J&K admin approves adoption of revised compassionate appointment scheme
‘Merit-based screening system through an online portal will streamline annual compassionate appointments’
Srinagar, Aug 22: The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Monday approved the adoption of a rehabilitation scheme that will provide compassionate appointment or monetary help to deserving people.
“The Administrative Council, which met here under the chairmanship of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, today approved the adoption of Jammu and Kashmir Rehabilitation Assistance Scheme, 2022,” an official spokesman said.
Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, Advisor to the LG, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary, and Nitishwar Kumar, Principal Secretary to the LG attended the meeting.
He said the decision is aimed at promoting equity, inclusion and accountability in providing compassionate appointment by introducing a criteria-based assessment for establishing compassion in the bereaved family based on best practices evolved out of experiential learning over the years.
The new scheme will grant appointment or monetary compensation on compassionate grounds to a dependent family member of a government servant, who may die in harness or as a result of militancy-related action or due to enemy action on the Line of Control/International Border within Jammu and Kashmir and is not involved in militancy-related activities or retires on invalid pension, thereby, leaving his family in penury and without any means of livelihood.
The scheme will extend relief to the family of the government servant and save them from financial destitution, the spokesman said.
To bring greater transparency and equity, besides ensuring adequate safeguards against the misuse of the rehabilitation assistance framework, the new scheme has incorporated provisions for receiving online applications in a centralized manner in the General Administration Department (GAD) on a designated portal.
Under the new scheme, the number of vacancies and the merit list of the eligible candidates will be prepared annually and eligible candidates will be considered purely on the basis of merit obtained with regard to a point-based merit system on quarterly basis. Both the list of vacancies and merit list of candidates will be put out in the public domain to make the process fully transparent and accountable.
The appointment on compassionate grounds will be made for the multi-tasking staff or equivalent or lowest non-gazetted cadre posts in the department.
However, if an applicant is a graduate or has higher qualification, there are provisions to allow discretion for considering appointment in the non-gazetted cadre.
However, the compassionate appointment cases still pending disposal in GAD under the existing SRO-43 rule for various reasons, including relaxation of rules and identification of posts in other departments, will be dealt with in accordance with SRO-43 of 1994, as amended from time to time, the spokesman said.
He also said the new scheme also provides for extending support to the dependants under various self-employment/government sponsored employment generating schemes for obtaining credit as per the laid down norms for setting up a manufacturing unit or a trading venture.
The new scheme will put an end to the uncertainty that plagued the erstwhile Compassionate Appointment Rules due to which cases lingered on for years together. The new scheme is expected to provide immediate succour to NOKs of employees who die in harness, the spokesman said.
