The governor administration has cancelled the selection of candidates for 101 posts made in 2016 in Khadi and Village Industries Board (KVIB) during PDP and BJP government after an inquiry report was submitted by the inquiry committee which probed the issue of illegal appointments, KNS reported.
Principal Secretary Industries and Commerce Navin Choudhary, as per KNS, in a seven page order has cancelled the appointments made in 2017 for the advertisement notification issued in August 2016.
“All the selections made in the KVIB pursuant toadvertisement notice No. KVIB/01 of 2016 dated 08.10.2016 are quashed/cancelled,” the order says.
“The KVIB will provide opportunity of being heard to allcandidates appointed to different category of posts pursuant to theadvertisement notice dated 08.10.2016 and fulfill all formalities requiredunder law before cancelling the appointment of these candidates,” the orderreads further.
The KVIB appointments in 2016 during PDP-BJP coalitioninvited much attention after PDP leader featured among the selected candidatesfor the post of Executive Officer.
The then KVIB Vice Chairman was PDP leader Peer Mansoor andits minister was then BJP legislator Chandra Prakash Ganga.
The inquiry committee, which was led by then Home SecretaryR K Goel, report submitted to the Government said that extensive efforts havebeen made to ascertain all the facts relating to the entire recruitmentprocess, which became a subject matter of high level inquiry.
“The committee is of the considered view that the entireprocess suffers from various deficiencies/ flaws as brought out inchapters-III, IV and V. the committee, therefore, recommends that the entireprocess be quashed and initiated de.novo, after following the due procedure.”
KNS reported that the committee after conducting detailed enquiry submitted its report to the government observing that an agenda item was placed before the Board of Directors on 03.10.2017 regarding criteria for selection against the posts advertised vide advertisement notice dated 08.10.2016.
It is not forthcoming from the records whether the decisionof the Board of Directors meeting held on 03.10.2017 was suitably conveyed tothe Controller examination for appropriate action.
There was very little notice period provided to thecandidates particularly appearing in the interview for the post of Jr.Supervisor, Accounts Assistant/Jr. Auditor, Executive Officer, AssistantExecutive Officer and Publicity Officer from Jammu Division.
The agenda regarding fixing of criteria for the 2016selections placed before the Board of Directors on 03.10.2017 much after theconclusion of the written examination held in the month of August 2017 was onlyas to how the 10 marks earmarked for the experience can be awarded which shouldhave been explained much earlier preferably in the advertisement notice itself.
The procedure as adopted/being followed by other recruiting agencies viz PSC and SSB where the candidates are shortlisted for interview in the ratio of 1:5 in case number of candidates is less that 10 and 1:3 in case the number exceeds 10 has not been followed in these selections, KNS reported.
Short period of time was provided to the candidatesparticularly to the Jammu Division candidates with the result low participationof the candidates was witnessed in the interview process.
Deviation has been made in the selection process whilemaking selections ignoring the criteria given in the advertisement noticewhereby 10 marks were earmarked for experience in the relevant field and 30marks for viva voce.
The selection committee declared the results in a hurry in14.02.2018 for 5 categories without waiting for conclusion of the interviewsfor the posts of Jr. Assistant/Record Keeper which were to conclude on 19thFebruary 2018, making the selection process fishy/doubtful.
The selection criteria adopted in these selections was notrecommended by any expert committee but was proposed by the Vice Chairman ofthe Board and approved by its Chairman (Minister I&C Deptt).
The criteria adopted in the selection process was not in accordance with the recommendations of the committee constituted in the year 2012 nor as per the criteria being adopted by other recruiting agencies, KNS report said.
The criteria of shortlisting for interview/viva voce in theratio of 1:15 adopted in these selections on the basis of written examinationwas not recommended by the committees constituted in the year 2012. In fact thesaid committee had recommended shortlisting in the ratio of 1:15 as per theacademic merit of the participating candidates.