J&K making mockery of Modi’s ‘one nation one rule’ agenda
4-tier system in GMCs Jammu/Sgr, 3-tier in new Medical Colleges
Govind Sharma
JAMMU, Aug 7: While the Union Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is promoting ‘one nation one rule’ in every sphere whether we talk of taxes, ration cards and elections but to the contrary the J&K Government is promoting ‘one UT two rules’ and that too in medical education system with Government Medical Colleges (GMCs) of Jammu/Srinagar and five new Medical Colleges having two different types of recruitment rules for the faculty.
Official sources told Excelsior that throughout the country, there is 3-tier teaching cadre system in Government Medical Colleges and the entry level post in these institutions is Assistant Professor. They said even in five new Medical Colleges of Kathua, Rajouri, Doda, Anantnag and Baramulla, there is 3-tier system for faculty but GMCs of Jammu and Srinagar are still running with 4-tier faculty system and the entry level post in these two premiere institutions of J&K is Lecturer.
Sources said the Lecturer entity is not recognized or considered as valid faculty post any where in India after necessary amendment in Recruitment rules in National Medical Council (earlier Medical Council of India) from time to time and thus, the experience earned by faculty on this post is not considered outside the J&K and even in J&K for allotment as PG teacher.
“Nowhere in the country, 4-tier teaching cadre system is being followed as is being done in GMCs Jammu/Srinagar and many a times National Medical Council has written to State authorities to enforce the three teaching cadre system as prescribed in the MCI Teachers Eligibility qualification Regulations, 1998 but the authorities remained unmoved,” sources added.
It is shocking that even after abrogation of Article 370 and applicability of all Central laws to the Union Territory of J&K, the 4-tier teaching cadre system is being followed in GMCs of Jammu and Srinagar while on the other hand, the five new colleges of the UT are following 3-tier system, which is in practice in whole country.
Sources revealed that the Health and Medical Education Department in the year 2019 moved a proposal to frame uniform three tier recruitment rules for Jammu and Kashmir along with removal of pay anomaly with respect to faculty members of GMC Jammu/Srinagar but even after more than two years, the Department failed to make it a reality.
“The draft Proposal of Health and Medical Education (HME) Department proposed that the post of Lecturers and Assistant Professors shall be clubbed/merged together and re- designated as Assistant Professors and shall hence forth be the entry post of the service uniformly in all Medical Colleges of the UT,” they said.
Sources said, “The proposal has been cleared by all the departments viz ARI & Trainings, General Administration Department and Public Service Commission but Health and Medical Education (HME) Department is finding it difficult to get away with Finance Department, which has filed few observations regarding financial implications of the proposal on the UT of J&K.”
Further, sources said the Department is also stuck on legal front that how the matter of reservation in promotion be addressed on account of elevation of posts above the Deputy Secretary grade when entry level post will be Assistant Professor.
“Had the proposal been executed, the possibility of increasing more cadre of Associate Professor and Professor pool would have increased the possibility of both the institutions to go for enhancement of further PG seats in both the premier institutes of J&K under 10 A (Regular Scheme), especially in the clinical side where we always require human resource,” sources maintained.
This correspondent tried to telephonically contact the Additional Chief Secretary, Health & Medical Education Department, Atal Dulloo to know the status of the proposal but he did not respond to the repeated calls made to him.
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