Confusing AAP policy on contract workers

The AAP government, on the one hand, has directed its officers to send their action taken report on regularisation of their contractual employees in their respective departments, while on the other, its trade and taxes wing has reportedly axed the services of its 60 data entry operators in the national capital.

It was on May 6 that services department deputy secretary Mukesh Kumar Sharma had asked all the heads of departments to submit their action taken reports about the Cabinet decision to fill up vacant posts in which contractual employees working against these posts were to be allowed to apply with some relaxations and set weightage. Mr Sharma’s order clearly said the respective departments were also required to formulate a scheme to fill up their vacant posts and the same was being monitored by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Incidentally on May 6 itself, the trade and taxes department’s assistant commissioner, Mr Aseem Kumar Goel, issued an order through which services of 60 DEOs who had completed more than two years in job were axed. In his letter to the manager, manpower, Mr Goel said: “Please find enclosed herewith list of 60 DEOs who have completed more than two years of engagement in the department of trade and taxes. The services of these DEOs are hereby surrendered to M/s ICSIL with immediate effect. It is requested that fresh names for replacement of these DEOs may please be provided immediately to the department of trade and taxes.”

The AAP government had empanelled M/s Intelligent Communication Systems India Limited (ICSIL) for hiring all type of contractual manpower for its various departments in December 2015.

In October 2015, the AAP government had started the process to regularise 50,000 employees working on an contractual basis with its different departments. The government’s services wing had approved a policy to employ “eligible” contractual candidates on a regular basis. As per the policy, contractual candidates had to be given some relaxation while applying for the regularised posts.

In her order on October 19 last year, services department deputy secretary Anupama Chakravorty said that every department should formulate a scheme for hiring contractual workers working against regular posts. The order categorically stated that contractual employees should be given age relaxation and appropriate and adequate weightage of experience for the post in evaluation. But the order said contractual employees whose services have been terminated due to unsatisfactory work should be treated as ineligible under the scheme.