Srinagar : Jammu &kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed strong concern on the miserable plight of Community information Centers (CIC) operators working in Rural Development Department for last two decades. In a Press Statement Additional Spokesperson of the Party Mohd Rafique Rather said that in the year 2004 Rural Development Department engaged highly qualified CIC Operators on a salary of Rs.10,000 per month and added that the said operators still work on this meager salary even after two decades of their engagement, which is sheer injustice and violation of basic human rights. Rather expressed surprise that despite many assurances the government is silent on their miseries, pain & distress“
Rafique Rather said that all engaged CIC Operators are with MCA, M.Tech, B.Tech degrees and forcing them to work on Rs 333/= per day is worst kind of injustice being meted out to them and added that they are technically very sound and efficient and handling online work of departmental portals Besides all other office assignments viz-a-viz elections, Establishment, Accounts, works etc. at Block / District / Directorate / Secretariat level, still their salary is not being enhanced neither is any policy of their regularisation being formulated leaving them to live a miserable and distress life. Rafique Rather said that Recruitment of these CIC Operators is geniune made through a proper and transparent mechanism by inviting applications through media coverage in leading news papers and final selection was made on merit which has been admitted and endorsed by respective governments. He said
In the year 2014, Jammu & Kashmir Government passed an order in Cabinet to formulate a proposal for the regularizations of CIC Operators in the Rural Development Department. In the year 2016, Jammu & Kashmir Government through a cabinet decision created 172 posts of Data Entry Operators for regularization of CIC Operators vide Govt. Order No. 320-RD & PR of 2016 dated14.12.2016. And in the year 2017, the Empowered Committee of J&K Government headed by Principal Secretary, Department of Finance cleared their regularization cases one by one for regularization under J&K Civil Services (Special Provision) Act 2010 in its two meetings viz. 58th Meeting dated 22.03.2017 & 60th Meeting dated 12-10-2017 and also communicated their recommendations to Rural Development Department for issuance of formal regularization order, which are yet to be issued and added that CIC Operators regularization case has also got clearance from Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, J&K and Advocate General of J&K .
Rafique Rather reminded the LG administration that in the year 2022, a sub-committee was constituted by the JK Government vide Order No. 99-JK(GAD) of 2022 dated 28.01.2022 and the said committee submitted its recommendation to Government to enhance the salary in favour of these CIC Operators but unfortunately no salary hike order issued till date.
