Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, May 16: Experts in Finance, Education and General Administration Departments were redrafting controversial Recruitment Policy adopted by PDP-BJP coalition Government with Government having decided to amend it following return by Governor NN Vohra last month. After clearance by the experts, the Government would again bring the Policy before the Cabinet very soon for approval and send it to the Governor for issuance of Ordinance, which has to be approved by the State Legislature within six months of the date of publication of Ordinance.
Official sources told the Excelsior that after the Governor returned the Recruitment Policy to the Government on April 25 within a week of its approval by the Cabinet, the Government following re-opening of Durbar Move in Srinagar, the summer capital of the State on May 5, has asked experts in Finance, Education and GAD to re-draft the Policy and amend the controversial clauses especially those which have been objected to by the Governor while returning the Ordinance.
The Policy, which had been introduced in the form of Jammu and Kashmir Special Recruitment Ordinance 2015, was being re-drafted not only because of return by the Governor but strong opposition by major political parties and organisations in the State, who have described it as anti-youth. The policy was now in final stage of completion.
“The Policy is being re-drafted. Some existing provisions are being excluded while some clauses are being added to make it comprehensive Policy and ensure that it was acceptable to the Governor as well as the youth,” sources said.
They pointed out that the Government might delete all gazetted cadre appointments from the new Policy, whose recruitment would continue to vest with the Public Service Commission (PSC) and confine the Policy of adhoc/contractual appointments only to non-gazetted cadre including Class-IV recruitments.
“There was opinion among the experts that term of regularization for contractual/adhoc appointments should be reduced to five years as seven years was quite a long period,” sources said, adding that experts re-drafting the Policy might leave the option open for the Cabinet.
According to sources, the Government might not disband the Services Selection Board (SSB) and go ahead with some recruitment in regular mode with the SSB while referring posts of emergency nature to the district authorities for adhoc/contractual appointments. Similarly, the PSC appointments were also likely to be exempted from the purview of new Policy, which included appointments under Civil Services Examinations, doctors, lecturers etc.
The experts were of the view that recruitment of doctors and lecturers shouldn’t be left to the district level officers as it could have serious repercussion as both enjoyed gazetted rank.
“Reservations for all categories including Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes etc was another issue that was being given serious though by the experts while re-drafting the Recruitment Policy following strong resentment voiced by the organisations that they would lose reservations in adhoc/contractual appointment mode,” sources said, adding that a provision for reservations could be added in the new Policy.
They pointed out that methods of recruitment were also being revisited by the experts.
Another controversial clause of regularization of contractual/adhoc employees after seven years only after `satisfactory performance’ by the Heads of Departments, is also being re-considered as experts were of the view that it could lead to corruption.
The Government feels that it wouldn’t face any problems in getting mandatory nod of the Legislature for the Ordinance once it was approved by the Governor as it has majority in both the Houses. The Ordinance required Legislature nod within six months of its issuance by the Governor. While PDP-BJP coalition Government has two-third majority in the Assembly, it has simple majority in the Council. Only simple majority was required to make law for the Recruitment Policy. All opposition parties and Independent MLAs were likely to oppose the Policy whenever it was brought in the Legislature.
Though the Legislature was in session till April 10 (Assembly till April 9 and Council till April 10), the Government didn’t introduce the Policy in form of the bill but brought it before the Cabinet on April 19 and forwarded it to the Governor for issuance of an Ordinance. Worthwhile to mention here that the Ordinance is issued only if the Legislature is not in session but it required approval of the Legislature within six months of the issuance.
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