After approving merger of engineering wings of 15 departments to rationalize staff, the government has abolished the practice of reserving portion of projects for Self-Help Groups.
In this regard, General Administration Department (GAD) has issued an order for rationalization and reorganization of engineering staff in reference to Administrative Council decision of August 4.
The practice of reserving a proportion of projects for Self Help Groups has been abolished, said the order issued by GAD, Commissioner Secretary, Manoj Kumar Dwivedi.
On the basis of Administrative Council decision, Dwivedi has directed Public Works department to examine the role of JKPCC taking into consideration economics of working of the Corporation since its inception.
“Based on such review, seek approval of competent authority with regard to the continuation of JKPCC or otherwise,” the orders reads.
It says the civil works departments and organizations whose engineering wings were being subsumed should be executed only through Public Works department, Jal Shakti department and Power Development department from 1 December 2020.”
In another decision, the mandate of the specialized wings of Small Industries Development Corporations (SIDCO) and J&K Small Scale Industries Development Corporation Limited (SICOP) has been delineated by Industries and Commerce Department.
However, the powers of the prioritization/identification of works and accord of administrative approval shall continue to vest with the user administrative departments or concerned authority.
Besides, the GAD has accorded sanction to the merging of the engineering wings of 15 departments including Tourism, Tourism Development Authorities, School Education, Higher Education, Skill Development, Agriculture Production and Farmer Welfare, Horticulture, Animal, Sheep Husbandry and Fisheries, Floriculture, Hospitality and Protocol, Estates, Disaster Management Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction, Forest, Transport, Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) and Medical College, Bemina.
For this, the government has constituted a committee to work out the modalities of merger of the engineering wings of the departments being subsumed, to work out modalities of repatriation of staff to the parent department of Public Works, Jal Shakti and Power Development departments from the engineering wings abolished from different departments.
Another committee will study existing norms, procedure, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) governing the issues related to accord of administrative approvals, estimation, tendering, works allotment and procurement of material and to suggest reforms in same and prepare draft SOP wherever required.