Faizan Ahmad
Srinagar July 02 (KINS): The process for scrutinizing consolidated and daily wagers has been hit due to COVID-19 in Jammu and Kashmir.
In June 2019, the government asked departments to provide the list of consolidated workers and daily wagers.
“In order to have firm figures of consolidated workers who are working on monthly remuneration less than the minimum daily wage rates across the departments, information to be provided about name and particulars of consolidated workers,” an order issued in June 2019 reads.
The departments were asked to provide information about “date of engagement, state/central scheme under which engagement if any, source of funding, state or central scheme and monthly remuneration of consolidated workers”.
However, the process has been halted due to COVID-19 in Jammu and Kashmir. “We have three continuous lockdowns in Jammu and Kashmir. First after abrogation of Article 370 then after during first and second COVID wave,” a senior official told news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS).
“There are errors and inaccurate details of daily wagers provided by various departments. The process for scrutinising of details has been halted due to COVID,” the official said.
The official said government had directed departments to provide accurate and relevant details about daily wagers and consolidated employees.
The official said that process for scrutinisng of documents was aimed at weeding out illegal appointments.
The official said that there are 60,000 workers, contractual, consolidated, and daily wagers working in government departments.
An official of General Administration Department said, “Once the departments submit the list, it will be known who has been appointed illegally.”
The official said that there are complaints that hundreds of illegal appointments of casual labourers and consolidated workers have been made in various departments over the years.
The government has also directed departments that no appointment shall be made by any department against any post on adhoc or contractual or consolidated or temporary basis and all vacant posts shall be filled up strictly in accordance with the rules governing the recruitment to the respective services or posts. (KINS)