* Beginning of Azadi ka Amrit Kaal *
Daya Sagar
It has been learnt through a press release of Director of Information & Public Relations that J&K UT that Administrative Council decided on August 14, 2022 to scrap S.O 192 of June 17, 2020 where under the newly appointed government employees even against clear vacancies on substantive pay scales were to remain without any allowances like DA/HRA/Transport Allowance/ Child Education allowance / child hostel subsidy /like and annual increments during the probation period of min two years.
The youth seeking jobs and those who been appointed after 2021 are hoping that order/ notification that will be issued in terms of the Administrative Council Decision of August 14, 2022 would be bringing the good spirits in still better way.
The NC- Congress Govt. had ordered New Recruitment Policy( fixed salary mode ) under Order No.257-F of 2011 dated October 27, 2011 (Cabinet Decision 193/23/11 dated October 19, 2011) for the non-gazetted posts where under the employee had to remain on probation as per normal rules but was to get only 50 % of basic pay of the grade plus medical allowance for first 2 years but no any other allowance like DA etc and 75% of the basic pay in the grade of the post plus only medical allowance for next 3 years. Imagine to what economic loss and financial hardship the youth was to be put for 5 years and that policy was based on the recommendations of a high power committee of officers constituted by Government vide order no GAD/ 319 of 2011 dated March 10, 2011.
It was around May 20, 2014 that then Chief Minister Omar Abdullah publicly admitted the wrong and also twitted <“I am bringing a proposal to the J&K Cabinet on Wednesday and I’m proposing scrapping the ‘New Recruitment Policy’ with immediate effect.”. “This is based on feedback that I’ve received from countless youth spread across the length and breadth of the state over last the two days”, and the recruitment policy was revoked under order No:156F of June 27, 2014 .But the relief that had come for the job aspiring large unemployed youth population of the State of J&K was very short lived since the Mufti Mohd Sayeed lead PDP-BJP Government ( sworn in on March 1, 2015 ) came with another policy not much different than new recruitment policy of Omar Abdullah Government in SRO- 202 of June 30, 2015 (Jammu and Kashmir Special Recruitment Rules, 2015 ) by order of the Governor J&K under Section- 124 of J&K Constitution laying doing general conditions of recruitment and service with scope extended beyond non gazetted posts for appointments after June 30, 2020 against substantive vacancies where under the new appointee had to remain under probation for 5 years { drawing for first five years only the minimum of scale of pay along with the grade pay without annual increments and without any allowances ) and the State under Governor rule had appointed nearly 1000 Allopathic Doctors under SRO 202 rules vide order No: 49 -HME of 2019 Dated: January 14, 2019 without allowances like DA, TA/ HRA,CCA, Transport Allowance , Child Education Allowance (CEA) , Child Hostel Subsidy Allowance (CHSA), etc, and without annual increment for 5 years.. Requests were made even prominent citizens to PDP-BJP government immediately after June 30, 2015 , the Governor J&K after 18 June 2018 and Lt. Governor UT of J&K after October 31, 2019 for withdrawing the Special Recruitment rules (SRO-202 of 2015). Anyhow Lt. Governor G. C Murmu appointed a high power committee for review of SRO-202 vide order No.293-JK(GAD) of 2020 Dated February 27, 2020 headed by B.V.R Subrahmanyam Chief Secretary as Chairman with FC Finance, Secretary GAD and Secretary Law & Parliamentary Affairs as members. February 27, 2020 with FC Finance, Secretary GAD and Secretary Law & Parliamentary Affairs as members for working out some meaningful corrections. It was on
17-06-2020 that S.O 192 of June 17, 2020 was issued making some changes in the rules for those to be appointed against regular substantive posts/ vacancies where under the probation period was reduced from 5 years to 2 years but the conditions of no increment and no allowances during the probation period ( min 2 years ) had been retained. Right after June 17, 2020 requests were being made to the then LG also by private individuals / as well as the suffering employees / those aspiring for jobs to waive the conditions like no increments / no allowances during probation period which should have been made by even the committee appointed for review of SRO-202 ( No.293-JK(GAD) of 2020 Dated February 27, 2020 ).Requests continued to Manoj Sinha also who took over as the 2nd Lt Governor of UT of J&K on November 07, 2020 and though belated he has finally taken a very considerate view and scrapped the most unreasonable policy made by earlier government.
The process of such like unfair service rules for new recruitments was started in 2011 by NC- Congress government through to 2020 and State Times too had been humbly pointing towards the bads of such policies like SRO 202 and SO 192 right since 2012 when Omar Abdullah Govt had come with similar policy for non gazetted employees in 2011 November.
(The author is Sr Journalist, social activist and analyst J&K affairs dayasagr45@yahoo.com).