Mir Mushtaq
SRINAGAR, May 21: Community Information Centre (CIC) operators working in the Rural Development Department (RDD) in Jammu & Kashmir are well qualified having MCA, M Tech, M Sc IT, B.E & B Tech degrees but despite this they are paid meagre monthly salary.
The CIC operators are technically very sound and efficient and they are handling all online works of departmental portals viz E-gram-swaraj, SBM, PMAY, Peoples Plan Campaign (Sab Ki Yojna Sabka Vikaas), GPDP, Mission Antodaya , PFMS etc and other e-Governance related activities. Besides all other office assignments viz-a-viz elections, Establishment, Accounts, works etc. at Block/ District /Directorate /Secretariat level are also carried out by them.
The 172 CIC operators have been working on contractual basis since 2004 on a peanut amount of Rs 10,000/ per month and the same constrains them to live a miserable and distressful life. As per the documents accessible, appointments of the CIC Operators have been made by open competition after proper advertisement in leading newspapers of Jammu & Kashmir and calling applications from the eligible candidates in 2003-04.
Their recruitment was made on merit basis through proper recruitment procedure through District Level Appointment Committee constituted by the Government of J&K headed by Deputy Commissioner’s of concerned District in the year 2003-04.
President of CIC Operators Association Nayeem Siddique said that they have rendered 17 years prime/precious service for the betterment of RDD on a meager salary and the survival has become a challenge with this meagre salary during these hard days.
“For the last 12 years our salary has not been enhanced and our voices have been suppressed. Even a matriculate helper gets more than what we get and our degrees have no weight-age”, Siddique told Kashmir Despatch. He demanded enhancement of salary from Rs. 10,000 to Rs 25,000 so that they are able to feed and fulfill the needs of families.
