Srinagar, (Asian independent) The Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Council (AC), which met here under the chairmanship of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday, approved the adoption of J&K Rehabilitation Assistance Scheme, 2022.
“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 the best practices evolved out of experiential learning over the years,” an official statement said.
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.
“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 centralised manner in GAD on a designated portal; constituting a screening committee in GAD to make appraisal and recommendations; making the administrative secretary in the GAD the only competent authority for approving the case of compassionate appointment/monetary compensations (in cases where relaxations are not required); proposing a 5 per cent cap for cases to be considered in relaxation of rules; making relaxation criteria more transparent/objective; and keeping applicants eligible for consideration up to five years from the date of submission of applications,” the statement said.
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 the 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,” the statement said.
“However, the compassionate appointment cases still pending disposal in GAD under the existing SRO 43 for various reasons, including relaxation of rules and identification of post in other departments, will be dealt with in accordance with with SRO 43 of 1994, as amended from time to time,” it added.
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.
