Staff shortage led to prolonged outages during rain disaster in state
TNR News Network
SHIMLA: The Himachal Pradesh government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, has approved the recruitment of over 2,600 youth in Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited (HPSEBL).
This includes the appointment of 1,602 Bijli Upbhogta Mitras and 1,000 T-Mates, aimed at enhancing electricity services across the state. This marks one of the largest recruitment drives in recent history for the government-owned power utility.
A government spokesperson said that the decision has been taken to address the acute shortage of field staff and to ensure efficient and uninterrupted electricity supply to consumers. Currently, of the 4,009 sanctioned posts of T-Mates, 3,049 remain vacant, significantly impacting day-to-day operations and service delivery.
To bridge this gap, the government has decided to appoint 1,602 Bijli Upbhogta Mitras at the circle level against vacant T-Mate positions, in addition to directly recruiting 1,000 T-Mates.
Eligibility and appointment process
The Bijli Upbhogta Mitras will be appointed through an authorised government agency. Candidates must have passed matriculation and possess an ITI certificate in Electrical or Wireman trade from a recognised institution. The prescribed age limit for applicants is 18 to 30 years.
The spokesperson emphasised that field staff form the backbone of HPSEBL, playing a critical role in maintaining power supply, repairing damaged infrastructure and restoring electricity during natural disasters. As electricity is an essential service, strengthening this workforce will directly enhance service quality and reliability for consumers.
This initiative, the spokesperson said, reflects the government’s dual commitment, improving service delivery in the power sector while also creating meaningful employment for local youth.
Committed to youth employment: CM
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu reaffirmed the government’s focus on youth welfare, stating: “We are committed to creating employment opportunities for the youth. In the past two and a half years alone, over 23,000 youth have been provided jobs in the government sector. Moving forward, new avenues of both employment and self-employment will be opened up to benefit the youth of Himachal Pradesh.”
