We, very often, through these columns, stress upon the importance of taking decisions and taking them regularly and timely. There has been considered view of academic experts that any delay in or lack of decision making capacity leads even to economic under development. Analysing in broader perspective, it holds good as much as it denotes the importance of making timely decisions. We firmly believe that there can be no substitute, other things remaining equal, to an elected Government but when elected Governments, one after the other, in Jammu and Kashmir fail in undertaking important exercise of cadre reviewing of officers for 15 long years, and finally if it is done under the governance of the Lieutenant Governor, it deserves only to be commended and hailed. The absence of conducing this vital exercise for so long a period which is directly related to bettering the levels of administration and delivery mechanism in Jammu and Kashmir on expected lines cannot be brushed aside and trivialised but needed to be gone deep into for ascertaining the reasons. The idea behind such avoidable deferment and postponing could not be disassociated from motives being attributed thereto. Was it being deliberately done to facilitate inducting the chosen ones, the favourite ones into the cadre and thus to have dictates received by such officers about how most of the important decisions could be taken by them and moulded, could also be the nursed feelings. In other words, the UT Government having conducted the much overdue Cadre Review of Indian Administrative Officers and stopping the practice of virtual, none or rarest review can now pave the way for overcoming acute shortage of officers in Jammu and Kashmir. Ad hoc arrangements and deputations on large scale of such officers from the centre could result only in providing of a strength half as much as is otherwise required as per the sanctioned strength. It had been impacting adversely the delivery mechanism of performance and towards fulfilling the needs of the public vis-a-vis the Government departments and offices. On the other hand, in the absence of the bifurcation of the cadre of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, the situation had become more complicated. The UT Government having urged the Centre to take note about it as the requirements of the UT Ladakh too have been taken care of by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir resulting in its cadre staff strength thus getting further reduced. The two Union Territories are and should be treated as separate entities in matters of the requirement of the IAS officers to run respective UTs administratively efficiently and ably. In this connection, it may be recalled that in January this year, through an ordinance, it was decided to merge the Jammu and Kashmir cadre of All India Services officers – the IAS, IPS and IFoS with the Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizorum Union Territory (AUGMAT) cadre. Under this cadre, all future allocations of IAS officers for the twin Union Territories of Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir shall be made to AUGMAT cadre and an exercise to the intent of seeking consent from willing officers to be posted in the two UTs must have by now been completed so as to augment the strength of officers through AUGMAT cadre. Expectedly, now officers can be posted separately to the two Union Territories unlike in the past when requirements of Ladakh had to be met with from the already meagre strength of Jammu and Kashmir. Once cadre review was all complete, the UT of Jammu and Kashmir can expect not only removing of shortage of such officers but it is leant that the number could go beyond the ”sanctioned strength” of 137 to over 150. That would infuse new energy in the entire administration where, to call a spade a spade , many decisions, files and papers are moving mostly in accordance with whims and convenience(s) under the alibi of shortage of officers. We can also expect more and pointed compliance of various directives of the Government and implementation of policies and welfare schemes of the UT and Central Governments in faster manner with delivery mechanism and performance showing tremendous improvement. Jammu and Kashmir needs it more and must get it.
Follow our WhatsApp channel