Srinagar, July 13 (KNS): Employees working under Rehber-e-Janglaat scheme on Monday appealed LG led administration to make committee functional constituted for modification of policies related to employees.
In a statement issued to Kashmir News Service (KNS), Rehber-e-Janglaat employees requested for revision of Rehbar-e-Janglaat Policy at par with other implemented Rehbar policies including Rehbar-e-Ziraat, Taleem, Khel etc in respect of Grade pay and cadre.
“Whereas previous J&K State government formulated the “ Rehbar-e- Janglat” policy for 534 registered unemployed forestry technocrats under cabinet decision no. 96/6/2017 dated 16-06-2017, Government order no. 155-FST of 2017, dated- 20-06-2017 on the structure of “Rehbar-e- Zirat Policy (a policy of recruitment for the BSc Agriculture degree holders) ” for the development, optimum utilization and proper management of forests by utilizing the services of technically qualified unemployed youth i.e. BSc Forestry/ MSc forestry/ PhD Forestry/ DDR trained. Whereas the above said forestry technocrats were unemployed from past 15 years due to older service recruitment rules duly framed in 1960’s which unfortunately doesn’t prescribe the forestry degree (BSc Forestry/MSc Forestry/PhD forestry) as an eligibility criteria for most of the posts in the department. Thus keeping in view the same, the J&K State Government formulated the aforesaid “Rehbar-e- Janglat” policy for the qualified forestry technocrats”, statement said.
It also said, “As per the implemented Rehbar- e- Janglat policy, the forestry professionals will be regularized as Forest Guards in the pay scale of 5200-20200, Grade pay 1900 whereas , “Rehbar-e- Zirat” were regularized by creation of 2642 posts of Village Agriculture Extension Assistants in the pay band of 9300-34800 with applicable Grade pay of 4200/- Contrary to “Rehbar-e- Zirat”, the “Rehbar-e- Janglat policy was linked with the post of forest guard which has comparatively less qualification (10th pass) as an eligibility criteria as per the J&K service recruitment rules”.
“It seems sheer injustice with us that the two policies, having identical genesis and objectives are implemented on diametrically different tracks when it comes to pay grade. This disparity has created huge indifference and irrationality towards. Psychological depression which is clearly visible in the fact that almost 200 out of 534 employees have left the job out of dissatisfaction and de-motivation”, statement reads.
 President of the assocation Tariq Ahmad told, Government has formulated Rehbar-e-Taleem policy in 2000 with the eligibility criteria as 10+2 and the candidates thus employed under the scheme were egularized as teachers in the Grade pay of 2800. In 2018 the government framed Rehbar-e- Khel policy with eligibility criteria as BPed(Bachelor of Physical education) where the candidates will be regularized as physical teachers in the Grade pay of 2800. B.Sc Forestry/M.Sc Forestry and B.Sc Agriculture are professional courses as designated by Indian council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Whereas most of the “Rehbar-e- Janglat” employees have crossed the age mark of 40 and their chances of promotion in the department are minimal at this level thus further depriving us from any ray of hope. At the time of implementation of “Rehbar-e- Janglat” policy, we raised our concern for designation and grade pay equivalent to “Rehbar-e- Zirat or other Rehbar policies ” with the state ministry and we were given assurances from time to time that government will review and make necessary modifications in the policy for which they have incorporated Annexure- X in the aforesaid policy(Rehbar-e-Janglat) but after conversion of state into union territory we approached central ministry of environment and forest as well as his excellency Lt.Governor Shri G.C. Murmu, Hon’ble Advisor Shri Farooq Khan and Respected Commisioner/Secretary Forest Smt. Sarita Chauhan. With the result, Govt. Constituted a Committee with Hon’ble Chief Secretary as its chairman to look into the matter on 27-02-2020. Since then there is no progress regarding our issues. Sir it is humbly requested to kindly review the “Rehbar-e- Janglat” policy in consonance and congruity with the “Rehbar-e- Zirat” or other implemented rehbar policies and subsequently delink it from forest guard post, so that justice is done and anomalies arisen in the above mentioned policy get duly removed”. (KNS)