H&ME Deptt fails to submit proposal to Finance Department since Sept 2019

Working out actual pay scales of posts in new GMCs
Officers reluctant to specify reasons for inordinate delay

Mohinder Verma

JAMMU, Apr 17: In a testimony of dilly-dallying approach towards the issues concerning the employees, the Health and Medical Education Department has failed to work out actual pay scales of different categories of posts created in the new Government Medical Colleges of Jammu and Kashmir and submit well conceived proposal to the Finance Department since September 2019.
Moreover, the officers of the Health and Medical Education Department are reluctant to specify the reasons behind inordinate delay thereby defeating the objectives behind formulation of committees on the subject.
The Cabinet vide its Decision No.175/11/2017 dated October 3, 2017 had accorded sanction to the creation of 3375 posts for the establishment of five new Government Medical Colleges in Jammu and Kashmir.
Accordingly, the Health and Medical Education Department vide Order No.575 dated October 23, 2017 notified these posts—675 each for Government Medical College Anantnag, Government Medical College Baramulla, Government Medical College Rajouri, Government Medical College Doda and Government Medical College Kathua.
Later, it was felt imperative to work out the actual pay scales of posts in new Government Medical Colleges and accordingly Government Order No.831-HME of 2019 dated September 18, 2019 and Government Order No.16-HME of 2019 dated November 28, 2019 were issued on the subject.
However, the detailed exercise could not be conducted well within the specified time-frame and vide Government Order No.892-HME dated December 2, 2020 and in supersession of earlier two orders, a committee was constituted to work out the actual pay scales of different categories of posts created in new Government Medical Colleges of J&K.
The committee comprising Mohd Rafiq, Director Finance Health and Medical Education Department, Ghulam Nabi Bhat, Additional Secretary in the Department, Mohd Iqbal Lone, Under Secretary of the Department and Mohammad Farooq, Assistant Accounts Officer of the Health and Medical Education Department was directed to complete the exercise within two weeks enabling reference of a well conceived proposal to the Finance Department.
Even the posts were identified for the convenience of the committee, which was also empowered to look into any other posts in these Colleges for working out actual pay scales.
What to talk of completing the exercise within two weeks, the committee has failed to accomplish the assigned task till date and this is evident from the Government Order No.293-JK(HME) dated April 16, 2021, which read: “In continuation of Order No.892 dated December 2, 2020 whereby a committee was constituted to work out the actual pay scales of posts in new Government Medical Colleges, it is hereby ordered that Pamposh Ganju, Under Secretary, shall also be a member of the committee”.
“Had the earlier committee accomplished the task new member would not have been nominated to the panel. Moreover, no time-frame has been specified in the latest order although two weeks time-frame given to the committee had expired in the month of December last year”, official sources said.
They further said, “all this clearly indicates dilly-dallying approach of the Health and Medical Education Department towards the issues concerning the employees”, adding “the astonishing fact is that Financial Commissioner Health and Medical Education Department Atal Dulloo, who had constituted the earlier committee and nominated new member has failed to ensure completion of task as expeditiously as possible by the officers of his own department”.
When contacted, an officer of the Health and Medical Education Department, while wishing anonymity, confirmed that committee has not completed the task as such no well conceived proposal could be submitted to the Finance Department till date.
EXCELSIOR made repeated telephonic calls to Director Finance Mohd Rafiq, who is heading the committee as well as newly nominated member Pamposh Ganju, Under Secretary to ascertain the reasons behind inordinate delay in working out the actual pay scales of posts in new Government Medical Colleges of J&K but there was no response.
It is pertinent to mention here that EXCELSIOR has highlighted a number of times that Government has failed to work out a mechanism to ensure that committees constituted on important subjects submits reports/recommendations within the specified time-frame to achieve the objectives behind their establishment.