Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday reaffirmed that passing the Konkani language pa per is mandatory for all government job aspirants in Goa, regardless of resi dency or other eligibility criteria. Highlighting the State government’s efforts to streamline recruitment, Sawant said a single online examination now replaces the multiple tests previ ously required, making the process more transparent and merit-driven. “Earlier, candidates had to appear for up to 25 ex ams for posts like Lower Division Clerk. Now, clear ing one online test is suf ficient,” Sawant explained. He also emphasised that the government prioritis es employment for Goan youth, warning that candi dates failing the Konkani paper would be disquali fied even if they meet other merit or residency criteria. However, the move has sparked strong criticism from the Global Romi Lipi Abhiyan (GRLA), which described the Devanagari-on ly Konkani paper as a ‘clever communal strategy’ designed to disadvantage minority candidates who predominantly use the Ro man script. GRLA President Kennedy Afonso alleged that such a format gives an unfair advantage to major ity community candidates familiar with Devanagari.
Afonso said the format repeatedly deprives minority can didates of opportunities despite their qualifications. “This is a deliberate ploy to favour candidates from the majority community who are more familiar with Devana gari and thus have an advantage in scoring higher marks,” the statement alleged. While supporting the inclusion of Konkani as a com pulsory component in recruitment tests, GRLA demanded that the examination paper be set in both Devanagari and Roman scripts to ensure equal opportunity for all Goans. “Candidates should be allowed to answer the paper in the script they prefer. This would ensure fairness and uphold the spirit of inclusivity,” the organisation said. GRLA pointed out that in the past, minority communi ty candidates have repeatedly failed the Konkani paper in competitive exams because it was set only in the Devana gari script. “If the paper were set in both scripts, this re curring problem would be resolved,” the statement added. Referring to a recent recruitment examination for Eng lish teachers, GRLA claimed that the Konkani paper was set in a complex Devanagari format, leading to all minority can didates failing the test. “This deprived qualified candidates of government jobs despite their proficiency in English and teaching skills,” Afonso said, calling it “an example of sys temic bias.” The organisation alleged that such instances reflected a broader pattern of injustice faced by the minority commu nity in Goa. Reiterating its long-standing demand, GRLA once again called for the establishment of a Goa State Mi nority Commission to address issues of discrimina-tion and ensure fair representation in employment and edu cation
