduled Castes and the Recommended Communities.”

When one speaks of conversions to Christianity, there is also talk that those converting are awarded benefits. It is either in the form of money, education etc. There are no conversions that take place for free and they are most of the time laced with benefits. However going by the mission and vision, it says that the department has been set up for the cultural, economic upliftment and other living conditions of the Christian Converts from Scheduled Castes and the Recommended Communities.

Further the department also says that the corporation is providing job-oriented training programme to the unemployed youth belonging to the beneficiary group of this corporation. The corporation currently headed by Bimal Ghosh offers a host of schemes and programs. The schemes mentioned are as follows:

1. Agricultural Land Purchase Scheme
2. Foreign Employment Scheme
3. House Construction
4. House Revamping
5. Marriage Loan
6. Self-employment Scheme
7. Education Loan
8. Landless Houseless Scheme
9. Personal Loan etc. 

Registration:

The official website says that the Kerala State Development Corporation for Christian Converts from Scheduled Castes and the Recommended Communities Ltd., Kottayam was incorporated in 1980 under the Companies Act 1956 with the main objectives to promote the comprehensive social, educational, cultural and economic upliftment and other living conditions of the Christian Converts from Scheduled Castes and the Recommended Communities. 

The structure says that it is headed by a Managing Director, Administrative Officer, Regional Manager and several others. There is a junior superintendent, UDC, LDC, driver, peon and PTS as per the structure.

The Managing Director is S Bimal Ghosh, while the Junior Superintendent is MB Ramachandran. CN Subhash is the regional manager, while AP Puma is the junior superintendent. The department also has regional officers in Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode apart from Kottayam. Further it has an appellate authority, three state public information officers and an assistant state public information officer.

All this makes it very clear that this is a government organisation and not a private one as one would have thought. In all it appears as though it is a department which was set up to help those from the SC community who have left Hinduism and converted to Christianity. Doesn’t this indirectly encourage conversions? 

Loan waiver for Christian coverts:

In the year 2010, the Kerala minister for Scheduled Castes/ Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes AK Balan had said that his government has been providing several relief measures. 

He made that statement during an address at the inauguration of the loan waiver scheme undertaken by the Kerala State Development Corporation for Christian Converts from Scheduled Castes and the Recommended Communities Ltd. 

He also said that under the debt waiver scheme for Christian Converts, loans up to Rs 25,000 maturing on March 31 2006 would be written off fully. 

During the same function, Archbishop Vattappara of the Anglican Church of India had said that those who avail relief measures must reduce dependency on the assistance. He also said that they should fully utilise the opportunities provided to improve living standards.