Suhail Bhat
Srinagar, Mar 9: Despite the passage of more than five months since their selection, around 2,000 Panchayat Accounts Assistants in Rural Development Department (RDD) are still waiting for their salaries due to the Finance Department’s hesitation in disbursing their salaries under the regular salary head, which is the norm for all Government employees.
Around 1889 candidates qualified for the exams held by the Jammu and Kashmir Service Selection Board in December 2020, out of a total of 1.64 lakh. This was the first recruitment campaign following the repeal of Article 370, and appointment orders were issued by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the presence of Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha, with candidates joining the service on October 20, 2021. Their salaries, however, were not released, and they were not provided the training.
An official with knowledge of the situation told the Excelsior that the candidates are suffering as a result of a tussle between the RDD, which is the parent department, and the Finance Department over the mechanism of salary payment. He said that Panchayat Accounts Assistants are legitimate government employees whose salaries should be paid as such, but that the Finance Department wants the Rural Development Department to deduct their salaries from administrative costs.
“The Rural Development Department believes that because Accounts Assistant Panchayats are regular Government employees of Jammu and Kashmir, their salary should come from the regular salary head,” he said.
He continued that their salaries could not be deducted from administrative costs, which would force the RDD to issue requisitions to the finance department for their salaries on a regular basis. “They were hired in accordance with protocol, and they should be treated like other employees,” he added.
According to the candidates, there has been a lot of back and forth communication on this issue between the Finance Department and RDD, but the Finance Department is not issuing their salaries from regular salary heads or referring the case to the State Administrative Council (SAC) for review.
These employees, according to the candidates, also include in-service candidates who were paid from a normal salary head. “During the entire procedure, candidates suffer. All they seek is a monthly salary under the regular salary head because they have completed all the processes required of a regular government employee,” a candidate said.
Director General, Codes Finance Department, Shadi Lal Pandita, told Excelsior that they had recently reviewed the problem in a meeting. “We have settled the issue and a decision will be issued shortly in favour of the candidates,” he added.
Follow our WhatsApp channel