In 2008, that is 18 years after the exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits owing to rise of Jihadists in the valley, the Government of India woke up and the Prime Minister announced a 1618 crore package erroneously called “Pandit return and rehabilitation package”. In fact the package is for five categories of militancy affected persons and the Pandits fall into just one of these. That is why in a pamphlet titled The Critique one of their organizations called it a flawed package necessitating certain modifications which never were made. It took the State Government another three years to implement, albeit gratuitously, a minimal part of the package, Out of 6000 sanctioned jobs for the displaced youth, only 1441 have been filled till date and for the remaining recruitments and connected issues, the displaced community had to knock at the door of the NHRC, which, in contrast to its mood over last two decades, has been surprisingly sympathetic and humanistic towards the IDPs. Nevertheless a couple of recommendations which the NHRC has made to the State Government in response to plea by Delhi based two Pandit organizations for easing the difficulties of these IDPs, may sound encouraging, but the question is whether the State Government will take these recommendations seriously or not. Will the State Government acquiesce to the moral authority of the NHRC knowing that in the past, this institution has not been able to inspire the IDPs with its impartial handling of their supplication about either the change of nomenclature to IDP instead of “migrants” or categorizing attacks on them as “genocide” but remaining content with “near genocide” adjudication.
Mailbag
Promotions and stagnations
Sir,
Promotions in any type of service or duty, assignment or responsibility as a reward for one’s good performance of duty, sincerity, dedication and hardwork are infact the morale boosting encouragements and mental appeasement. Promotions must always be timely and not much delayed to become stagnations.
Stagnation in any phase of development, movement, progress or activity is always a sign of depression, repression, retardation and frustration. If stagnation manifests itself too much in the field of service career of any serving Govt employee beyond his tolerance limits, it indeed goes a longway to mar, vitiate or spoil his career, and of course, tells upon his drive or thrust for work and dedication towards duty more so when such a retardation, stagnation or the hindrance in promotion is the outcome of the callous attitude of the higher authorities or the governing bodies who bother least for the subordinates.
In attention of the Higher authorities towards this vital aspect is really unfortunate disappointing for the sufferers. Sometimes writ petitions or court directives or stay orders in respect of some particular one or two cases because of the loop-holes of the Administrative Deptt in fixation of seniority are taken as the sole reason to debar even such promotions of such officials or officers who may not at all be within the purview of the court directions. The authorities make the directives as an excuse to stagnate promotions for one and all. They try to sweep even those who are not within the dust. This is really injustice in its cruelest form.
Yes, true and very true the situation speaks volumes in respect of the promotional aspect of police officers in the police deptt. of J&K Police where stagnation is all smiles. Never before had such a situation been visible. Promotions in Police Department formerly used to be faster than that of Civil Departments. But of late the situation has turned quite otherwise. The ground reality speaks that in all other civil departments the KAS Batch of officers of 2001 batch stand since promoted and placed in higher grades where as all Dy. SPs of 2001 batch who cleared KAS in 2001 to be (KPS) are still heaving sighs of depression for their promotion. How strange and shocking? Why is the Police Department and the Home Department sleeping over the issue and becoming so inactive for the welfare of the forces who have to be on their toes always for any eventuality or emergency at the cost of their lives. Is this the reward for the active service? The top brass of the belt force of J&K Police is requested to look into the matter in the real earnest to deliver justice to the police officers to wipeout their tears by making them suffer no more on this account.
Let any court stay, or writ against the police department in respect of some particular case be properly attended to or followed to be legally vacated in the particular case as it may be, and not taken as a plea or excuse to drag all the batches in the quagmire without any substantiality.
The Director General of Police as also the Home Department are requested to look into the matter to deliver justice to this genuine cause.
Yours etc…
J R Aryan
Kishtwar
Plight of pensioners
Sir,
This has reference to the latest missive of Treasury Deptt. of the State Finance Ministry which mandates the pensioners to present themselves before the treasury officers for personal verifications. Whereas there can be no dispute about the spirit of this directive; but it is not understood as to why this additional requirement is being sought, when the existing directives mandate production of “Life-Certificates” duly attested by a Gazetted Officer twice in a year. Those who draw the pensions directly from the treasuries or the Bank-Branches, present themselves physically every month in such institutions. Those who additionally use the ATM cards, life certificates are obtained twice in a year.This process is quite complex and is a source of corruption and harassment for pensioner particularly, who are at the fag end of their lives.
Further if the state has mandated and outsourced the pension disbursements to the J&K Bank, who are also bankers to it which adheres to the norms/procedures and directives of the Government in paying the pensions as per entitlements and norms, the additional requirement of getting the same vetted by the treasuries is meaningless. When the country is marching towards e-governance in its all spheres where does this retrograde step lead us to. The senior citizens are provided facilities and their lives made easy in all spheres of life; but here is a negative step to harass them and extract un-due benefits from them.
The state fortunately has at present two upright, competent and wise persons as the Finance Minister and his Principal Secretary and it is hoped they will see reasons and have this latest missive scraped.
Yours etc…..
B K Gupta
Canal Road
Jammu