Tripura Cabinet Decides to Set Up Staff Selection Commission, Questions Arise Over Need for New Recruitment Body

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, October 8, 2026

The Tripura Government has decided to establish a Tripura Staff Selection Commission (TSSC) for recruitment to Group-B, Group-C and Group-D posts, with Chief Minister Prof. Dr. Manik Saha saying that the new body is intended to make the recruitment process more transparent, impartial and systematic.

In a Facebook post, the Chief Minister said the State Cabinet had taken the important decision with the objective of ensuring a more organised recruitment mechanism under the State Government.

According to the Chief Minister, the proposed TSSC will play an important role in recruitment to Group-B, Group-C and Group-D posts. The government is committed to ensuring a transparent and impartial recruitment process based on eligibility and merit and to increasing government employment opportunities for the youth, he said.

Cabinet spokesperson and Minister Sushanta Chowdhury has also said that the proposed Commission will function as an autonomous body with its own structure and rules and will conduct examinations for recruitment to various categories of government posts.

However, the Cabinet decision has also raised questions over the necessity and proposed role of another recruitment body when the Joint Recruitment Board, Tripura (JRBT) already exists and has conducted recruitment processes for Group-C and Group-D posts.

The official JRBT recruitment portal continues to carry records relating to recruitment of Multi Tasking Staff under Group-D as well as Group-C posts. The Group-C recruitment process conducted by JRBT included posts such as Lower Division Clerk, Agriculture Assistant, Junior Operator (Pump) and Junior Multi Tasking Operator.

Against this background, one of the key questions is whether the proposed TSSC will replace JRBT, absorb its existing functions, or operate alongside it. The government has not yet publicly clarified this aspect in detail.

Questions also arise over the practical necessity of creating a new permanent recruitment institution at a time when large-scale recruitment examinations for Group-C and Group-D posts have not been conducted at regular intervals in the state. The previous major JRBT exercise itself originated from advertisements issued in 2020, and litigation concerning that recruitment process continued into 2026. In September this year, the Tripura High Court was still dealing with issues connected with the JRBT selection of Group-C and Group-D employees.

This makes the future relationship between JRBT and the proposed TSSC particularly significant. It remains to be clarified whether all future Group-C and Group-D recruitment will be transferred to the TSSC and what will happen to the existing administrative infrastructure and responsibilities of JRBT.

There are also questions over how frequently the new Commission will conduct recruitment examinations and whether vacancies across government departments will be consolidated and advertised through a regular annual recruitment calendar.

The Cabinet decision comes at a time when the government has announced fresh recruitment initiatives. On October 7, the Cabinet approved recruitment of teachers and creation or filling of posts in several departments, while the government said recruitment processes for the newly approved teaching positions would begin shortly.

The establishment of a permanent Staff Selection Commission could provide a more institutionalised recruitment mechanism if examinations are conducted regularly and vacancies are referred to it in a time-bound manner.

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