While continuously loss making entities must either be made viable by introducing necessary administrative and structural reforms and injecting new initiatives to cut down on costs and maximising outputs or if thought feasible to close down, care needs to taken that those whose livelihood was linked with such entities did not come on roads to starve. Every endeavour needs to be taken to treat employment and related matters of the people on top priority and with the required sensitivity. If by taking one good step – that of getting rid of recurring losses by closing down the establishment, series of other problems mainly related to the employment status of even one employee not to speak of hundreds, should not surface at all. We at the same time , cannot trivialise, not in the least, the levels of irregularities, bungling and scams or attach any less importance to the mess that were rampant in Jammu and Kashmir Cooperative Supply & Marketing Federation (JAKFED) in which were involved not only the members on the management comprising even IAS and KAS officers but even many employees.
The whopping scam of Rs.1000 crore involving public money in JAKFED had disturbed everyone and even rocked the then State Assembly too. The massive scam which included shortages, misappropriations, embezzlement , retention of Government money by various Government officers and the like was probed into and confirmed by a committee appointed for the purpose even though quite late after the scam had surfaced. Irregularities and misappropriation and even, unbelievably though, one of the senior Managers allegedly misappropriating Government funds of Rs.3 crore for constructing factories for his sons like various ”free for all” scenario was bound to result in the total collapse of this establishment registered with high hopes under the Cooperative Societies Act . In other words, an expectedly highly profit making enterprise was wrecked from within by those who had to serve it and take it to zeniths of growth and progress.
Some employees, however, had to be terminated earlier due to their open involvement while scant recoveries too were made but equivalent to the proverbial a drop in the bucket. Desperate, therefore, there was no other alternative left with the Government except to wind up the establishment in 2019. It is a sad and shocking picture of the JAKFED that vital records and other papers in respect of many employees involved in frauds are reportedly not available at all. This very vital point , we have been stressing upon repeatedly to be taken due note of, that all papers , files, records pertaining to frauds needed to be fully secured and protected as the very first step as response to any fraud coming to limelight. JAKFED , therefore does not know, as on date, as to how many employees were involved in the massive frauds which rattled and shook the JAKFED to its very foundations .
However, there are two important issues pending to be resolved . One- to have all the statutory and legal formalities post winding up to be done and completed and to have the report of the official liquidators made known as also retrieving records of frauds. Two- formulate a policy as to the fate of the genuine employees who must get justice and their livelihood some how protected . However, prudence demands as also as a demonstration of zero tolerance to frauds and looting of Government money, that only in respect of those employees who were not found involved in any type of financial misappropriation / fraud/ embezzlement etc should get a fair deal and not suffer and not the tainted ones. Any selective policy of retention at random of some employees and most of other innocent employees made to undergo the trauma of uncertainty and fear of being left in the lurch, should be avoided at all costs. We have come to know that some employees already stand ”adjusted” or ”deputed” to some departments who understandably must have been not involved in bringing down the Federation while other ”innocents” are running from pillar to post. A discreet, prudent and justifiable policy needs to be employed in dealing with the issues concerned.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel