Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 21: In a significant decision ahead of the possible Assembly elections, the Government has approved upgradation of whopping 800 educational institutions in the State while the Cabinet Sub Committee (CSC) has finalized roadmap for regularization of about 60,000 casual workers in all Government departments.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the Government has approved upgradation of 800 educational institutions in Jammu and Kashmir from high to higher secondary level and middle to high level in all three regions of the State.
The proposal mooted by the Education Ministry was approved by the Ministers through circulation. A formal order of upgradation of the Government schools was expected anytime.
Sources said the Government had to take approval of the Ministers to the significant order through circulation as it was expecting announcement of Assembly elections by the Election Commission of India anytime after Diwali, which would lead to imposition of Model Code of Conduct.
“About 800 educational institutions have been upgraded from middle to high standard and from high to higher secondary level,’’ they said, adding most of the upgraded schools fall in the rural and remote areas of the State.
About 224 middle schools have been upgraded to high standard and 153 from high to higher secondary level in Jammu division while about 370 schools have been upgraded in Kashmir region from middle to high and high to higher secondary level. Rest of the upgraded schools fall in Ladakh.
The upgradation of educational institutions was a long pending demand in various parts of the State.
Meanwhile, the CSC on regularization of casual workers engaged by various Government departments has also given its nod to regularization of about 60,000 workers in phased and time frame manner.
The casual workers in all the Government departments including PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control, Power Development Department, Public Works Department, Horticulture, Floriculture, Power Development Department etc would be regularized.
The CSC has taken a decision to this effect, which would go for approval to the Cabinet. However, if the Cabinet meeting is not convened immediately, approval of the Ministers will be taken through circulation like upgradation of educational institutions.
As per the roadmap devised by the CSC, the casual workers engaged between 1994 to 2005 will be regularized with immediate effect as they have completed or will be completing 10 years of their service next year. The workers engaged after 2005 will be regularized till 2018 as and when they complete 10 years of their service. The successive Governments had already regularized the daily wagers since 1994.
However, only those workers will be regularized, whose names figured in the lists sent by the Departments to the CSC. There were about 60,000 such workers and the CSC has decided that all of them will be regularized if the departments.
The CSC is headed by Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather and comprised Rural Development Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar, Planning and Development Minister Ajay Sadhotra, PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control Minister Sham Lal Sharma, Urban Development Minister Rigzin Jora and Health and Medical Education Minister Taj Mohi-ud-Din.
This had been a long pending demand of the casual workers of different Government departments for their regularization, which the CSC has approved in phased manner.
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