news details |
|
|
| Illegal but officially, Jammu based NC Minister manages 4th extension for his blue-eyed | | | Bashir Assad
Srinagar, Aug 11: Notwithstanding Government's excuse of financial crunch for not addressing the issue of enhancement in retirement age of its employees from 58 to 60 yrs, tainted officers, by getting extension over extension after retirement, have proved that their reach is far beyond anybody's guess and that they are not alone but have a strong backing of one or the other Minister who sometimes cross all the limits while seeking extension for their favourits.
Even the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has been repeatedly saying that any move to raise the retirement age of employees from the present 58 to 60 years will severely hurt the interests of the educated unemployed youth.
Notwithstanding this unemployment crisis, which the Government has miserably failed to address, at least 165 officials have been granted extension in service or re-engaged since 2007 after their retirement, most of them quietly.
The J&K Government, pertinently, has come under severe criticism for re-employing its "favourite officers".
It is now widely believed that extensions to retired officials are granted by the State Government "on the basis of their affiliation with politicians in a ruling party.”
Ministers, both of Cabinet and State rank, are no different when it comes to the re-employment policy. Many of them have been re-engaging retired officials on positions as Private Secretaries, Officers on Special Duty (OSD) and Special Assistants.
An OSD to senior Jammu based NC leader who holds Cabinet rank, another OSD and Private Secretary to Agriculture Minister and then a Special Assistant to CAPD Minister, Private Secretary to PHE Minister are a few examples.
For the past four years Government has been quietly extending re-employment of a retired section officer at a key position in the Chief Minister's secretariat.
The favour to the retired section officer of J&K Civil Secretariat, now functioning as "Assistant" in the Chief Minister's secretariat on contractual basis continues unabated for past four years.
In 2007, the GAD had issued an order with regard to the policy of extensions and reemployment of officers. The order No. 376-GAD of 2007 read that reemployment of a retired Government servant shall be for a maximum of one year. Since then, a number of verbal assurances were also made with regard to discouraging the trend of granting reemployment to retired officials. But the Government order and the re-assurances have fallen flat on ground.
Senior Government officials admit that no fixed criteria, based on merit and contribution to State, is followed for re-engaging people. "In the name of extension in services/re-employment future prospects of in-service officials are being hampered and job opportunities for the unemployed youth blocked," says a senior Government officer, wishing anonymity. "The 2007 Cabinet order has been very brazenly flouted.
On the one hand, Government is crying hoarse over unemployment, but on the other, officials are re-employed every now and then."
Officials underline the trend to reemploy officials leads to corruption. "There is a clout that these officials happen to have formed around their offices. This is, in one way or the other, leading to instances of corruption and favouritism, which needs to be discouraged for better governance," said the official.
Officials said the retired officials are seldom held accountable as they don't have anything at stake.
In a latest development Government (Education Department) has granted two months further extension to the then Secretary Board of School Education even after the search committee constituted by the Government has submitted panel of three in-service Government officials for the post.
According to sources the proposed names for the post of Secretary BOSE include Joint Secretary BOSE, Dr Javed Khateeb, Principal Science College Jammu, Satinder Singh and Prof Meenakshi Kilam of Jammu University.
The extension was granted to the official vide a Government order a Jammu based NC leader has reportedly managed this illegal and unconstitutional extension for the officer merely on political considerations.
The retired officer is allegedly involved in infamous ETT scam, however, being favourite of this high profiled Minister from Jammu managed his entry for two more months and interestingly this is his fourth extension to this blue eyed official. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
