Early Times Report
Jammu, Jan 27: The State Awards announced on the eve of Republic Day in the category of "Meritorious Public Service", are reportedly confined to the gazetted officers, stationed at Civil Secretariat rather than those performing their duties in extreme conditions in most difficult far flung areas of the state. Resentment is brewing among non-gazetted employees, who have alleged favouritism in the selection of the officers or employees for "Meritorious Public Service". As per list updated, apart from some IAS, IPS and doctors, remaining are Kashmir Administrative Service (KAS) officers, who have been stationed at civil secretariat.
Most of these gazetted officers are from 1999 batch of KAS along while none of the officers from other batch of KAS officers have found their names in the list of State Awards. "Why only the gazetted officers have been selected for the state awards. Moreover it is also questionable as how five officers from a single batch of KAS got the awards", an employee questioned.
The employees further questioned the criterion adopted by the selection committee for the State Awards in Meritorious Public Service Category. "We have 5 Lakh non-gazetted employees, many of them working in extreme difficult conditions in far flung areas of the state but none of them found a place in meritorious public service award", an employee lambasted.
The employee further said that in civil secretariat these gazetted service employees have all type of facilities to serve. "How an engineer or snow clearance staff would have been doing their duties in extreme cold conditions. How para-medical staff members have been serving in minus temperature in extreme cold conditions, who have no facility but doing public service. Such employees deserve the State Awards for Meritorious Public Service but they have not found place", another employee said.
The GAD should make public the criterion adopted to select the names of the officers for the award and their exemplary contribution for public service.
The employees have appealed Governor to take cognizance of the matter and initiate an enquiry as why not even a single non-gazetted employee found place in the State Awardees' list. |