Sr PDP leaders’ kin were recruited during Govt
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 6: The Governor’s administration has cancelled the selection of candidates for 101 posts made in 2017 in Khadi and Village Industries Board (KVIB) during PDP and BJP Government after an inquiry report was submitted by the inquiry committee which probed the issue of illegal appointments.
Principal Secretary Industries and Commerce Navin Choudhary told the Excelsior that many recruitments had been made in the KVIB and there were complaints that due procedure was not followed in some of them.
“The Government had appointed Raj Goel Committee to look into the appointments. The Panel had recommended cancellation of the appointments as they hadn’t been made as per procedure. The Goel Panel recommendations have been accepted by the Government and accordingly all appointments have been cancelled,” Choudhary said.
He said a report has also been submitted to the High Court briefing it that recommendations for cancellation of appointments in the KVIB have been accepted.
The appointments were made in 2017 for the advertisement notification issued in August 2016.
“All the selections made in the KVIB pursuant to advertisement notice No. KVIB/01 of 2016 dated 08.10.2016 are quashed/ cancelled,” the Government order said.
“The KVIB will provide opportunity of being heard to all candidates appointed to different category of posts pursuant to the advertisement notice dated 08.10.2016 and fulfill all formalities required under law,” the order read.
The KVIB appointments in 2016 during PDP-BJP coalition invited much attention after PDP leaders’ kin figured among the selected candidates for the post of Executive Officer.
The then KVIB Vice Chairman was PDP leader Peer Mansoor Shah, ex-MLA and its Minister was then BJP legislator Chandra Prakash Ganga.
Kin of PDP leaders Sartaj Madni and Peer Mansoor Shah had been recruited in the KVIB without following the due procedure , leading to wide spread resentment among the unemployed youth.
The Inquiry Committee, which was led by then Home Secretary R K Goel, which had submitted report to the Government stating that extensive efforts have been made to ascertain all the facts relating to the entire recruitment process, which became a subject matter of high level inquiry.
“The committee is of the considered view that the entire process suffers from various deficiencies/ flaws as brought out in chapters-III, IV and V. The committee, therefore, recommends that the entire process be quashed and initiated de-novo, after following the due procedure,” the order said.
The committee after conducting detailed enquiry submitted its report to the Government observing that an agenda item was placed before the Board of Directors on 03.10.2017 regarding criteria for selection against the posts advertised vide advertisement notice dated 08.10.2016.
It is not forthcoming from the records whether the decision of the Board of Directors meeting held on 03.10.2017 was suitably conveyed to the Controller examination for appropriate action.
There was very little notice period provided to the candidates particularly appearing in the interview for the post of Jr. Supervisor, Accounts Assistant/Jr. Auditor, Executive Officer, Assistant Executive Officer and Publicity Officer from Jammu Division.
The agenda regarding fixing of criteria for the 2016 selections placed before the Board of Directors on 03.10.2017 much after the conclusion of the written examination held in the month of August 2017 was only as to how the 10 marks earmarked for the experience can be awarded which should have been explained much earlier preferably in the advertisement notice itself.
The procedure as adopted/being followed by other recruiting agencies viz PSC and SSB where the candidates are shortlisted for interview in the ratio of 1:5 in case number of candidates is less that 10 and 1:3 in case the number exceeds 10 has not been followed in these selections.
Short period of time was provided to the candidates particularly to the Jammu Division candidates with the result low participation of the candidates was witnessed in the interview process.
Deviation has been made in the selection process while making selections ignoring the criteria given in the advertisement notice whereby 10 marks were earmarked for experience in the relevant field and 30 marks for viva voce.
The selection committee declared the results in a hurry on 14.02.2018 for 5 categories without waiting for conclusion of the interviews for the posts of Jr. Assistant/Record Keeper which were to conclude on 19th February 2018, making the selection process fishy/doubtful.
The selection criteria adopted in these selections was not recommended by any expert committee but was proposed by the Vice Chairman of the Board and approved by its Chairman (Minister I&C Deptt).
The criteria adopted in the selection process was not in accordance with the recommendations of the committee constituted in the year 2012 nor as per the criteria being adopted by other recruiting agencies.
The criteria of short listing for interview/viva voce in the ratio of 1:15 adopted in these selections on the basis of written examination was not recommended by the committees constituted in the year 2012. In fact the said committee had recommended short listing in the ratio of 1:15 as per the academic merit of the participating candidates.
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