15-year long wait by PM package employees for career progression likely to end

Newly constituted Committee to meet on Sept 9

Avtar Bhat

JAMMU, Sept 2: The long wait for about 6000 employees of Prime Minister's package in J&K is likely to end with UT Government for the first time in last 15 years after their appointment taking concrete steps for their career progression.

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The recently framed Committee by the Government in this regard is holding first meeting on September 9 to examine all the aspects of promotions for the package employees appointed in the year 2010 under PM's special package for displaced Kashmiri Pandits, official sources told Excelsior.

Sources said in the service rule for the package employees' promotion rule is not different than general UT Government employees. However, their seniority will continue to remain separate and they are entitled for promotions after the other regular employees senior to them are promoted to the next higher posts.

Sources said the promotions will be subject to qualifying service in that particular cadre. Their service rules are not different than general employee. The first meeting of the Committee in this regard will be held on September 9, sources added.

The package employees have been struggling since 2022 after the killing of Rahul Bhat an employee at Budgam Kashmir that they should be brought to regular category after their promotion to higher scale. However, this issue continued to hang in balance since then despite umpteen representations made by these employees to higher ups in the Government including Lt Governor, Chief Secretary and administrative secretaries of concerned departments. The constitution of the Committee has however generated a hope in these employees who otherwise were seeing their career totally bleak, said a package employee.

The employees' deputations met Chief Secretary last year and after bringing the issue in his notice, the CS issued clear-cut directives to General Administrative (GAD) and Finance Departments for finding a solution under rules to this contentious issue by absorbing the package employees in regular cadre.

To settle the issue the Public Works Department (PWD) framed an Internal Committee in February this year but it raised a question that how can the cadre from supernumerary be converted to regular cadre. The Committee was to submit the report in two months timeline which it failed to do, sources said.

Later under the directives of the Chief Secretary a new Committee was framed last month to take the policy decision on the career progression of the package employees. The main issue in this regard is that these employees are demanding up cadre status after promotion to higher post along with regularisation with combined seniority at par with general employees. Further, the package employees are also demanding transfer policy for medical and special cases.

It may be recalled that the meeting convened by Chief Secretary ending last year discussed various aspects regarding package employees including revision of criteria for allotment of transit accommodations in flats, municipality issue at transit camps, lifts, STP, allied works administrative approval, maintenance and repairs of transit accommodation, functional promotions of School Education Department, functional promotions/career progression of newly recruited batches, regularisation of posts of PM package engineers, J&K Rehabilitation Assistance Scheme 2022 cases, Inter district and intra district transfers and transfer of employees on medical grounds, grievances regarding declaration of quasi permanent in respect of PM package employees.

During the meeting, the CS directed that all the departments should ensure the time bound promotion of PM package employee and administrative secretaries of the concerned departments shall review the matter at regular intervals.

On regularisation of package engineers, resolution of supernumerary status and functionality of the posts, the Chief Secretary had issued instructions to the concerned departments to examine the grievances of engineers and asked for detailed status report by the Engineering Departments so that the available solution will be worked out.

Likewise on Inter-district and Intra district transfers, transfer of employees on medical grounds it was informed in the meeting that the vide Government order No 34-JK (DMRRR) of 2022 all the posts of PM package have been notified to be divisional level posts and genuine requests can be considered by the departments on case to case basis.

However, the Chief Secretary directed the Administrative Secretaries to examine why the Administrative Council decision in this regard has not been implemented by the concerned departments.

On the package employees issue regarding declaration of Quasi Permanent, the meeting was informed that the matter has been referred to GAD and same is currently in Finance Department.

During the meeting categorical instructions were given by Chief Secretary to GAD and Finance Department for finding a favourable solution for absorbing these employees in regular cadre.

To settle the issue a six member Committee headed by Administrative Secretary General Administrative Department as its chairman and Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner, Migrants as its member Secretary was constituted on the directives of Chief Secretary. The other members of the Committee included Administrative Secretary ARI & Training Department, Administrative Secretary Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, representatives of DMRR&R not below the rank of Additional Secretary to the Government and any other member to be co-opted by the Chairman. The Committee was asked to submit the report within one month to settle the issue.

When contacted Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner, Dr Arvind Karvani told Excelsior the committee is holding its first meeting on September 9 to discuss the career progression issue of package employee thread bare.