*No seriousness towards reframing of JKAACL Recruitment Rules
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, May 6: PDP-BJP Coalition Government has failed to keep its words on framing of Cultural Policy of Jammu and Kashmir despite admitting that cultural space is very important for the society and there is a need to address the vacuum created in the past several years in this field. Moreover, the Government has failed to reframe the Recruitment Rules of Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages (JKAACL), which otherwise is an imperative exercise for engagement of more manpower to promote cultural activities.
Jammu and Kashmir has multiple ethnic groups and each group has unique cultural features and traditions that give identity, self-respect and pride to the people. The State recognizes culture as a necessary tool for national integration and development and it is duty bound to create avenues of free creative and artistic expression.
The Constitution of J&K defines the responsibility of the J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages as also its regulatory, supervisory and collaborative role to ensure promotion of culture in the social life of the people of the State.
In order to give proper direction to the promotion of culture, the PDP-BJP Coalition Government decided to come up with a formal Cultural Policy of Jammu and Kashmir and accordingly JKAACL was directed to prepare draft. While speaking at the inaugural function of 10-day Annual Drama Festival 2016-17 at Abhinav Theatre on December 15, 2016 the then Minister for Culture, Dr Haseeb Drabu announced that Government was all set to come up with the Cultural Policy and the same will be ready by April 1, 2017.
The draft Cultural Policy of J&K was then placed before the General Council of JKAACL in its meeting held on December 17, 2016 and after detailed deliberations it was decided that the members of the General Council will give their comments/feedback to the JKAACL up to February 1, 2017, official sources told EXCELSIOR.
However, no feedback/comments were received by JKAACL from any member of the General Council within the stipulated timeframe and accordingly the draft Cultural Policy was placed in the public domain on February 4, 2017 for comments by or before March 15, 2017, sources added.
Though some comments and suggestions were received from stakeholders during this period yet the same have neither been incorporated in the draft Cultural Policy nor rejected by the JKAACL, which otherwise was given powers to take final decision in this regard, sources further said, adding had there been enough seriousness on the subject the Cultural Academy could have disposed of suggestions during the past over one and half month.
Expressing inability to specify time-frame for the completion of exercise, Dr Aziz Hajini, Secretary Cultural Academy, said, “following incorporation of suggestions/comments the draft Cultural Policy would be placed before the General Council of JKAACL for decision and thereafter its decision would be communicated to the Department of Culture for approval and issuance of notification”.
“All this indicates that even after its failure to keep the words vis-à-vis finalization of Cultural Policy by April 1, 2017, the Government has yet not shown any urgency towards the issue”, sources remarked, adding “the dilly-dallying approach is notwithstanding the fact that on several occasions the present Government made announcements that it is committed to promote the activities in the spheres of literature, languages and other activities related to culture”.
It is pertinent to mention here that Cultural Policy is required to document and promote State’s traditional cultural values; ensure the growth and development of cultural institutions and to enhance cultural life and develop cultural programmes to contribute to human development and material progress of the State through heritage preservation, conservation, promotion and the use of traditional, modern arts and crafts.
According to the sources, the Central Committee of the Academy in its meeting held on October 3, 2016 had ordered re-framing of service Recruitment Rules of the Academy on the ground that such a step will facilitate initiation of process of recruitment which will generate employment and through adequate human resources promotion of cultural activities will get increased.
“Despite lapse of six months the committee constituted to look into this aspect has failed to complete the assigned task”, they said, adding “the committee has held only one meeting so far and nobody is in a position to specify when exercise of re-framing of Recruitment Rules will be taken to logical conclusion”.
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