Jammu and Kashmir has heaviest government servant strength viz-a-viz population in the country. The servant number is 3400 for per Lakh of population, and if contractual, adhocs etc are included then the ratio can be around 5000 per Lakh of population. This is dominantly highest in the country when we compare it to ratio of 458 per Lakh in Bihar, 826 per Lakh in Gujarat and so in other states.
Let us look as a citizen on the role played by this group of around five Lakh people in various sectors like education, health, power, engineering, rural development, forest and similarly so called sectors of industries, employment, tourism, handloom, handicrafts etc.
Every citizen is fully conversant with education sector as everybodys kin i.e. son/daughter is enrolled in a private school. It is only most downtrodden that too in remote areas where some nominal enrolment is in government schools. Then what role do the teachers with strength of 1.50 Lakh government paid have in imparting learning/teaching to the children especially in our cities and towns. Our cities and towns are flooded with private school with almost 99% enrolment and equally defunct government schools with huge presence of teachers to grab salaries with absolutely no work to perform. They do mark their attendance on the registers so placed in the schools. They draw salary for so called 190 working days as on average they are off for 170 days (vacations, gazetted holidays, Sundays). If we add maternity leave of 180 days; then please calculate. College part is no better. They enjoy big salary at an average of Rs 70,000 for teaching of 22 hours a week on paper. Ground situation is different. It is only tuition centres which work from early hours to late hours whereas schools and colleges are barren for the whole day.
Health sector is no better. The presence of this sector is only visible in major hospitals of Srinagar and Jammu and to some extent in district hospitals. Rest is history as they do all work in private clinics to have lavish living. Equally a good number of government appointed doctors are outside state/country earning huge salaries with lien on government jobs so as to have later benefits intact. The other two wings hakims and vaids draw huge salaries and with nomenclature of doctor for no knowledge of medicine and so no work to perform.
Engineers are born with silver spoon in their mouth. They do all the hard work and have thus made state fully connected by roads, all have availability of safe drinking water, all rivers, rivulets and canals are intact to face floods and give proper passage of water to fields. This is all as claimed on papers and plans formed. Ground situation is different. Plans stand implemented and funds fully utilised in construction of palatial houses in state and outside the state.
Power sector is bright performer. Entire population has availability of electricity although in the shape of electric poles and in between transformers only. Even if electricity is only available for few hours for people in general but this necessity is available 24X7 in respect of VIPs and posh colonies to have glimpse of performance of this vital sector.
Finance is custodian of money. They just put the stamp where the hand has ink to stamp as it is therein prerogative to when and where to stamp. This especially enjoying when we are cash starved. For government servants we have separate organisation to keep the accounts of their G.P. funds, when the same work was attended by 100 odd officials in Accountant Generals office. This work can easily be attended by the bank branches where salary accounts are maintained and this organisation declared surplus.
Forest sector had to conserve our forests but we import wood for housing from Australia. The saying of a great Rishi Aan Posh Tellli Yelli Wann Posh (our bread is available until our forests last) at headquarter of this office stands engraved but officials know to make hay while sunshine and thus follow Aan Posh Telli Yelli Garrei Poshe (our bread is available until our house is full). This sector stands multiplied into Forest Conservation, Forest Protection, Social Forestry, Social Conservation, Forest Corporation just to conserve and maintain forest land. But the thief is inside. They denuded the forest land to conserve and consolidate their properties and assets within and outside the state.
As for as the sectors are concerned; they do not exist by function but by offices and officials in every district, tehsil, block of the state. They just have the role to mark their attendance in between to be called as government employees for drawl of salaries every month.
The huge industry in the name of government service has made this state a beggar state. Whatever is the problem in the shape of development of state, it is the drain on state budget of these parasites. We do not have sufficient funds available to build infrastructure to the tune of present level. We are far behind in every vital sector i.e Power, Hospital, good road connectivity, safe drinking water, national level educational institutes and so on.
Even after enjoying all the benefits for being on government roles they are constantly on the head of government for one or the benefits. Can a common man imagine that a chaprassi (class four employee) reaches under secretary, junior assistant deputy secretary and so semiliterate junior stenographer assistant reaches director level in Secretariat. This is the land where illiterate daily rated workers (DRWs) were regularised as permanent government servants and thus adding 60,000 numbers to the role of government establishment. Even if any requirement of DRWs was there; they could be paid proportional daily wages. There is now demand by unions for regularisation of casuals. Why not to regularise the entire population of the state as well all live a casual life at the cost of National budget. Why are our Unions silent on time bound promotion scheme/irrational house rent; a constant drain of plus 300 crore on state budget. Why there is silence on fake appointments of class 4th in many departments and especially school education department. All such class 4th illiterate fake appointees are now senior teachers in the department. Why do not we have a look on states where retirement age is 58 or below 58 years? Above all why dont this class of burden on society feel that they are paid for no work and belong to a state which has no resources of its own and always with a begging bowl in hand. Beggars cannot be choosers. Dignified cannot be beggars. It is the hard labour of this group that we have distinction of being the most corrupt state in the country.
Our private sector is negligible. We produce thousands of qualified technical graduates every year. They have to also live and necessarily the sector of service being government sector. Now it is their right to enter. This better qualified youth can better take the role of modelling this society on the right track. Why to continue with illiterate/semi literate group, who simply want to be continued in government service so as to continue with the mischievous hands.
Government should put the feel on ground firmly and convey categorically NO to one and every demand of this burden on society. So should every one belonging to any political class, civil society and so on as this group is desperate to continue in government service in the shape of extension in retirement age, extension/re-employment after retirement and so on.
Musavir
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