State-run job portal in Kerala

With more than four million educated unemployed in the

state, Kerala is launching what is perhaps the country's first government-run job portal.The portal will feature jobs in Kerala

and outside the state in both the private and the public sectors. The website would be officially launched Wednesday. The brain child of engineer-turned Labour Minister Shibhu Baby John, the site would be managed by the state-owned Kerala State Electronics Development Corporation Limited (Keltron) and would be run by the Overseas Development and Employment Promotion Consultants (ODEPC), a department under John's labour ministry."This is the first time that a state government is taking the lead to run a job portal and all those who wish to register can do so with a token fees. The website www.odepc.kerala.gov.in will feature jobs in both the private and public

sector in the country besides numerous overseas employment vacancies," said John.The registration fee for uploading a resume ranges from Rs.70 to Rs.600 depending on the qualification of the job aspirant.Using

a user id, every one who registers can make changes to their bio-data as and when they wish to do, besides search and apply for the jobs that are listed."We are in talks with numerous private and public sector companies and also reputed companies abroad including government hospitals and departments, who have agreed to cooperate with us when it comes to recruitment by them," said John. "Once we pass on the bio-data to the companies, intimation would be send to the job aspirants, detailing of what has happened to their bio-data," said John.