Planning stagnated even as key positions remain vacant in dept

S. Shekhar. Updated: 2/18/2018 11:12:19 AM Front Page

CM to chair review meeting on 26th Feb

JAMMU: Even as a number of initiatives have been rolled out time and again for a better administration and governance, the stagnation in terms of timely promotions has rendered the top-level administrative task force of Planning and Monitoring Department helpless, even as many key positions remain vacant, a fate common to many other key departments too.

While the lower rung or non-Gazetted employee not getting promotions at the appropriate time has by and large become more of a norm than exception, even the Gazetted officers in the department are affected, badly.

According to official sources, a large number of officers in the Planning Department are awaiting for promotions in their Own Pay & Grade (OPG) as the top level posts in the department are still lying vacant.

“Even as the State Cabinet has accorded sanction for upgradation of various top level posts in the Planning Department, still there are dozens of posts, which aren’t filled up through OPG,” they said, adding, “While this has led to stagnation in the department, work on several important projects has also hampered.”

As per Cabinet Decision No. 238/13/2017, dated 21 December, 2017 and Government Order No. 458-PD of 2017, dated 27 December, 2017, the sanction was accorded to the upgradation of 03 posts of Directors (37400-67000 +GP 8700) to the level of super time scale (Director General-37400-67000+GP 10000) in the Administrative Departments (pool) by corresponding reduction of 03 posts of Directors-37400-6700+GP 8700 and creation of 02 posts of super time scale (Director General-37400-67000 + GP 10000) in the Administrative departments (pool).

“There is a lot of staff strength in Planning Department but due to non-filling of posts, work on various projects couldn’t be initiated while the general public is also facing difficulties on this account.”

Sources further informed that out of 06 posts of Director General Planning, 05 are vacant while out of 18 posts of Directors 12 are vacant. Similarly, of 42 posts of Joint Directors, 14 are vacant while of 115 posts of Deputy Directors, dozens are vacant and of 262 posts of Assistant Directors, hundreds are still lying vacant.

Talking to The News Now, a senior officer of the Planning Department, said, “We fail to understand that why government is delaying promotion of officials in our department as other departments followed the same process and promoted their officers under OPG.”

“This shows that the department wants confirmed promotion of officers on these vacant posts but it will take years, whereas the same posts can be filled up by giving OPG promotion to the eligible officers, which can later be confirmed by Establishment Committee, Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) / Public Service Commission (PSC).”

“Contrary to this, all promotions made by General Administration Department (GAD) like Special Secretary, Additional Secretary and other are on OPG basis. Besides, the Finance Department also follows the same procedure and all promotions up to Director level are made on OPG basis,” he said and added further, “We appeal Principal Secretary to Chief Minister and the Minister for Planning Department (being held by Chief Minister herself) to discuss this matter of our promotion in the forthcoming meeting.”
Pertinently, according to a Government order bearing No. GAD/Mtg/RB-IV/42/2016 dated 15.02.2018, in continuation to the meeting dated 22.11.2017, the Chief Minister will again chair a meeting on 26 February, 2018 at Civil Secretariat to review the status of pending DPCs and recruitment against vacant Gazetted, Non-Gazetted and Class-IV vacancies by various recruiting agencies / departments.

Chief Secretary, all Administrative Secretaries, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Chairman J&K Service Selection Board and Secretary J&K Public Service Commission are likely to attend this scheduled meeting.


Updated On 2/18/2018 11:15:08 AM


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