In a first, 99 women to don the hat of Patwaris

Gurvinder Singh

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Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, February 26

Thanks to rare recruitment for the post of Patwaris and the scramble for government jobs, several overqualified candidates are all set to join as Patwaris. At present, as many as 941 recruits are undergoing training of Patwari in 15 districts of the state.

Though qualification required for the post of Patwari is graduation, several postgraduates and those possessing professional degrees, too, are amongst the trainees.

70 per cent are postgraduates

Many are BTech degree holders, while one of the girls is BDS in Ludhiana. Some of them have MTech and MCom degrees, while others are MBAs.

“Around 70 per cent of those receiving training here are postgraduates,” said a trainee. When asked, trainees said they took the plunge despite being overqualified because it was a government job.

“Because of high rate of unemployment and government jobs becoming rare, we are applying for whatever comes our way irrespective of the position or requisite qualification,” said another trainee.

Women raring to take up the job

It is for the first time that the state government is directly recruiting women as Patwaris. Amongst the 941 Patwaris receiving training in the state, 99 are women. After their year-long training completes next month, they will further undergo six-month field training before assuming charge of Patwari.

Sea-change in attitude of parents

“The unprecedented number of women for the ‘field-job’ of Patwaris reflects a change in attitude,” say many of the trainees. Hiteshi Thakur, amongst the eight women undergoing training of Patwari at the Government Polytechnic College for Girls in Ludhiana, says, “The mindset of society for field jobs for women has broadened now. Parents never allowed girls for field job. Now, our parents are in fact supporting us. Such change is inevitable. It is good that it is happening.”

An unprecedented move of Punjab government

Sukhminder Singh Virk, a kanungo, who is one of the trainers at the Government Polytechnic College for Girls, said it was for the first time in the state that women would become Patwaris through direct recruitment.

“Though there are some female patwaris, they have got jobs in case of death of their fathers or on some other grounds. But no woman has so far become Patwari through direct recruitment in the state,” he added.

Direct recruitment after long time

“One of the reasons behind this move is that there has been no direct recruitment for the post of Patwaris for a long time,” said Vinay Bublani, Director Land Records.

After direct recruitment in 1983, around 100 Patwaris were recruited in 1992, following the court directions, he added.

“Though there may not be any restriction on recruitment of women as Patwaris at that time, none of them joined because of the general disinterest regarding the field job,” he said.