Appointments made by ignoring rider of SSB, Admn Deptt
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, July 10: Shocking it may sound but it is a fact that over 50 employees have been working in a vital wing of the Planning, Development and Monitoring Department during the past six years even without mandatory verification of their degrees. Moreover, the Crime Branch, which was referred the matter, has explicitly conveyed that it doesn’t have any mechanism to accomplish the task.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that during 2012, Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board made selection of 87 Junior Statistical Assistants in Kashmir Division Cadre and sent the panel to the Planning and Development Department vide Letter No.SSB/Sel/Secy/012/2134-36 dated August 8, 2012.
Out of 87 selected Junior Statistical Assistants, the degrees of 43 candidates had been referred by Services Selection Board for verification by the Crime Branch or other concerned institutions. In view of this, the Planning and Development Department had kept a rider that appointment of such candidates shall be subject to the receipt of verification report from the Crime Branch, sources said.
Accordingly, the then Director of Directorate of Economics and Statistics, a vital wing of the Planning and Development Department, approached the Crime Branch regarding verification of validity of degree certificates of 43 candidates vide Letter No.DES/Selection/JSA/Clarification/ Adm dated October 4, 2012.
The Crime Branch vide Communication No.CHQ/ CLT/Misc-10164 dated October 4, 2012 made it clear to the Directorate of Economics and Statistics that it had no mechanism or mandate to take up the job of verification of validity of degree certificates, sources informed.
However, the then Director, Economics and Statistics issued appointment orders in respect of all the candidates including those whose cases had been referred to the Crime Branch for verification that too without seeking the approval/concurrence of the Services Selection Board or Planning and Development Department, which had not recommended issuance of appointment orders in respect of 43 candidates, sources further informed.
The Government had recommended issuance of appointment orders in favour of 44 candidates only out of the total of 87 candidates selected by the Services Selection Board for Kashmir Division Cadre. However, the Directorate of Economics and Statistics had appointed 83 candidates including candidates from the waiting list instead of total 44 recommended by SSB and Government.
In respect of Jammu Division Cadre, out of 74 candidates selected by the Services Selection Board, the Government had instructed to appoint 68 candidates only and refer six cases to the Crime Branch for verification of validity of degrees. However, Directorate of Economics and Statistics had issued appointment orders in respect of 43 candidates including five of Jammu Division Cadre whose qualification had to be got verified from the Crime Branch.
“Similarly, in respect of State Cadre, 35 candidates had been selected by the Services Selection Board. However, two candidates, who were appointed under State Cadre had also been selected under Kashmir Division Cadre and their cases had been referred by the SSB to Crime Branch for verification of their qualification certificates”, sources said.
As no rider had been placed by SSB for issuance of appointment order in the State Cadre, two candidates skipped Kashmir Division Cadre and opted to be appointed in the State Cadre as State Cadre had no rider of reference of their certificates to the Crime Branch, sources said.
Due to this, over 50 employees have been working in the vital wing of the Planning and Development Department even without mandatory verification of their degrees, sources said.
Now, the present Director General of Economics and Statistics R A Banday has referred the entire matter to the Government for decision.
“Government may take a view on appointments in the cases which were referred by the Services Selection Board to the Crime Branch for verification of degrees and who had also not to be appointed as per standing instructions of the Government”, read Communication No.DES/JSA/ 2012-13/1868 of Director General of Economics and Statistics R A Banday addressed to the Principal Secretary to Government, Planning, Development and Monitoring Department.
However, according to the sources, Planning, Development and Monitoring Department has yet not taken any decision in this regard.
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