Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Jan 8: Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo held a meeting with Administrative Secretaries to review the status of promotions and compassionate appointments for UT Government employees. During the discussion, he examined the meetings of the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) at both the administrative and Head of Department levels for Gazetted and Non-Gazetted positions.
Dulloo emphasized the importance of conducting DPCs regularly to ensure career advancement for deserving employees and inquired about staff placed in higher grades under OPG mode, as well as their ongoing promotions.
He urged the ARI & Trainings Department to expedite the finalization of Recruitment Rules currently under revision, advocating for a timely completion. He noted that several departments face issues related to ad-hoc promotions and directed the formation of a senior officials’ committee, involving representatives from GAD and Finance, to address these concerns permanently. Additionally, he asked them to look into the identification of non-gazetted vacancies for recruitment within the Education Department.
On the topic of compassionate appointments under SRO-43 and the new Rehabilitation Assistance Scheme (RAS), the Chief Secretary highlighted the necessity for speeding up the process. He instructed the relevant officials to present the cases to the designated committees for prompt approvals and order issuance. He also requested the swift completion of appointments for remaining eligible candidates under SRO-43.
Commissioner Secretary M. Raju shared that there are approximately 1151 pending RAS cases, out of which 507, received in 2022 and 2023, have been sent to the respective departments for action. Additionally, he noted only 175 SRO-43 cases pending in various departments, most of which are anticipated to be resolved within a month.
Regarding departmental promotions, the meeting noted that in 2024, 76 DPCs were held at the Head of Department level and 14 at the Administrative/PSC level to fill Gazetted vacancies. It was reported that 929 Non-Gazetted and 231 Gazetted employees have been elevated to higher posts under OPG and are seeking regularization through DPCs. Currently, there are 4825 Non-Gazetted and 272 Gazetted vacancies available for promotion across UT government departments.
The Chief Secretary also reviewed actions taken against employees via Regular Departmental Actions (RDAs) as recommended by GAD/ACB due to misconduct. He insisted that such actions should be exemplary and proportionate to the offenses committed, requesting detailed reports on departmental proceedings against these individuals. He stressed that these actions ought to serve as deterrents for others.
Concerning the RDA status, M. Raju indicated that out of 900 total cases, 468 are currently active, while 351 have been resolved. Moreover, 81 cases are pending in GAD awaiting finalization according to current legal procedures.
