In contradiction, J&K Govt re-employs ex-officials

JAMMU: The Jammu and Kashmir government has re-appointed several former officials in the past four years, in contradiction to its policy of discouraging re-appointment of retired government employees.

Replying to a question of legislators Bashir Ahmad Magray, Dr Shenaz Ganai and B R Kundal in the Legislative Council here, state Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather, on behalf of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said, 149 people were re-employed in government departments, corporations and autonomous bodies on different criterion during the past four years.

43 persons have been re-employed as consultants, advisers, chairmen and members during the past two years, he said.

Rather, however, admitted that the grant of extension or re-employment to retired government servants blocks the growth of in-service officers, besides affecting employment opportunities.

"It has been directed that re-employments or extensions should ordinarily be avoided and resorted to in rarest of rare cases, that too when the same is inevitable in public interest," Rather insisted.

The Minister said, re-employment of government employees is not encouraged and added, when the government is left with no option but to consider such re-employment, it has to pass through a detailed scrutiny.

"Only when it is ascertained that either public interest is involved or the case falls under the rarest of rare category, the matter is brought before the cabinet or before the CM," he said.

Replying to a supplementary, Rather said that most of the re-employments were generally made in medical colleges, where there was a risk of getting derecognised by the Medical Council of India if there was shortage of professors and during elections, where expertise is needed.