Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 28: To improve the power distribution infrastructure in J&K, the State Cabinet which met here today under the chairpersonship of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, approved engagement of REC Power Distribution Company Ltd (RECPDCL), REC Transmission Projects Company Ltd (RECTPCL) and Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL), subsidiaries of Union Ministry of Power, as Project Management Agencies (PMA) for power distribution strengthening projects in all the districts of J&K under PMDP.
The Cabinet approved establishment of maiden Law Commission in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Law Commission will identify the laws which have become obsolete and redundant over a period of time and need to be repealed, amended or updated.
The Law Commission would also consider and convey to the State Government its views on any subject relating to law and judicial administration that may be specifically referred to it by the Government.
The Law Commission will be headed by a Chairperson with two full-time Members and two part-time members.
The tenure of the Chairperson and the two part-time Members would be for a period of three years.
The Cabinet also approved creation of supporting staff for the proposed Law Commission which includes one post of Secretary, one Administrative Officer, one Private Secretary, one Reader, two Research Assistants, four Personal Assistants, one Junior Research Assistant, one Data Entry Operator, two Junior Assistants, one Jamadar and eight Orderlies.
The Cabinet approved promotion of four IAS officers of J&K cadre to the higher administrative grade of Rs 67000-79000 with immediate effect.
The promoted officers include Dheeraj Gupta, Commissioner/Secretary Power Development Department, Dr Asgar Hassan Samoon, Commissioner/ Secretary, Higher Education, Navin Kumar Choudhary, Commissioner/ Secretary Finance and Dr Pawan Kotwal, Commissioner /Secretary, Health and Medical Education.
Consequent upon their promotion, these officers have been designated as Principal Secretaries to the Government.
The Cabinet also approved release of grade of Secretary to the Government in the pay band of Rs 37400-67000 with GP of 10000 in favour of Dilshad Ahmad Baba, Secretary, State Human Rights Commission and Abdul Majid Bhat, Incharge Administrative Secretary, Department of Law, Justice & Parliamentary Affairs.
The Cabinet also confirmed appointment of Mulkh Raj Singh as Secretary, J&K Legislative Assembly.
The Cabinet approved promotion of H K Lohia and Pankaj Saxena, 1992 batch IPS officers of J&K cadre to the grade of Additional Director General of Police with effect from 01-01-2017.
The Cabinet approved creation of eight posts in various categories for the Cluster Universities of Srinagar and Jammu.
The newly created posts include two posts of Controller Examinations (one post for each Cluster University) in the pay scale of 37400-67000+GP 10000, two posts of Assistant Controller Examinations in the pay scale of 9300-34800+GP 5400, two posts of Librarians in the pay scale of 15600-39100+ GP 6000 and two posts of PRO in the pay scale of 15600-39100+GP 6000.
The Cabinet further ordered that the financial implications of the posts would be borne on the establishment of Cluster University Jammu/Srinagar and will be filled up by deputation from amongst the existing staff of the Higher Education Department wherever possible.
Pertinently, the Government had earlier in 2015 ordered creation of 124 posts for these universities.
The Cabinet also approved creation of new Sub-Division at Bijbehara in district Anantnag.
The proposed Sub-Division shall have territorial jurisdiction over 4 Niabats, 13 Patwar Halqas and 57 villages.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet approved promotion of eight Special Scale KAS officers to the Super-Time Scale of Rs 37400-67000 with Grade Pay of Rs 10000.
The promoted officers include Rehana Batool, Ravinder Kumar Pandita, Zubair Ahmad and Reva Kumari with effect from 05-06-2017, Ravi Kanth from 01-07-2017 and Peerzada Hafizullah Shah, Mir Tariq Ali and Gulzar Hussain with effect from 01-10-2017.
The Cabinet approved promotion of Talat Parvez Rohella, KAS to the Super-Time Scale of Rs 37400-67000 with Grade Pay of Rs 10000, notionally from 01-12-2016 and monetarily from 05-06-2017.
The Cabinet also approved release of Selection Grade of Rs 12000-16500 (pre-revised) of KAS in favour of Late Dr M S Malik (Retd), the then Deputy Director Employment, Jammu notionally with effect from 01-08-2005 and monetarily from 01-08-2017.
The Cabinet approved promotion of Ghulam Nabi Khanday, Senior Private Secretary of the Jammu and Kashmir Private Secretaries cadre as Principal Private Secretary in the pay scale of Rs 15600-39100 with grade pay of 7600 w.e.f 22-06-2017.
The Cabinet approved promotion of four Private Secretaries as Senior Private Secretaries in the pay band of 15600-39100+GP of 6600.
The promoted Private Secretaries include Mohammad Ashraf Kadla, Ali Mohammad Haroon, Baby Jan and Abdul Hamid Dar.
The Cabinet approved creation of additional 3000 supernumerary posts for Kashmiri migrants under the Prime Minister’s Package.
The newly created posts include 228 in Public Works Department, 60 in Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Department, 240 in Power Development Department, 50 in Youth Services and Sports Department, 320 in School Education Department, 220 in Rural Development Department, 135 in Transport Department, 34 in Labour & Employment Department, 125 in Industries & Commerce Department, 150 in PHE, I&FC Department, 84 in Law, Justice & Parliamentary Department, 150 in Planning & Development Department, 300 in Finance Department, 172 in Animal and Sheep Husbandry Department, 70 in Health & Medical Education Department, 100 in Revenue Department, 200 in Prisons Department, 142 in Fire & Emergency Services Department and 62 in Relief & Rehabilitation Department.
The Cabinet also approved withdrawal of 210 posts from J&K Services Selection Board and 3 posts of Class-IV from Relief Organisation (Migrants) and creation of 179 posts by corresponding reduction of 179 posts.
Subsequently, the Cabinet approved appointment of 198 petitioners against the 79 newly created posts subject to the condition that the appointees shall have to join within a period of 21 days in the concerned departments, failing which the appointment shall be deemed to have been cancelled, without any notice.
The Cabinet further directed that all the migrant employees appointed under the Prime Minister’s Package should be asked to report to their respective Directorates in Kashmir within the next two weeks. “The concerned HoDs shall ensure that the postings of all such employees are rationalized and they are posted suitably keeping in view various aspects enabling them to discharge their duties and responsibilities in a harmonious manner,” the Cabinet observed.
The Cabinet approved promotion of six officers of the J&K Accounts (Gazetted) Service to the Special Scale of 37400-67000+GP 8700.
The promoted officers include Reyaz Ahmad Shah, FA&CAO IMPA, Ashok Kumar, FA&CAO, Law Department, Pritam Singh, FA&CAO, JKSRTC, Iftikhar Hussain, FA&CAO, GAD and Latif Ahmad Poswal, FA&CAO, Tourism Department.
The Cabinet approved creation of additional nine positions of the Research Assistants for the Judges of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.
According to the decision, these Research Assistants shall be engaged on a consolidated remuneration of Rs 15000 per month.
The Cabinet approved extension in re-employment of Khaliq-ul-Zaman (retired) District and Sessions Judge as Principal Secretary to Chairperson, State Accountability Commission (SAC) for a further period of one year with effect from 4 July 2017.
The re-employment shall be governed by the Article 259-A of the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services Regulations.
The Cabinet approved promotion of Rajinder Kumar Hak, Joint Director, Fire & Emergency Services , Kashmir Range as Director, Fire & Emergency Services, J&K with effect from 01-03-2017 in the pay scale of 37400-67000+GP 8700.
The Cabinet, approved confirmation of Zahoor Ahmad Sheikh, Incharge Director as Director Defence Labour Procurement, J&K with effect from 11-11-2016 in the pay band of Rs 15600-39000+GP 7600.
The Cabinet approved promotion of R P Singh Bali (retd) and R N Pandita, Joint Director as Director Fisheries in the pay band of Rs 37400-67000 with GP of Rs 8700. While R P Singh Bali (Retd) has been promoted as Director from 01-12-2016 to 31-03-2017 while R N Pandita has been promoted with effect from 01-04-2017.
The Cabinet approved transfer of around 94.67 hectares of forest land in various parts of the State for undertaking developmental activities in the respective areas. The transfer of forest land has been approved in pursuance to the recommendations of the 98th Forest Advisory Committee meeting held on 09-06-2017 under the chairpersonship of the Chief Secretary.
The Cabinet also approved transfer of 4 kanals of JDA land at Bahu, Jammu to the Government of India on lease basis for a period of 40 years for establishment of CISF Transit Camp.