Even a VRA Job is okay for engg graduates, PGs

HYDERABAD: Even a Rs 3,000 per month job is okay for B Techs, MCAs and MScs. As the job market has dried up, these engineering graduates and science postgraduates have no qualms to work as village revenue assistants and village revenue officers as is evidenced by the considerable number of successful candidates willing to lap up the lower-rung government jobs at the village level. The written examination for the VRO and VRA recruitment was held on Feb 19.What is interesting is the total emoluments, including all allowances, for a village revenue assistant is Rs 3,000 per month. The basic pay for VROs is slightly better at Rs 7,740. Some selected candidates told Express that the poor job prospects in the private sector forced them to apply for lower government jobs and take the competitive examinations despite having higher qualifications. A job in hand is better than not having any, says K Nagesh from Chandur village in Nalgonda district who got selected for VRA post. He completed MCA in 2010. Not having landed any job in the software or hardware industry, he studied BEd and became a teacher in 2011. He was preparing for DSC examination when the government notified recruitment to 1,172 VRO and 6,063 VRA posts. Nagesh lost no time in enrolling himself at a coaching centre in Hyderabad to prepare for the selection test. Though he missed the VRO post, Nagesh has been selected for VRA post.Another candidate selected for VRA post, V Maraiah of Gudivada village in Nalgonda district, did MSc in Physics at Osmania University. He tried for various state government jobs with little success. Though he missed the VRO job by a whisker in Nalgonda district where he got 82 out of 100 marks against the cut-off mark of 85, he was selected for the VRA post.  His poor economic status may force him to take up the VRA job.That the unemployment problem in the state is acute can be understood from the fact that as many as 11 lakh youths had applied for the VRO and VRA jobs.