GNS ONLINE NEWS PORTAL

Day: January 12, 2021

  • Govt issues Rules: women may get 6 reserved DDCs; STs 3, SCs 2 : Elections to be held within 20 days SEC to formally release list of reserved DDCs

    Govt issues Rules: women may get 6 reserved DDCs; STs 3, SCs 2 : Elections to be held within 20 days SEC to formally release list of reserved DDCs

    JAMMU, January 12:The Jammu and Kashmir Government today formally issued Reservation Rules for the posts of Chairpersons of the District Development Councils (DDCs) according 33 percent reservation to women while Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) will get reservation based on their population.

    For reservation to women, the districts will be arranged alphabetically and every third district will be reserved for them, the Reservation Rules issued today by Secretary Rural Development Department Sheetal Nanda said.

    Allocation of seats of the Chairpersons to be reserved for women shall be made on a three point roster system after arranging them alphabetically, Nanda said.

    This means the districts falling alphabetically at Nos. 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 will be reserved for women.

    “After framing of Reservation Rules, the State Election Commission (SEC) will formally issue the list of districts reserved for Women, SCs and STs,’’ official sources told that election for the posts of Chairpersons of the DDCs will be held within 20 days from the date the order for reservation of Chairpersons is issued by the Election Authority.

    Going by the population, sources said, two districts are likely to be reserved for SCs in Jammu region and three for STs including two in Kashmir division and one in Jammu.

    However, there will be no reservation for SCs and STs within the 33 percent districts reserved for Women in the DDCs as has been the case in the territorial constituencies.
    The Rules will be called the Jammu and Kashmir District Development Council (Reservation of Offices of Chairpersons) Rules, 2021.

    As per the Reservation Rules: “the offices of Chairpersons of the DDCs shall be reserved for SCs and STs and shall bear, as nearly as may be, the same proportion to the total number of such offices in the DDCs as the population of SCs and STs in the Union Territory by applying the principles of mathematic round off with part fraction of 0.5 and above being rounded off to one and part fraction below 0.5 being ignored for each DDC separately’’.

    However, the seats reserved for one term of the DDCs for five years will not be reserved for the next term.

    “The offices of Chairpersons of the DDCs shall be rotated in such a manner that as far as may be practicable, the territorial constituencies reserved for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Women in the previous elections shall not be reserved for them in the subsequent elections,’’ the Rural Development Department order read.

    It said the number of seats of Chairpersons to be reserved for SCs and STs shall be allotted to different DDCs on the basis of population of SCs and STs in the DDCs in the descending order i.e. from amongst all DDCs in Jammu and Kashmir, the DDCs having largest population of STs shall be allotted to ST category and the DDCs having largest population of SC population will be given to the SC category.

    Notification of Reservation Rules by the Rural Development Department which will be followed by identification of the districts reserved for SCs, STs and Women, will lead to election of Chairpersons of the DDCs and their formal constitution.

    Jammu and Kashmir has a total of 20 DDCs—10 each in Jammu and Kashmir divisions. Each DDC has 14 elected members totalling 280—140 in the each division.

    In Jammu region, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in a position to get its Chairpersons elected in six DDCs including Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Udhampur, Doda and Reasi where it has secured majority. The BJP has won 13 seats each in Samba and Kathua districts, 11 each in Jammu and Udhampur districts, eight in Doda and seven in Reasi district.

    Rest of the four districts—Kishtwar, Ramban, Rajouri and Poonch have thrown hung verdict with no party able to secure clear majority but National Conference and Congress have joined hands in Ramban district where they together have eight seats. The National Conference also has six seats in Kishtwar district and confirmed support of one Independent MLA, thus, requiring just one more member to secure majority. Eight Independents have won in Poonch followed by Congress four and National Conference two. NC has five seats in Rajouri, Congress and BJP three each while Apni Party, PDP and Independent have one seat each.

  • 3 Training Officers appointed on fake JKSSB Secy’s letter, drawing salaries for 3 years : Big recruitment scam in Handicrafts Deptt Kashmir

    3 Training Officers appointed on fake JKSSB Secy’s letter, drawing salaries for 3 years : Big recruitment scam in Handicrafts Deptt Kashmir

    IG Crime directs SSP to register FIR, probe ordered

    JAMMU- A big recruitment scam in the Handicrafts Department Kashmir on the fake recruitment letter from the J&K Services Selection Board (JKSSB), has raised question mark on the state of affairs in the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir State as three Assistant Training Officers appointed on the fake letter with ‘forged signatures’ of Secretary, SSRB continued to draw salaries for the last about three years besides enjoying other service benefits.

    Official sources said that this big recruitment fraud was believed to be committed with the active connivance of some insiders in the J&K Services Selection Board and the Handicrafts Department Kashmir, just to accommodate three blue eyed persons including two relatives of influential bureaucrats and another, a family member of a leader from ruling party, about three years ago. Had this case been not exposed, the blue eyed persons appointed on forged documents, were sure to be inducted in KAS cadre after next promotion as Gazetted officer in some years and retire as HoDs, Additional or Special Secretaries in the J&K Government, the sources added.

    The documents in possession of Excelsior revealed that three persons, namely Mir Sajjad Hussain, son of Gulam Mohideen Mir, resident of Pandrarthan in Srinagar; Ruby Jan, daughter of Gulam Nabi Bhat from Nowbugh in Anantnag and Arif Ahmed Bhat, son of Gh Rasool Bhat, resident of Pinglana in Pulwama were appointed as Assistant Handicrafts Training Officers in Kashmir Division vide Recruitment Board’s letter No. SSB/ Secy/ Sel/ AA/ 2017/2745-47 dated 15-03-2018, issued by the then Secretary JKSSB, Tassaduq Hussain Mir, now Additional Commissioner in the Office of Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir.

    Thereafter, the then Director Handicrafts, J&K, Mushtaq Ahmed vide order No 380-HD of 2018 dated 26-04-2018, with reference to the Administrative approval vide leter No. Ind/DOH-92/97-IV dated 19-4-2018 , appointed these three persons as Assistant Handicrafts Training Officers in Kashmir in the pay scale of 9300-34800 +4200 GP plus other allowances. While Ruby Jan, a close relative of an officer in the Directorate of Handicrafts Kashmir was posted in district Kulgam, the two other blue eyed persons- Sajjad Hussain and Arif Ahmed were placed in Baramulla district.

    Sources further revealed that these people were drawing an average salary of nearly Rs 70,000 per month with other benefits and during last three years, they have exerted burden of nearly Rs 75 lakhs on the Government exchequer.

    Moreover, they deprived the other competent and deserving youth of their right by playing a big fraud in connivance with some people possibly from JKSSB and Handicrafts department are sure to face the consequences under Lt Governor, Manoj Sinha’s Administration.

    This big fraud came to the lime light after the then Secretary JKSSB, Tassaduq Hussain Mir (Now Additional Commissioner, Kashmir), wrote a letter to the Inspector General of Police, Crime J&K, MK Sinha on 04-12-2020, stating that he has come to know that on the fake and forged letter of JKSSB bearing No. SSB/ Secy/Sel/2017/2745-47 dated 15-03-2018, forwarded to Commissioner/ Secretary to Govt Industries and Commerce Department, appointments of three persons as Assistant Handicrafts Training Officers have been made. Mir further claimed that he has never recommended such appointments and moreover, letter carries his forged signatures. He also pleaded to register an FIR in this connection and investigate the whole case.

    IG Crime, M K Sinha when contacted said that he has received a letter from Additional Commissioner Kashmir (the then Secy JKSSB) on December 4, 2020 regarding registration of an FIR in connection with appointment of Assistant Training Officers in Handicrafts Department in Kashmir on fake letter forging his signatures. The IG said he has directed concerned SSP to lodge an FIR and initiate indepth investigation into the case . “ Whosoever has done wrong, will have to face consequences,” Sinha said.

    Chairman, JKSSB, Khalid Jahangir on being contacted disclosed that he has received a letter from Tassaduq Hussain Mir (the then Secy JKSSB) with reference to a letter of IG Crime in this conection. He said after scrutiny of the record, it has been found that this office has not made any such recommendation regarding appointment of Assistant Training Officers in Handicrafts department vide letter under reference. He said under this reference 13 appointments of Accounts Assistants in Finance Department were made by the Board. The same reference has been made in this forged and fake letter.

    He said that they have conveyed to the Commissioner/ Secretary Industries and Commerce Department and also recommended registration of an FIR. Khalid said Secretary JKSSB, Sachin Jamwal has forwarded the letter on January 7, 2021 to the Administrative Department of Industries and Commerce Department for necessary and approriate action in this regard.

    Shafqat Islam, Director Handicrafts/Handloom, Kashmir when contacted said he came to know about the issue only after receiving a letter from Crime Branch, forwarded by the Additional Commissioner Kashmir, Tassaduq Hussain Mir. As per the communication from the Administrative Department, these appointments are being cancelled. Moreover, an inquiry has been initiated in this regard.

    Replying to a question, the Director said, it happened during April 2018 and the Government would make recovery from these people besides taking action against them and other people involved as per the law.