Neha
Jammu, Jan 4: Jammu and Kashmir Government on Wednesday directed all the recruitment agencies charged with the duty of recruiting non-gazetted employees to follow the new recruitment policy with immediate effect. The new recruitment policy, which would now be applicable to the non-gazetted employees to be recruited from now onwards, was enforced following clearance from High Court, which did not consider the petitions filed against it as valid.
According to the new recruitment policy, the new incumbents would be considered regular employees of the State Government from the day they join the duties, but their salary structure would be different from that of their counterparts already in service. They would be paid only "stipend", which would be almost equal to the basic pay. They would be paid stipend for first two years. During the next three years, they would be paid stipend, plus some allowances. They would be given full salary, including all allowances and other benefits, after they complete five years of service.
It is clear that the new recruitment policy, which perhaps would be the first of its kind in the country, is not only discriminatory, but it has all the potential of promoting corruption and inefficiency. You cannot expect the new employees to do justice with their jobs when they would get less than half of what their counterparts holding equivalent positions, who were employed before the introduction of the new policy, will be getting. They would surely accept the appointment orders after their selection because they are unemployed, but they would be dissatisfied lot. And remember, those who are dissatisfied are not expected to discharge their duties in the manner they are required to. There is also the possibility of many of them taking recourse to corrupt practices considering the price situation in the country.
The new recruitment policy is discriminatory in another sense as well. For example, the new recruitment policy will not be applicable to those to be appointed by the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC). The JKPSC recruits gazetted officers. You cannot have two sets of recruitment rules, one for gazetted officers and another for non-gazetted officers and other categories of employees. The decision of the State Government to exclude gazetted officers from the new recruitment policy and enforce it strictly in case of non-gazetted and other employees is both irrational and discriminatory.
The argument of the Government is that it has no money in the exchequer to meet wage bill, which is around Rs 13,000 crore per annum and that the enforcement of the new policy would generate more employment opportunities. Everyone would want the absorption of all the unemployed youth in Government or semi-Government service but not at the cost of quality. There is still time for the Government to review its stand on the new recruitment policy and come out with another policy which is both State-centric, as opposed to Kashmir-centric and rational and which promotes efficiency. |
