PCI ASO Recruitment 2026: Apply Within 30 Days

PCI ASO recruitment 2026 is open through a vacancy circular that the Press Council of India (PCI) released on 26 September 2026 on presscouncil.nic.in. As per F.No. 1/6/2020-PCI (Admn.) (Part-III), the Council invites applications from eligible Indian citizens for the Assistant Section Officer (Group B Non-Gazetted) post. Candidates must apply offline within 30 days of the Short Notice in Employment News. The post suits graduates who look for government jobs at Group B level.

The Council has 3 vacancies, 2 unreserved and 1 for OBC candidates. This circular follows the notice of 18 May 2024, the exam held on 4 May 2025 and the Council’s cancellation notice of 18 June 2026. The full post-wise and category-wise breakdown follows below. Candidates should check all details in the article below.

Information verified from the official Press Council of India notification F.No. 1/6/2020-PCI (Admn.) (Part-III) dated 26 September 2026. Last verified: 26 September 2026.

PCI ASO recruitment 2026 covers 3 Assistant Section Officer (Group B Non-Gazetted) posts at the Press Council of India, through F.No. 1/6/2020-PCI (Admn.) (Part-III) dated 26 September 2026. Candidates must send an offline application in the Annexure-I form within 30 days of the Short Notice in Employment News. Selection is through a Tier-I objective exam and a qualifying Tier-II descriptive paper, as printed in the notice on presscouncil.nic.in.

Quick Summary of Assistant Section Officer 2026

About the Press Council of India

The Press Council of India is a statutory body that works to preserve the freedom of the press and to maintain standards of newspapers and news agencies. Its office is at Soochna Bhawan, 8 CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi.

The PCI ASO recruitment is for the Council’s secretariat. Applications go to the Under Secretary (Administration) at the same address.

This is added context, not part of the official notification. Confirm with the hiring office.

Also Read: MCD Labour Welfare Superintendent 2026

How this vacancy compares

The vacancy sits in the Council’s secretariat at Soochna Bhawan, Lodhi Road, New Delhi. Applications also go to this office, so the whole application stage runs by post to one address.

Many central government Assistant Section Officer posts are filled through the Staff Selection Commission guide route, which uses one national exam for many ministries. PCI ASO recruitment differs because the Council runs its own exam for only 3 posts. The pattern, cut-offs and syllabus are set by the Council alone.

Candidates can track other latest all India jobs on the site while waiting for the Short Notice.

This is added context, not part of the official notification. Confirm with the hiring office.

Important dates

The 30-day window for PCI ASO recruitment starts on the date the Short Notice appears in the Employment News. Age and all other eligibility rules are counted as on the last date of submission.

Vacancy details and salary for PCI ASO recruitment

The circular lists one post with 3 vacancies.

OBC candidates selected on their own merit without relaxed standards are counted against unreserved vacancies or OBC vacancies, whichever helps them more. The OBC vacancy is then filled separately from eligible OBC candidates. The Council can change the number of posts or leave some or all of them unfilled.

Eligibility for Assistant Section Officer

Educational qualification

The minimum for PCI ASO recruitment is a Bachelor’s degree from a recognised university or institute. The notice lists these qualifications as preferred:

• Post Graduate degree from a recognised university
• Degree in Law from a recognised university
• Degree or diploma in Journalism or Mass Communication
• Knowledge of an Indian language other than English and Hindi

Age limit

The age limit is 20 to 30 years on the closing date for submitting applications. The upper limit can be relaxed under current Government of India orders.

The Council accepts only the date of birth printed on the Matriculation or Secondary Examination certificate, or an equivalent certificate. It will not change it later. Candidates can check their age with the age calculator.

OBC candidates must not fall in the creamy layer on the closing date. They must submit the Annexure-II certificate, and their candidature stays provisional until the Council verifies the claim.

Candidates who applied earlier

Candidates who applied against the 18 May 2024 notice and received an admit card for the 4 May 2025 exam can appear in PCI ASO recruitment irrespective of the upper age limit for fresh applicants. They must send a fresh application in the prescribed form, with the roll number given for that exam. They pay no exam fee.

Typing test

Candidates must pass a 15-minute computer typing test within two years of joining as Assistant Section Officer. The speed is 30 words per minute in English or 25 words per minute in Hindi.

Until a candidate passes or gets an exemption, no further increment is paid. After that, pay is refixed as if no increment was withheld, with no arrears for the withheld period.

Also Read: KSRTC Recruitment 2026

Selection process and exam pattern

Selection in PCI ASO recruitment has two written tiers, and the Council can add another tier. The Tier-I paper is printed in Hindi and English, except English Comprehension, which is in English only.

1. Tier-I objective exam: 200 questions, 150 minutes, by computer-based test or OMR answer sheet.
2. Tier-II descriptive paper: 100 marks, 60 minutes, qualifying in nature.
3. Document verification: original educational, caste and birth certificates with self-attested copies.

Each wrong answer costs 0.25 marks. Candidates must clear a minimum in every section, which is 40% for UR and 35% for OBC.

The Tier-II paper tests writing ability and critical analysis through essay, precis, letter or application. The cut-off is 65% for UR and 60% for OBC. A paper answered partly in Hindi and partly in English gets zero marks, and the notice also lists it as grounds for disqualification.

The final merit list is prepared only from Tier-I marks. Clearing the minimum marks gives no right to selection. The Council can set higher or lower cut-offs, depending on the number of vacancies and candidates. Ties are resolved in this order:

1. Marks in Tier-I
2. Marks in Section I of Tier-I
3. Marks in Tier-II
4. Older date of birth
5. Alphabetical order of names

Indicative syllabus

• General Intelligence and Reasoning: verbal and non-verbal questions such as analogies, series, coding-decoding, Venn diagrams, syllogisms and figure classification.
• General Awareness: current events and everyday science, with questions on India and its neighbours covering history, culture, geography, economy, politics and scientific research.
• Quantitative Aptitude: percentages, ratio, averages, interest, profit and loss, time and work, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, mensuration and statistics.
• English Comprehension: vocabulary, grammar, error spotting, cloze passages, narration and voice changes, and comprehension passages on a story and current affairs.

The notice gives the full list of topics. Candidates can find more syllabus and exam pattern posts on the site.

Exam day rules

• Use only a blue or black ballpoint pen on the OMR sheet, and darken one circle completely.
• Do not use correction fluid, erasers or blades, and do not overwrite.
• Do not carry a mobile phone, calculator, smart watch or Bluetooth device into the exam premises. Possession counts as unfair means, and the Council can cancel the candidature and debar the candidate for up to 3 years.
• Download the admit card sent to the registered email ID, and carry a printed copy, two colour passport size photographs and an original photo ID.
• Accepted photo IDs are Aadhaar or e-Aadhaar printout, Voter ID, driving licence, PAN card and passport.
• The Council pays no travel allowance or daily allowance for the written test.

Application fee

The fee for PCI ASO recruitment is ₹100. SC, ST and women candidates, Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) and ex-servicemen (ESM) pay no fee. Candidates who applied earlier also pay no fee to reappear in the exam.

Candidates can pay by any of these modes:

1. Demand Draft in favour of Secretary, Press Council of India
2. Cheque in favour of Secretary, Press Council of India
3. Online payment to the Council’s bank account, with a copy of the payment receipt showing the UTR number attached to the application

The branch is at Ground Floor, Core 6 Scope Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi-110003. The beneficiary address is Soochna Bhawan, 3rd Floor, 08-CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi.

How to apply

PCI ASO recruitment has no online portal. Candidates apply on paper, and the notice is available on presscouncil.nic.in.

1. Check the qualification, age and category rules as on the last date of submission.
2. Fill in the Annexure-I bio-data form in block letters and paste a self-attested passport size photograph.
3. Pay the fee if it applies, and note the Demand Draft, cheque or UTR details in the form.
4. Attach self-attested copies of certificates, proof of date of birth and experience proof, if any.
5. Write APPLICATION FOR THE POST OF ASSISTANT SECTION OFFICER (ASO) – DIRECT RECRUITMENT on the outermost envelope.
6. Send it to The Under Secretary (Administration), Press Council of India, Room No. 346, 3rd Floor, Soochna Bhawan, 8 CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi-110 003, within 30 days of the Short Notice in Employment News.

Candidates who work in a government department or public sector undertaking must send the application through proper channel or with a No-Objection Certificate from the competent authority. The Council can reject incomplete applications without notice.

Apply only through the address printed in the notice. Never pay any agent or middleman for a government job.

Documents to keep ready

• Annexure-I form with a self-attested photograph
• Educational certificates and marksheets
• Matriculation or Secondary certificate as proof of date of birth
• Experience certificates, if any
• Annexure-II certificate for OBC candidates
• Age relaxation or category certificates in the Government of India format
• Demand Draft or cheque details, or the UTR payment receipt
• Copy of the admit card and roll number for the 4 May 2025 exam, for earlier applicants
• No-Objection Certificate for serving government or public sector employees

Important Links

Should you apply?

This vacancy suits graduates who can send a complete paper application on time and prepare for a four-section objective exam. A bachelor’s degree is enough to apply. The notice lists a law degree, a postgraduate degree or a journalism qualification as preferred.

The PCI ASO recruitment is small. Only 3 posts are open, and none is set aside for SC or ST candidates. Earlier applicants return with a fee waiver and no upper age limit, so the field can be larger than the post count suggests.

The Tier-II paper only qualifies, so Tier-I marks alone decide the merit list. Candidates need a clear score in all four sections. One trade-off is the offline process, where a missing document can lead to rejection.

The Council can cancel the exam at any stage without giving reasons. Candidates should watch presscouncil.nic.in for later PCI ASO recruitment updates on dates or syllabus.

This is added context, not part of the official notification. Confirm with the hiring office.

Also Read: ECHS Vadodara Recruitment 2026

FAQs

What is the last date to apply for PCI ASO recruitment 2026?

Candidates must apply within 30 days of the date the Short Notice is published in the Employment News. The Council publishes any change to dates or the syllabus only on presscouncil.nic.in.

What is the salary of Assistant Section Officer in Press Council of India?

The post carries Level 6, pre-revised PB-2 ₹9,300 – ₹34,800 with Grade Pay ₹4,200. This is the pay scale printed in the vacancy circular.

I applied for the 4 May 2025 exam. Can I apply again?

Yes. Candidates who received an admit card for that exam can appear irrespective of the upper age limit. They must send a fresh application with their earlier roll number and pay no fee.

How is the PCI ASO exam different from the SSC route?

The Press Council runs its own exam for this vacancy, with a Tier-I objective paper and a qualifying Tier-II descriptive paper. Central ministries mostly fill similar posts through Staff Selection Commission exams. Candidates should follow the Council’s syllabus and notices.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I’m Sandeep Khati, founder of India Job Alerts. I completed my B. Tech. in Computer Science from Jalpaiguri Government Engineering College (JGEC) in 2010, then worked as a Systems Engineer at TCS. I moved into digital publishing in 2011, starting with SearchDarjeeling.com and later working as a web developer and designer at Darjeeling Informatics.

I launched India Job Alerts in April 2025. It’s my most focused project yet, built to publish verified Government and PSU job notifications for candidates in West Bengal, Sikkim, and across India. Before any post goes live, I personally check it against the official notification. Know more

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