Srinagar 22 August : The Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Council (AC) who was held here under the direction of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday, approved the adoption of J&K Rehabilitation Assistance Scheme 2022. “The decision is designed to promote the notion of equity, inclusion and accountability in making appointments for compassionate through the introduction of a criteria-based assessment to establish compassion in the family of the deceased based on the best practices that evolved from of experiences throughout the years,” an official statement stated.
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 system the number of open positions as well as the merit lists of the candidates who are eligible will be prepared each year and candidates who are eligible will be evaluated solely upon the basis of merit with the help of a point-based merit system that is based on a quarterly basis.
The list of vacant positions and the merit lists of the applicants will be made available in the public for the purpose of making the process transparent and accountable.
“The appointment for compassionate grounds will be made to the multi-tasking staff , or equivalent or the lowest non-gazetted cadre positions in the department.However, if the applicant is a graduate or holds a more qualifications there are provisions to allow for discretion in the selection process of the appointment in the non-gazetted cadre” the announcement said.
“However the cases of compassionate appointment that are waiting to be resolved in GAD pursuant to the current SRO 43 for various reasons including the relaxation of rules and the identification of posts in other departments to be handled with in conformity with with SRO 43 of 1994, which is modified 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.
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