Ranchi: A special committee of the Jharkhand assembly, formed to review the promotion of SC/ST candidates in government services, has recommended stern steps in not just allowing promotions to eligible officials on merit, but also reversing promotions granted to people of general category. The panel has also suggested punitive action against officials of various departments, including that of personnel and administrative reforms, who allowed such promotions against norms.
The committee has also asked filing of a case against such officials under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. “In 2008, senior officials from the SC/ST category were ignored during promotions and junior officers from the unreserved category were promoted. This wrong practice started so there is an urgent need for an impartial inquiry in the matter and those found guilty must be booked under SC/ST atrocities (prevention) Act,” the committee said.
Ranchi: The Jharkhand government on Thursday put an embargo on promotions for staff across all state departments till further orders after concerns were raised over compliance of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe reservation norms.
Soon after chief minister Hemant Soren gave directives in this regard, the state personnel department issued an order to all the departments, including in the districts, and said the order will be effective immediately.
Earlier in the day, Soren attended a meeting of the Jharkhand assembly’s special committee constituted under the aegis of Chaibasa MLA Deepak Birua to review the actual status of compliance of SC/ST reservation norms in the state government jobs amid concerns raised by several tribal MLAs in the past.