*Regularization period reduced, Res Act implemented
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, June 11: The Cabinet Sub Committee (CSC) on Recruitment Policy today finalized its recommendations making several changes in the previous Policy that was approved by the Cabinet on April 18 but was referred to the CSC following strong public outcry and return of the ordinance by Governor NN Vohra.
“The CSC has recommended that Reservation Act will be applicable on all adhoc/contractual appointments. The District Level Committees, which will make the appointments, will have representatives from the Public Service Commission (PSC) and Services Selection Recruitment Board (SSRB) for gazetted and non-gazetted categories respectively,” official sources told the Excelsior.
Earlier, the District Level Committees headed by the DCs were supposed to make the appointments on their own but the CSC has finalized that the Committees will have one member each from the PSC for gazetted level appointments and one member each from the SSRB for non-gazetted level appointments.
Out of eight PSC members, who would take charge after some time, one each would be assigned one district for recruitment. Similarly, the Government would appoint more members to the SSRB and one of them would be assigned one district for fast track level appointments on contract/adhoc basis.
“The CSC decided that the candidates recruited under LoC and RBA categories will have to serve in their areas for a period of seven years while others will have to serve the areas for which they have been appointed for a period of five years,” sources said and added that all adhoc/contractual appointees will be regularized now after five years instead of seven years, as mentioned in the original Policy.
The rider for regularization that HoDs would have to furnish satisfactory services certificates to adhoc/contractual appointees remained unchanged. “The conduct of adhoc/contractual appointees will be assessed every year instead of five years and based on their five years report, they will be regularized if their services were found satisfactory,” sources said.
The CSC decided to make applicable the Reservation Act in all fast track recruitments on adhoc/contractual basis, thus, meeting the demand of various organisations, which have opposed the Policy on the ground of lack of reservations.
In another change, the CSC decided that gazetted level posts will be filled on State level. For instance, the posts of doctors and lecturers to be filled on adhoc basis in one district like Kathua, would be open for all eligible candidates of the State. However, the non-gazetted appointments will be open for district level candidates but the SCs will get their eight per cent reservation in all districts i.e. they can apply for adhoc appointments even in other districts for district cadre posts.
Sources said the PSC and SSRB will continue their normal working. The new Policy will be applicable only to fill huge vacancies in Government hospitals, colleges, especially in rural and far off areas and other postings of immediate nature while the normal appointments would be made through the two main recruitment agencies-the PSC and the SRB.
The CSC comprising six Cabinet Ministers-three each from PDP and BJP met in Srinagar, the summer capital of the State, today and finalized its recommendations.
“The Draft Policy on Recruitment has been approved. The CSC members will see the final draft to be prepared by the GAD and Law Departments. It will be then put before the Cabinet for final approval. A number of changes have been made in the Policy but its broad concept that youths will be engaged on contractual/adhoc basis for appointments of immediate nature and to clear backlog especially for rural and far off areas remained unchanged,” sources said.
The CSC, however, decided to exempt Civil Services Examinations from the purview of New Recruitment Policy and they would continue to be conducted as usual by the PSC.
Sources said the CSC decided to keep period of seven years services for jobs secured under RBA and LoC reservation categories to serve in the same areas as the members felt that there was dire need of doctors, lecturers and other postings of important nature in these areas. However, they will get regularized in five years.
On remuneration, it was decided that the contractual/adhoc appointees will get basic salary plus some allowances. On regularization, they will get full salary and all allowances.
Contrary to its earlier decision, the CSC decided not to put the Policy in public domain as it would have invited wide spread criticism from all sections of society especially the unemployed youth, who had voted the PDP-BJP Government to power for a change. Previous NC-Congress coalition Government had to eat a humble pie after announcing almost similar Policy but then withdrawing it following debacle in April-May 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
This was second meeting of the CSC. It had met on June 1 in Srinagar earlier. The CSC was constituted in the Cabinet meeting on May 18 following strong criticism and opposition of New Recruitment Policy and its return by Governor NN Vohra.
The CSC comprised Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh (Chairman), Health and Medical Education Minister Choudhary Lal Singh, PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control Minister Sukhnandan Kumar, all BJP, Education Minister Naeem Akhter, Law & Parliamentary Affairs Minister Basharat Bukhari and Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu.
Governor NN Vohra had returned the Recruitment Policy to the Government on April 25 within a week of its approval by the Cabinet seeking clarifications on certain controversial clauses.
The Policy had been introduced in the form of Jammu and Kashmir Special Recruitment Ordinance 2015.
The Government feels that it wouldn’t face any problems in getting mandatory nod of the Legislature for the Ordinance once it was approved by the Governor as it has majority in both the Houses. The Ordinance required Legislature nod within six months of its issuance by the Governor. While PDP-BJP coalition Government has two-third majority in the Assembly, it has simple majority in the Council. Only simple majority was required to make law for the Recruitment Policy. All opposition parties and Independent MLAs were likely to oppose the Policy whenever it was brought in the Legislature.
Though the Legislature was in session till April 10 (Assembly till April 9 and Council till April 10), the Government didn’t introduce the Policy in form of the bill but brought it before the Cabinet on April 19 and forwarded it to the Governor for issuance of an Ordinance. Worthwhile to mention here that the Ordinance is issued only if the Legislature is not in session but it required approval of the Legislature within six months of the issuance.
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