The Bihar government has implemented a 40% domicile policy for appointments in the education department. Under this policy, permanent residents of the state and candidates who have studied in Bihar's schools will directly benefit. The aim of this decision is to prioritize local youth and limit the share of outside candidates.
Key Points
• State Council of Ministers approves 40% domicile policy in education department appointments.
• Only those who have completed their matriculation and intermediate studies from educational institutions in Bihar will benefit.
• The impact of the policy will be particularly evident in teacher recruitment.
What is the Domicile Policy and Why is it Important?
Domicile refers to a person's legally recognized permanent place of residence. In India, many states have adopted domicile policies to give preference to local candidates in government jobs. Its purpose is to provide employment opportunities to local youth and to strengthen the social and economic structure of the state.
Under the new policy of the Bihar government, only those candidates who are residents of Bihar and have completed their matriculation and intermediate studies from the state's educational institutions will get 40% reservation in appointments in the education department. It is clear that the share of most candidates from outside states will now be limited, while opportunities for local youth will increase.
What was the Impact of Domicile Until Now?
Previously, 74% domicile-based reservation was already effective in Bihar. This includes 50% caste-based reservation and 10% reserved seats for the economically weaker sections. In addition, the state government has given 35% horizontal reservation to women in government jobs, which is valid only for women of Bihar. In this way, 14% of the 40% posts in the unreserved category are now reserved for women.
With this new policy, 14–15% additional general category youth of Bihar will also get direct benefit, who were previously deprived of these posts. This reservation is currently applicable only in the recruitments of the education department. No announcement has been made regarding this in other departments as of now.
Teacher Recruitment and Demand for Domicile
In the first three phases of teacher recruitment, candidates from many states outside Bihar were selected, which increased resentment among the youth of the state. After this, the movement to implement the domicile policy intensified. The youth argued that when domicile policies are already in place in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and many other states, then why are outside candidates being given a chance in Bihar?
Now, this decision of the government is being considered as an important strategy to woo the youth before the upcoming assembly elections in 2025. While on one hand there is satisfaction among the local candidates, on the other hand, discussions have also intensified in various sections regarding the policy.
