Proposal to be put before AC for approval
*Most of MHA guidelines incorporated in recommendations
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, July 23: A high-level Panel constituted by the Government has finalized its recommendations on compassionate appointments to next of kin of those killed in militancy related incidents, Pakistani firing and employees who die during services.
Recommendations now will be taken up for discussion by the Administrative Council (AC) and, if approved, will come into effect.
Recommendations were finalized by a Committee headed by Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Home RK Goyal and comprising Principal Secretary General Administration Department (GAD) Manoj Kumar Dwivedi and Law Secretary Achal Sethi.
“As Jammu and Kashmir is now a Union Territory and directly under control of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), a series of guidelines issued by the MHA on compassionate appointments in June this year have been taken into account,” sources said.
However, they said, certain provisions have been made for militancy and Pakistan firing victims. While kin of martyrs will get job under all circumstances, for others like those killed in terror violence or Pakistani shelling and firing, the kin of family will have to meet requirements, sources said.
Criteria can be relaxed in rare circumstances for granting job to kin of those killed in militant related activities and Pakistan firing and shelling, they said but added that members of well off families will not be mandatorily entitled to the job as is the case.
As far as rest of appointments under SRO-43 are concerned in which jobs are given to kin of the Government officers/officials who died during services, the Government has framed new guidelines.
“Grant of job to one of the family members of the official who die in-service will not be mandatory now but will depend on financial condition and other aspects of the family which have been notified by the Union Home Ministry and also incorporated by the high-level Committee of Jammu and Kashmir Government in its report,” sources said.
As per the sources, the Government Panel has proposed a score of 100 for determining eligibility of kin of the Government officer/official who applies for job in case his father/mother die in services.
“Total marks obtained by the applicant will be taken into account by the Government department for deciding whether the kin is entitled for job on compassionate ground or not,” the sources said.
There will be a total of 10 marks for annual income of the family, 15 for the service of the employee left at the time of his death, 10 for property owned by family, 10 for disability of the kin, 10 for benefits extended to the family in normal course after death and 20 for amount of pension that will be payable to his/her kin among others.
The Government will set up a three-member Screening Committee to ascertain eligibility of the applicant. The Committee will have one Chairman and two members.
Same yardsticks will apply on the civilians killed in militancy related incidents including blasts, cross-firing as well as border shelling. While the family members of such deceased civilians will continue to get cash relief to which they are entitled, grant of the Government job to their next of kin will also depend on economic condition of the family though the martyrs will be treated as an exception.
“Presently, kin of the Government officers/officials who die during the service and civilians killed in militancy related incidents and cross-border shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) as well as International Border (IB) are entitled to the Government jobs. However, a large number of such cases have piled up in the Government departments,” sources pointed out.
They said the Government is of the view that mandatory Government job to kin of certain Government officers/officials who die during their service or civilians killed in militancy related and border firing incidents deprive other persons of the Government jobs as their families are well off and have many other sources of livelihood.
In such cases only where the families of deceased are economically sound, the Government jobs will be denied while the families will continue to get ex-gratia relief etc as per the Government rules.
New guidelines, as per the sources, were necessitated as the Government continues to receive large number of files for jobs under SRO-43 cases leading to piling up of the files as the vacancies are limited.
Moreover, according to sources, the Jammu and Kashmir Government guidelines had to be revised as per the Central Government norms where also the job is given to the officer/official who dies in service to one of his/her family members only if economic condition of the family is very weak.
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