The Mission Director Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) of Social Welfare Department has surpassed the Administrative Secretary by transferring and posting 40 Supervisors as In-charge Child Development Program Officers (CDPO) which is legally the right of Tehsil Soical Welfare Officers and Assistant Child Development Program Officers (ACDPO).
The order dated 11 September 2021 issued under by Mission Director ICDS, JK, Rubina Kausar, has violated government orders of the department and bypassed the authority of Administrative Secretary Social Welfare Department.
According to news agency Kashmir Dot Com (KDC) as per Order No. 366-MD of 2021 dated 11 September 2021, 40 Supervisor ICDS projects have been transferred in Jammu and Kashmir and posted as Incharge CDPOs.
The discriminatory and illegal orders has deprived deserving officials their postings as CDPOs and in future will ruin the career progression of the eligible TSWOs and ACDPOs.
According to government order No 65-JK (SWD) of 2020 of Social Welfare Department dated 12 March 2020, the “transfers and postings of staff working in ICDS/ICPS shall be approved by the Director General. However, the proposal of premature transfers and postings of Gazetted Staff shall be recommend to the Administrative Department.”
This order clearly lays out that the Mission Director ICDS doesn’t have the competence to transfer or post officials as CDPOs.
In addition, according to the Recruitment Rules of JK Social Welfare Department, 2007, (Schedule II) 50 percent of CDPO should be from direct recruitment through Combined Competitive Examination (JKAS) and 50 percent by promotion from amongst members of Class I of Schedule II and Schedule IV of the feeding service of the Jammu and Social Welfare (Subordinate) Service having Graduation as educational qualification with five years’ service in the cadre, which means TSWOs and ACDPOs.
However, the Mission Director ICDS has overrode all these rules and posted Supervisors in their place, violating the laws and Recruitment Rules.
Mission Director ICDS Rubina Kausar told KDC that there is no violation of rules in the transfer and postings.
“Order has been issued within my administrative competence. If Assistant CDPOs and other concerned don’t have the seniority, then they don’t have any right,” she said, adding that the “order bears the approval of the authority.”
However, the department in June 2020 has issued final seniority list of 111 ACDPOs, TSWOs of which 18 have retired.
Sources said that the final seniority list has been ignored by the MD and without considering them for the posts she has issued the list to favour supervisors.
Administrative Secretary of Social Welfare Department Sheetal Nanda told Kashmir Dot Com “they (ACDPOs and TSWOs) are not Gazetted Staff.”
ACDPO’s and TWSO’s have appealed to Lt Governor Manoj Sinha to look into the matter on priority to end the discrimination. (KDC)
