Scrapping of SO-192

By scrapping the Jammu and Kashmir Probationer (Condition of Service, Pay and Allowances) and Fixation Rules, 2020, the present government has put to an end the discrimination against the newly appointed employees.

These rules, notified vide statutory orders (S.O.) 192 of 2020, were also an injustice with them. The Establishment-cum-Selection Committee (ECSC) headed by the Chief Secretary Dr Ashok Mehta had found these rules to be discriminatory, and recommended their scrapping.

   

The decision will bring all the government employees, appointed in J&K, on an equal footing in terms of salary and other benefits with their earlier appointed counterparts who may be occupying the same or comparable posts in the cadre.

As per the scrapped rules, a person appointed had to be initially on a probation for two years. His services were being declared permanent only after successful completion of the probation period.

During the period of probation the appointee was entitled only to the minimum of the pay level applicable to the post against which he was appointed.

He was not entitled during probation to annual increment, dearness allowance, house rent allowance and city compensation allowance, or any other allowance sanctioned by the government.

The appointee was to necessarily work for a period of five years on the post against which he was initially appointed, and he was not eligible for transfer during the period of five years.

The rules were framed in 2015 and then reframed in 2020 with one major change that the probation period was reduced to two years from five years.

The present government took a big step by scrapping those in the best interests of educated youth, being recruited in government services. Those recruited since 2015, when the rules were first framed, were unhappy for obvious reasons.

They have suffered because of the discriminatory rules. So, there is a need that whenever the recruitment rules are to be framed or reframed in future, all aspects need to be taken into consideration. Because the rules pertain to the future of the youth.

Decisions taken in a hurry and without proper application of mind sometimes prove counter productive. Such exercises need to be avoided. Those dealing with policy and decision making are expected to take decisions judiciously so that others do not suffer because of their actions.

And even if such discriminatory decisions are taken, there is always scope for taking the corrective measures as was done by the present government by scrapping these rules.

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