Fact Finding Committee submits report for necessary action
*No rules to utilize funds kept at disposal of Principals
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Apr 11: A Fact Finding Committee has detected engagement of hundreds of need-based workers mainly on the recommendations of the politicians in the Government Polytechnics and Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in Jammu and Kashmir during the period between 2010 and 2018 and made suggestions to the Government for necessary action.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that in early 2019 a number of complaints came to the notice of the then Governor of erstwhile State regarding fraudulent and illegal appointments made during the period between 2010 and 2018 in different departments particularly Technical Education and Autonomous Bodies, Corporations and Organizations under its administrative control.
Accordingly, all these complaints were forwarded to the Government with the direction to constitute Fact Finding Committees for each of these departments.
In respect of Technical Education Department, which has recently been named as Skill Development Department, the General Administration Department vide Government Order No.578 dated May 11, 2019 constituted a committee to look into all fraudulent appointments.
The committee headed by Commissioner/Secretary to Government, Forest, Environment and Ecology Department and comprising Secretary to the Government, Department of Disaster Management, Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction and Secretary, Technical Education Department was directed to identify those responsible for fraudulent appointments and submit its report by June 14, 2019.
However, the committee failed to accomplish the assigned task within the time-frame specified in the Government order.
Vide Government Order No.32-JK-GAD dated January 15, 2021, the Fact Finding Committee framed in terms of order of May 2019 was reconstituted and with the direction to look into the fraudulent appointments made between 2010 and 2018 in the Skill Development Department and Autonomous Bodies, Corporations and Organizations under its administrative control by February 15, 2021.
The committee headed by Principal Secretary to Government, Housing and Urban Development Department, Secretary to the Government, Department of Disaster Management, Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction and Secretary to the Government, Tribal Affairs Department has submitted its report and recommendations to the Government for necessary action.
The Fact Finding Committee has detected that hundreds of persons were engaged in the Government Polytechnics and Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) during the period without following any proper procedure, sources informed, adding majority of them were engaged on the recommendations of the politicians who were at the helm of affairs during the period between 2010 and 2018.
It has again been pointed out by the committee that engagements were made by utilizing the local funds kept at the disposal of Principals of the Government Polytechnics and Industrial Training Institutes, sources further disclosed, adding “such funds were never meant for engagement of need based workers but can only be utilized for meeting the immediate requirements like books, equipments in emergency cases”.
They disclosed that even the Chief Executive Officer of the Skill Development Mission was appointed without following due procedure and the officer was removed from the post on the directions of the then Governor of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir Satya Pal Malik.
“The Fact Finding Committee has also pointed out that there are no rules clearly defining the areas/activities where local funds being kept at the disposal of Principals of Polytechnics and Industrial Training Institutes can be utilized and this was the main reason behind engagement and paying of wages to the illegally engaged need based workers”, sources said.
While recommending necessary action in case of illegally engaged need-based workers, the Fact Finding Committee has stressed that rules vis-a-vis utilization of local funds should be framed at the earliest in order to check their misuse at any Government Polytechnic and Industrial Training Institute of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
“Now, it is to be seen how and when the Government implements the recommendations of the Fact Finding Committee in order to achieve the objectives behind its framing”, sources said.