Newly recruited section officers fail to clear departmental exams; govt relaxes time norms
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in
Punjab Cabinet gave ex-post facto approval with regard to relaxation in the year and a half time-frame fixed for conducting the departmental examination of the Section Officers, by permitting one-time relaxation till December 31, 2020 for conducting the third attempt of the examination.
It may be recalled that Finance Department had recruited 42 Section Officers through PPSC under the direct recruitment quota in December 2018. The Section Officers are mandated to clear the departmental examination within 3 attempts in a period of one and half years from the date of appointment.
Accordingly, the first departmental examination was conducted in August 2019. However, none of the Section Officers could qualify the departmental examination. The second attempt was conducted in March 2020 and only 5 out of 41 qualified the examination (one resigned). The third attempt was to be held till May 31, 2020, but due to curfew/lockdown imposed by Punjab Government from March 23, 2020 till May 31, 2020 in the wake of Covid-19, the same was conducted on December 5-6, 2020, in which 13 out of the remaining 36 Section Officers qualified.
In an another decision, to bolster efficiency in the functioning of Urban Local Bodies, the Punjab Cabinet led by Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday approved the creation of 22 posts of Additional Deputy Commissioner (Urban Development) at all district headquarters in the state in place of Regional Deputy Directors.
Consequent upon this approval, the existing posts of ADC (Development) shall be re-designated as ADC (Rural Development). These ADCs shall be given power exercisable under the Punjab Municipal Act, 1911 and Punjab Regional and Town Planning and Development Act, 1995.
The Cabinet also authorized the Chief Minister to take the final decision with regard to the responsibilities to be assigned to ADC (Urban Development), powers to be delegated to these officers under different Acts of law, regulatory powers under Punjab Regional and Town Planning and Development Act, 1995, and all other administrative issues in this regard without presenting them to the Cabinet. However, the departments of Finance, Local Government and Housing & Urban Development shall be consulted.
Conceding a long pending demand of the clerical cadre of the School Education department, the Cabinet also gave approval to amend relevant rules providing 1% promotional quota to clerical staff, including Clerks, Junior Assistants, Steno-typists and Junior Scale Stenographers, working in non-teaching staff in the Masters/Mistresses Cadre. These staff members will now get promotional quota at par with others holding the posts of Librarians, Assistant Librarian, Library Restorers and Senior Laboratory Attendants.
Notably, an amendment to the above said Rules was made providing 1% quota in promotions of Master cadre from ‘Non-Teaching Staff’ like the persons holding the posts of Librarians, Assistant Librarian, Library Restorers and Senior Laboratory Attendants on December 19, 2019.
February 19,2021
