Delhi government- Policy to regularize contract staff in a month // AAP takes down the touts

By Dilip -
NEW DELHI: Taking the first step to deliver its poll promise of regularizing contractual workers, the AAP government on Friday set up a high-level, 13-member committee to chalk out a recruitment policy within a month.
Following mounting pressure from several associations of around 1 lakh contract employees in various departments, the government also decided to put a stop on removal of temporary employees till the new recruitment process is completed, said urban development minister Manish Sisodia.
The government is, however, clear that it would confirm only those contract workers who would meet the eligibility criteria under the new policy. There will be an assessment of qualifications and skill sets, besides written tests for certain posts. The government also plans to focus on age relaxations to help the maximum number of contract employees and take into consideration their work experience. The data regarding contract workers is being collected, Sisodia said.
The committee, being headed by chief secretary S K Srivastava , includes two retired IAS officers, Prakash Chandra and Prafful Karketa, besides the secretaries of finance, law, and urban development departments . It will take all legal, technical and financial aspects into account in formalizing the policy. A time frame will be decided upon to regularize these posts, said the UD minister.
Alleging that filling up the posts was not a priority for the previous government, he said, "Going through the data of Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board, we have found there were 18,500 vacant posts in 2008 and 20 lakh applications were received but nobody was recruited. The vacant seats rose to 36,000 last December." 
The Aam Admi effect is visible in many government offices dealing directly with the public.
The crowd of touts waiting outside government offices has suddenly vanished.
The clerks manning the counters are reaching the office before time for fear of stern action following complaints on the Delhi government helpline. An official said earlier the clerks used to make money from the touts by rejecting applications, but now they are helping the applicants forward their pleas.

Manpower crisis

The anti-corruption branch of the Delhi government has finally realised the need to fill vacant posts, including those of senior officials. The ACB has submitted before the Delhi High Court that it is now in talks with the home ministry on the same. An RTI reply to a query filed by a lawyer revealed that 62 positions, including one DCP, six ACPs, 18 inspectors and two drivers among others, have been lying vacant since October last year. This lawyer later approached the high court with a complaint that the shortage of manpower at ACB was hampering it from discharging its statutory obligations in a regular manner.

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