New Delhi | The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) has proposed a new 'sliding mechanism' to reduce the number of unfilled vacancies that remain after the selection of candidates.

The objective of the proposed mechanism is to ensure the maximum filling of vacancies in a given examination cycle, provide fair and merit-based opportunities to candidates and minimise the unfilled vacancies arising from absenteeism of candidates opting for non-joining in the given examination cycle, it said in a recent notice.

The mechanism aims to establish a single round of the reallocation process for the unutilised vacancies, the SSC said.

The commission conducts large-scale examinations for recruitment to various ministries, departments and organisations of the government of India.

It has been observed that a substantial number of vacancies remain unfilled each year due to candidates not appearing for document verification or not joining the user departments, after their selection, the commission said, adding that "it is not possible for SSC to maintain any waiting list."

Therefore, these unfilled vacancies have to be reported again for the next examination cycle, it said.

To tackle these challenges and ensure optimal filling of reported vacancies for eligible candidates, the SSC has proposed implementing a sliding mechanism for the allocation of posts and departments to successful candidates, the notice said.

Under the proposed mechanism, the First Round of Tentative Allocation (FRTA) will be made based on the options submitted by the candidates, following the current practice.

To confirm the tentative allocation in the first round, candidates will need to visit the Regional Director (RD) office of the SSC and complete Identity Verification (IV) through Aadhaar authentication.

At the IV stage, candidates will have to choose either a 'fix' or 'float' option.

The fix option will indicate acceptance of the tentatively allotted post in the first round as final, with no further consideration for upgradation. The float option signifies the candidate's willingness to be considered for an upgradation to a higher-preference post if such vacancies become available.

"Only one round of sliding will be conducted for each examination cycle, and no waiting list or additional rounds of reallocation will be undertaken," the commission said in the notice dated March 3.

Candidates opting for the 'fix' option will not be eligible for any upgradation, and if they do not join, the post will be carried forward to the next recruitment cycle. Those opting for the float option shall be considered for upgradation, and if upgraded, must join the newly allotted post; failure to do so shall result in forfeiture of the previously and newly allocated posts, the SSC said.

The sliding mechanism is a candidate-friendly initiative of SSC to optimise filling up of maximum vacancies, the notice said, adding that the commission will publish a detailed Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) on this matter in due course.