Port Blair, July 23: Shri Bishnu Pada Ray, Member of Parliament, in a letter addressed to Lt Gen (Retd) A K Singh, Hon’ble Lt Governor A & N Islands, has requested for Cadre review of the different category of Govt Employees working under the Administration as per the recommendations of the Sixth Central Pay Commission.
Ray referring to the Resolution no 1/1/2008-1C dated the 29th August 2008 Department of Expenditure, Govt of India, said that it is mandatory for Cadre controlling authorities to review the services/ cadre under their administrative control. The time period given for the exercise was 1 year. But no initiative has been taken till date on the issue.
He has also stated in the letter that the Govt of India, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, New Delhi vide its OM no 35034/9/2010- Estt (D) dated the 10th February, 2011 had also impressed upon all the cadre controlling authorities to review the Structure of each cadre, periodically, in order to harmonize the functional needs of each organization and career progression of its employees.
As far as the A & N Administration is concerned there are about 35000 Govt employees comprising hundreds of categories working under various departments. Though the restructuring of each cadre at an interval of five years is the responsibility of each cadre controlling authority as per the direction of Govt of India, this issue is unheard in the history of A&N Administration, due to which extreme stagnation is being faced in almost all categories of employees working under different departments, Ray pointed.
Appreciating the Administration’s historic move in reviewing the structure of the ‘Clerical Cadre’, which ultimately helps an employee who is appointed as Lower Division Clerk with an induction level qualification of XII standard with typing / computer knowledge is ensured of 4-5 functional promotions, before retirement. However, thousands of employees who were appointed by various departments against various other categories of posts including Technical posts with an induction level qualification of Diploma, Graduation, Post-Graduation and with various specialization in different fields are not so lucky and are stagnating at the induction level itself with 15-30 years of experience. The pity is that the UT Administration despite repeated directions of the Govt of India has even failed to appreciate the problem, till date, the MP pointed.
Shri Ray has urged that the UT Administration appreciating this problem in its right perspective, must consider review of the structure of each organized cadre/ category of posts under various departments on similar lines of clerical cadre by ensuring 3-4 functional promotions in the life career of an employee within a fixed time frame, by fixing accountability on each Cadre Controlling Authority/ Heads of Departments.
He also urged that, the UT administration should establish a ‘Cadre Review Division’ in the Secretariat for this specific purpose under the direct control and supervision of a Senior Officer of the UT Administration with adequate supporting staffs comprising Technical and ministerial staffs drawn from various departments besides constituting a High Level Empowered committee to review/monitor the progress.
Ray has observed that as most of these stagnated employees are already drawing the Grade pay of the higher posts through MACP, there will be absolutely no financial implications on account of the proposed restructuring, but it will facilitate the UT Administration to assign them functional posts at higher level and extracting work expected of them at no additional expenditure. This will not only ease the stagnation at various levels, but also bring in more functional efficiency into the system.