One Corpn running in losses, another records meager profit
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Jan 24: Over 100 persons have been engaged in State Industrial Development Corporation (SIDCO) and Small Scale Industries Development Corporation (SICOP) during the past three years without adopting transparent procedure.
This has raised many questions vis-à-vis transparency and accountability in these two Public Sector Undertakings of the State that too at a time when one of them is continuously running into losses and another has recorded only meager profit.
These revelations were made by none else than the Minister for Industries and Commerce in the Legislative Assembly while responding to the questions of independent MLA from Udhampur Pawan Gupta and Congress MLA from Inderwal Ghulam Mohammad Saroori.
These MLAs had sought information vis-à-vis number, names and address of employees engaged on consolidated, regular, contractual, casual and ad hoc basis in J&K SICOP and SIDCO after March 1, 2015 till date specifying the selection criteria, mode, academic qualification, date of birth, job assigned, rate of remuneration and authority who engaged such workers.
However, the Industries Minister only furnished the names of the engaged persons, their parentage and address besides authority who engaged such workers. The information about selection criteria and other vital aspects was concealed from the Legislative Assembly and the legislators expressed serious concern over this.
“These engagements have been made to execute various time-bound Centrally and State sponsored schemes/projects like TAMIER, NIFT, MSME and TFC Salamabad”, the Minister said, adding “these engagements have been necessitated due to insufficient manpower in these Corporations and will be discontinued on completion of the schemes/projects as per the terms and conditions as envisaged in their engagement orders”.
As per the figures provided by the Minister, 19 persons were engaged in SICOP Jammu Division during 2015-16 while as 15 persons were engaged in 2016-17. As far as Kashmir division is concerned, nine persons were engaged in 2015-16 and eight persons in 2016-17.
As far as SIDCO is concerned, 31 persons have been engaged in Jammu region while as 27 persons in Kashmir region. However, the year-wise break up of these appointments was not shared with the Legislative Assembly. All these engagements have been made by the Managing Directors of SIDCO and SICOP respectively.
If there was actually the need of additional manpower for the implementation of Centrally and State sponsored schemes and projects, the Managing Directors of these Corporations should have written to the Government for deployment of officers and officials from Government departments, Udhampur MLA Pawan Gupta said, adding had this been done the financial burden on the exchequer of these Corporations could have been easily avoided.
“Large number of engaged persons particularly those who are having good relations with the Managing Directors of these Corporations or other senior officers rarely report for the duties but still they get remuneration regularly”, official sources informed.
Even if there was requirement of engagement of persons on daily wage, consolidated, contractual and need basis the same should have been done by formally inviting applications and putting selection criteria in public domain, Pawan Gupta further said.
The engagement of over 100 persons that too without following any transparent procedure has been made at a time when financial health of SIDCO and SICOP is not up to the expectations of the Government.
As per the figures provided to the Legislative Assembly, the income of SIDCO during 2016-17 financial year was Rs 26,67,81,000 while as expenditure was Rs 31,13,15,000 as a result of which it recorded loss of Rs 4,45,34,00..
The income of SICOP during 2016-17 was Rs 27,57,00,000 while as its expenditure was Rs 24,66,00,000 thereby registering profit of only Rs 2,91,00,000, which otherwise is too meager.
“It seems that improving financial health of SIDCO and SICOP is least priority for those at the helm of affairs in these Corporations”, sources said, adding “even Government cannot absolve itself of engagement of over 100 persons without adopting transparent procedure as it was Government’s responsibility to ensure transparency and accountability in the functioning of these Corporations”.
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