Manohar Raina
manoharraina81@gmail.com
The Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) has served as the premier recruiting agency of the UT of J&K, rendering a yeoman service in selecting meritorious candidates for various gazetted posts. Among its flagship examinations, the JK CCE examination is the primary recruiting mechanism for JK Administrative Services, JK Accounts Services and the JK Police Services.
However, my write up is specifically concerned with J&K Accounts Services (referred to as JKAS hereafter)- a cadre that has remained a silent yet indispensable performer for every dispensation by relentlessly serving as the ‘invisible hands’ controlling and managing the state exchequer with acute perspicacity, utmost financial prudence and exceptional professionalism.
Despite its pivotal role the JKAS has, over the years, been suffering from a gamut of service issues which have adversely affected the morale of its officers. The issues of stagnations, pay structure disparities, lack of NFS, Cadre anomalies, etc have persisted without adequate redressal, giving rise to a palpable sense of unease and discontent among the officers servingin various departments .
For instance, some of the officers selected in 2012 are still waiting for their first functional promotion despite thirteen years of service. This situation exposes serious lacunae in the existing promotional frameworks of the gazetted officers wherein the lack of clear guidelines and the non-committal attitude have significantly affected the career progression of many of these officers. However, when juxtaposed with other services like J&K Economics & Statistics (Gazetted) Service, there emerges a more glaring picture. The officers belonging to the latter cadre who got selected in the same period have reached selection grades and have received at least two functional promotions.
In order to mitigate these disparities, the NFS (non-functional scales) were envisaged as a compensatory mechanism under SRO 198 to monetarily compensate the stagnated officers. However, it has been observed that, in practice, the NFS scale benefits have been sanctioned much beyond the prescribed timelines as per the ibid SRO, defeating their intended purpose.
These longstanding issues, if remain unaddressed, could deeply affect the confidence of the entire cadre that functions as the vanguard of state’s fiscal health. Therefore, it’s imperative that the Finance Department, in consultation with all the relevant stakeholders , formulates a comprehensive policy in this regard for a holistic rejuvenation of the service.
Some of the suggestions that I can offer are:
* Cadre Review: A comprehensive appraisal of the cadre is urgently required to assess manpower needs and rationalize posts across departments. There is a need to increase posts of Chief Accounts Officers (CAOs) across the UT, especially within the Directorates to ensure a streamlined financial management structure.
* Assured Career Progression (ACP) of all the employees belonging to this cadre. J&K Govt, vide GO No. 1339 -JK(GAD) of 2024 dt. 09.07.2024 constituted a subcommittee to examine the issue related to the Assured Career progression & Time Bound Promotion (TBP) Scheme with regard to the different departments except Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service and J&K police (G) Service. But till date there has been no substantial development on this front. It’s therefore proposed that if finalized, the report of this committee, should be placed in the public domain to expedite its implementation.
Inter Departmental Empanelment: On the lines of the Government of India, the UT administration many initiate the process of inter departmental empanelment of officers from the Accounts and the Police cadre for the secretarial positions. This will serve two purposes. Firstly, it’ll bring vitality to the administration and secondly, it’ll reduce the stagnated cadre posts in time and super time scale. In addition to this, the government must think of a policy wherein the candidates selected via JKCCE, especially from the accounts cadre are placed in some other allied field Directorates of Finance Department like the Excise, Sales Taxes etc. Given their understanding of the financial matters, such placements shall enrich administrative synergy and optimize cadre utilization.
Non Functional Scales: Until the issue of stagnation is structurally resolved, it’s impressed upon the government to kindly devise a policy wherein the deserving officer is automatically granted the approval of NFS, subject to the stipulated conditions, once he completes the required time period in a particular scale as per SRO 198. This would prevent undue administrative delays and uphold parity across services.
Functional Promotions must be institutionalised: The J&K High Court in its 2021 judgement categorically remarked that “It is settled position of law that right of consideration for promotion to the next higher post is a fundamental right of an employee. Opportunity of advancement in service career by promotion is considered to be a normal incidence of service.”
There is an urgent need to transform the service conditions of the Accounts cadre so as to revitalize it and make it a sturdier cog that fuels the wheels of administration in this UT. The efficiency of any administration is whetted by the financial prowess that it wields. Strengthening the service conditions, career progression, and administrative integration of the Accounts cadre will not only uplift its morale but also enhance fiscal discipline and transparency across the governance ecosystem of the Union Territory. The financial managers of this UT deserve a system that values their expertise, rewards their diligence and offers them a clear career trajectory. This shall empower the foundations of good governance in J&K.
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