Srinagar 27 Dec(KNB): CIC Operators in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rural Development Department (RDD) have been waiting for nearly two decades for better pay and job security.
Despite being recruited through a rigorous, merit-based process in 2004, these operators continue to earn a meager salary of Rs. 10,000 per month, with no increase since 2010.
Their role in the department is significant, yet their compensation remains modest. The Jammu and Kashmir government has taken steps towards regularizing their services, starting with a 2014 cabinet order directing the RDD to do so. However, this order remains unimplemented.
In 2016, the government created 172 Data Entry Operator positions specifically for CIC Operators’ regularization. The Finance Department’s High-Level Empicted Committee approved the process in its 58th and 60th meetings held in 2016 and 2017. Despite this, delays have hindered progress.
The Advocate General and the Department of Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs have provided favorable opinions, supporting the operators’ cause. After Jammu and Kashmir’s reorganization in 2019, the General Administration Department advised the RDD to submit CIC Operator details for consideration by the Establishment Cum Selection Committee. This process has been completed, but the operators’ wait for better pay and job security continues.
The CIC Operators’ demands for regularization and salary enhancement have been ongoing, with the issue highlighted in 2022 . As they struggle to make ends meet, their dedication to serving the department remains unwavering.(KNB)