The skill development department in Jammu & Kashmir has been ruined by irrelevant recruitment rules, their manipulation and political connection of employees. It has ruined work culture in the department and caused division among employees ultimately hurting total work output.
Sources alleged that rules are not fair for Skill Development department employees from fixation of seniority and promotions to transfers and assignment of tasks. There have been many instances when son of a retired employee gets the post as soon as his/her retirement is processed.
Lobbyism and unionism (political and departmental) plays a vital role in transfers and promotion of employees. Many employees are engaged in doing trivial jobs like maintaining stores in sub-offices, maintaining daily attendance register of staff members, assisting ministerial staff for managing official letters and bringing locally purchased materials.
Sources mentioned that ‘diploma quota’ has been introduced to benefit blue-eyed officials. A majority of the employees which have been benefitted from this quota have below-par academic qualifications. Many government rules have been broken by the department to benefit certain employees. Many called it a case of favouritism when the charge of ITI Anantnag and ITI Seer Hamdan was given to a ‘controversial’ diploma holder.
Sources alleged that those people who were genuinely qualified for the post have been sidelined. Overall functioning of the department has greatly affected as a result of this practice. Many daily wagers and class IV employees have reached the level of Technical Assistants, JEs, Supervisors, SOs, PAs, OSDs, Superintendents and even Principals.
Service records and testimonials of employees must be verified in order to safeguard employees interest in general, sources said. This holds importance because an official belonging to Kashmir division secured appointed in Ladakh on a post which was specifically for people of that region. He took help of some officers to do the job.
Sources said that all these malpractices have negatively influenced working of the department to a great extent. There is a sense of disappointment, breach of trust, shirking of work and shortcuts to move forward among Skill Development Department employees. The government has appointed Fact Finding Committees many times but it failed to do any justice with the aggrieved employees.
