Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Aug 23: What was the matter of speculation, became a fact as the State Government has raised a question mark on procedure followed by both the Agricultural Universities in Jammu and Kashmir for appointment and promotion of teachers from 2009 to 2015.
In response to their requests for approval of Revised Annual Performance Indicator (API) for promotion under Career Advancement Scheme (CAS), the administrative Agriculture Production Department has also sought to know why both the universities did not formulate modalities and API till 2015 for appointment and promotion of teachers even as the guidelines were adopted by two other State universities, University of Jammu and University of Kashmir.
“Why SKUAST did not formulate modalities and API till 2015 and what procedure was followed by the State Agriculture Universities for appointment and promotion of teachers since Financial Advisor to the universities order of 2009, till 2015?”, asked the Administrative Department in its communication number; Agri/ SKUAST/18/2016, dated 05-08-2016, sent forward to Vice-Chancellors of both SKUAST Jammu and SKUAST Kashmir.
Further, the Government has also sought to know whether 2nd Amendment of UGC Regulation (on Minimum Qualifications for Appointment of Teachers and other academic staff in universities and measures for Maintenance of Standards in Higher Education, 2010) has been decided by the Committee of the Vice-Chancellors of State universities, constituted by the Chancellor before its adoption.
The queries have been raised in communications to both the Agriculture Universities, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) Jammu and Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) Kashmir, in response to their request for approval of RPI for promotion/upward movement of ARS Scientists under revised Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) with effect from 1-1-2009.
Even as the Government has sought clarification on these quarries from both the Agricultural Universities within two days positively thus enabling it to proceed in the matter, sources told the Excelsior that no reply in this regard has yet been prepared by either SKUAST Jammu or SKUAST Kashmir, hinting at further delay over the matter.
The Excelsior in its exclusive report, last month, had already mentioned about delay in approval of API score and CAS thus holding up promotion of more than 200 faculty members as well as fresh recruitment in SKUAST Jammu as well as SKUAST- Kashmir despite shortage of academic staff,
It may be recalled that then Financial Advisor to the Universities (University of Kashmir, University of Jammu, SKUAST- Jammu and SKUAST-Kashmir) with the approval of the Chancellor of the universities, issued the orders for revision of pay vide no. A/78 (88 II) dated 31.07.2009, governed by the clause 2 under the captioned- Revised Pay Scales, Service Conditions & Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) for teachers and equivalent positions and other relevant guidelines of the MHRD Notification No. 1-32/2006-U.II/U.I (id) dated 31-12.2008. These UGC guidelines (called as UGC Minimum Qualifications for Appointment of Teachers and other Academic Staff in Universities and Colleges and other Measures for the Maintenance of Standards in Higher Education -Regulations, 2010) of pay revision were later published in the Gazette of India on September 18, 2010.
In pursuant to the said order and publication of the Gazette of India on September 18, 2010, University of Kashmir got modalities and API for appointments and CAS of teachers notified on 07.09.2011 vide No : F 10 (Modalities-UGC)RC/KU/ 2011 Dated: 7.09.2011 and the same was implemented mutatis mutandis by University of Jammu. However, SKUAST Jammu and SKUAST Kashmir did not initiate the process of finalizing the modalities for appointment and CAS even after ratification of the Financial Adviser’s order by the Board of Management in its 13th meeting held on 06.07.2009.
Moreover, without formulating the modalities for appointments and promotions of teachers as well as API till 2015, both the Agricultural Universities, kept on making fresh recruitments and promotions in gross deviation of new provisions for allegedly benefiting some blue eyed persons. The promotions were given without approval of Board of Management, which was again illegal.
The Agricultural Universities kept avoiding the new provisions till last year till the intervention of then Chief Minister Mufti Mohd Sayeed and Governor N N Vohra following which the draft files for approval of revised API score and CAS were sent to the State Agriculture Production Department, which has raised the quarries.
When contacted, Registrar of SKUAST Jammu, Dilip Kachroo said that the Govt communication was received only today and a clarification will be forwarded by tomorrow. However, he refused to divulge the details of the clarification and only said that the University was not at fault.
According to the sources, SKUAST Kashmir is awaiting for draft reply of SKUAST Jammu and a similar response will be communicated by them also in next two-three days.
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