Last Grade Servants (LGS)

 LAST GRADE SERVANTS IN KERALA

Last Grade Servants are entry‑level government employees in Kerala, working in various departments such as water authorities, agriculture, public works, local self government, etc. The jobs are typically of lowest or near‑lowest grade in the hierarchy, performing essential but basic tasks sweeping, cleaning, assisting, physical labour etc. They are often called “various departments” posts under PSC (Kerala Public Service Commission).

Educational Qualification

Most LGS posts have minimal qualification requirements:

• Minimum: 7th Standard pass (some posts may allow 5th Standard or even just literacy)

• Maximum: Often, candidates with higher qualifications (like degrees) are not eligible to apply, especially under specific categories like Ex-Servicemen.

 Salary & Notification

• Pay scale: One of the recent notifications (Cat No. 535/2023) has the scale ₹ 23,000 ‑ ₹ 50,200. 

• Number of vacancies: Varies from district to district; many “anticipatory vacancies.” 

• Notification/last date: Example: For Cat No. 535/2023, the last date for submitting application was January 17, 2024. 

Age Limit

• General category: 18 to 36 years

• OBC: 18 to 39 years

• SC/ST: 18 to 41 years

Departments Hiring LGS

LGS posts are recruited in several departments, including:

• Government Secretariat

• Public Works Department

• Health Services

• Education Department

• Local Self Government Institutions

• Water Authority

• Agriculture Department

Process of Selection

• PSC Notification - Kerala PSC issues a notification specifying category number, department(s), number of vacancies, pay scale, qualification, etc. Eg: “Last Grade Servants – Various (Cat. No. 535/2023)”. 

• Application - Candidates apply online through PSC’s portal, with required documents etc.

• Rank List & Advice - After applications, PSC prepares a ranked list of eligible applicants. Then, based on vacancies and reservation categories, candidates are advised (i.e. asked to appear or selected) up to certain ranks in various districts. 

• Appointment - After advice, selected candidates go through verification & appointment processes, then join in the department allotted.

Reservation, Categories & District Wise Advice

• These posts are heavily subject to reservation: for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), Ezhava, Muslim, etc. The advice/rank list is broken down by community. 

• Also there are differently‑abled categories (for example, HI‑hearing impaired, LV‑low vision, etc). 

• The PSC site publishes how many candidates have been “advised” from each category, and up to what rank. Eg in Thrissur district, a notification shows that male OC (general) advised upto rank ~631 etc.

LGS jobs are a golden opportunity for those with basic education to enter government service. Though the work is often behind the scenes, it is crucial for public service delivery. With job security, benefits, and dignity of labor, many people consider LGS as a stepping stone toward a better future.