The Governor administration has cancelled the job selection list of the Khadi Village & Industries Board (KVIB) after an inquiry panel concluded that the recruitment process suffered from multiple deficiencies and lacunae. The inquiry panel also pointed out that little notice period was provided to candidates appearing in interview from Jammu region.
Based on recommendations of a three-member inquiry panelheaded by then Principal Secretary Home, R.K. Goyal, the Industries &Commerce department has ordered cancellation of the selections made in the KVIBduring the PDP-BJP rule.
“All the selections made in the KVIB pursuant toadvertisement notice No. KVIB/01 of 2016 dated 08.10.2016 are quashed/cancelled,” reads the 7-page the order issued by Principal Secretary, Industriesand Commerce, Navin Kumar Choudhary.
“The KVIB will provide opportunity of being heard to allcandidates appointed to different category of posts pursuant to theadvertisement notice dated 08.10.2016 and fulfill all formalities requiredunder law before cancelling the appointment of these candidates,” it furtherstates.
The selection process had come under sharp criticism fromdifferent quarters after kith and kin of several political functionaries andinfluential ones figured in the list.
In a damage-control move, then Chief Minister Mehbooba Muftihad ordered a high-level inquiry into the selection process.
Headed by then Principal Secretary Home Raj Kumar Goyal, theinquiry committee submitted its report to Governor administration in November2018.
Farooq Ahmad Shah, then Secretary School EducationDepartment and PawanKotwal, then Principal Secretary Health & MedicalEducation, were part of the probe panel.
After examining the inquiry report, the government foundthat “the criteria adopted in these selections was not recommended by anyexpert committee but was proposed by the vice-chairman of the Board andapproved by its chairman (Minister of Industries & Commerce)”.
While PeerzadaMansoor of Peoples Democratic Party wasvice-chairman of the Board, Chandra Prakash Ganga of the BJP was chairman ofthe Board by virtue of being Minister for Industries & Commerce.
The government has also found that “the criteria adopted inthe selection process was not in accordance with the recommendations of thecommittee constituted in 2012”. “The criteria of shortlisting for interview /viva voice in the ratio of 1: 15 adopted in these selections on the basis ofwritten examination was not recommended by the committee constituted in 2012.In fact, the said committee had recommended shortlisting in the ratio of 1: 15as per the academic merit of the participating candidates,” reads the order.
In 2012, the government had constituted a panel to fixcriteria for selection process in KVIB, which, had recommended shortlisting ofcandidates for interview/ viva -voice on the basis of their academic merit.
According to the order, the agenda regarding fixing ofcriteria for the jobs advertised in 2016 was finalised in October 2017 afterconclusion of written test. “The agenda regarding fixing of criteria for the2016 selections placed before the Board of Directors on 03.10.2017 much afterconclusion of the written examination held in the month of August 2017 was onlyas to how the 10 marks earmarked for experience can be awarded which shouldhave been explained much earlierpreferably in advertisement notice,” reads the document.
The inquiry panel also pointed out that little notice periodwas provided to candidates particularly appearing in the interview for the postof junior supervisor, accountant assistant/ junior auditor, executive officer,assistant executive officer and publicity officer from Jammu region.
It also states that the procedures followed by PSC and SSBfor shortlisting candidates for interview/ viva-voice was not followed in theselection process. “The procedure as adopted/ followed by other recruitingagencies viz PSC and SSB where the candidates are shortlisted forinterview in the ratio of 1: 5 in casethe number of candidates is less than 10and 1: 3 in case the number exceeds 10 has not been followed in this case,” itfurther states.
The inquiry has also found that candidates were not awardedmarks for experience in relevant field for which 10 marks had been earmarked asper advertisement notice. “The selection committee declared the results inhurry on 14-02-2018 for five categories without waiting for conclusion ofinterviews for the posts of junior assistant/ record keeper which were toconclude on 19th February 2018, making the entire selection process doubtful,”reads the order.