Governments have changed in J&K, but their way of working hasn’t. Successive governments have adopted a careless approach towards regularization of various employees who work in the government sector. Now it has been around 17 years since 172 Community Information Center (CIC) operators employed by the government in the Rural Development Department are waiting for the regularization of their services.
The doleful CIC operators have submitted a memorandum in the office of Union Home Minister on behalf of 172 CIC Operators working in Rural Development Department demanding formal regularization orders. These CIC operators told Early Times that they are hoping that the administration will take necessary action and will express sympathy towards their cause. Since 2004, they are working in the department on a contractual basis for just Rs 10,000 per month.
Mushtaq Ahmed Mir said that with such a small amount which they receive in the name of salary, it becomes very hard to even feed their families and to provide proper education to their children. They have been recruited for the job on merit basis through a proper procedure by District Level Committees constituted by the Government of J&K headed by Deputy Commissioners of concerned Districts in 2004.
He said that Union Home Ministry officials had assured them that the government will fulfil their demands and they will forward the memorandum submitted by them to the concerned ministry. CIC operators have also submitted a separate memorandum at the residence of Minister Narinder Singh Tomar.
Jammu & Kashmir Government in 2014 passed a cabinet order to formulate a proposal for the regularizations of 172 CIC Operators in the Rural Development Department. In the year 2016, Jammu & Kashmir Government passed a cabinet proposal creating 172 Data Entry Operators for regularization of their services.
Another individual who is waiting for regularization said that the Empowered Committee of J&K Government in its 58th Meeting on March 2017 & 60th Meeting on October 2017 cleared their cases for regularization under Special Provision Act 2010. This meeting was headed by Principle Secretary, Finance Department of J&K. He complained that even though Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Department and Advocate General of J&K has approved their demand for regularization of all 172 CIC Operators but they have not received any regularization order by now.
