Punjab bans recruitment
by Sarbjit Singh
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Dec 23 — Bedevilled by the unprecedented financial crisis, the Punjab Government has completely banned fresh recruitment in the State.

Informed official sources said here today that the Punjab Government's Finance Department had issued instructions through Circular No 8/5/98/5FBI-15555 to all Financial Commissioners, Principal Secretaries, Administrative Secretaries and heads of various departments that they would be personally responsible for the implementation and strict compliance of the order issued with regard to the ban.

Even the recruitment in various departments, which had been in the pipeline, too stood frozen. The ban would remain operative till the end of the current financial year. March 31,1999. There would be no creation of new posts or upgradation of the existing posts on both Plan and non-Plan sides. The departments and the organisations concerned would deploy manpower from within their existing strength or draw upon the surplus pool of the government in case of any need.

Making clear about the ban on recruitment, which had been in the pipeline, the order said:" That where the process of recruitment has begun and appointment letters have not been issued so far, in such cases the approval of the Council of Ministers would be required before issue of order of appointment."

Sources further said that even vacancies arising due to retirement or otherwise would not be filled. The restrictions with regard to recruitments would be applicable also to public sector undertakings, cooperative institutions, boards and corporations, local bodies and panchayati raj institutions and government-aided institutions like universities, colleges and schools.

There would also be no recruitment of work-charged staff, contractual workers, ad hoc employees and daily wagers.

In case of dire necessity, the prior approval of the Council of Ministers would be mandatory for any sort of relaxation in the ban order, the officials said. The step had been taken to put the derailed fiscal state of Punjab on rails.

Recently, a committee of senior officers had assessed that if the ban was imposed till the end of the current financial year, the State Government would save Rs 44 crore and if it continued till the end of the next financial year, the Government would save an additional Rs 146 crore.

Informed sources said that a large number of government departments were in the process of recruiting staff. For instance, the Department of Local Government wanted to recruit junior engineers, inspectors, and other employees. It had started the exercise in this connection. But due to the ban, the process was suspended abruptly.

When contacted, Mr N.K. Arora, Financial Commissioner, Local Bodies, said that he had sent a note to the Council of Ministers through proper channel seeking relaxation in the ban on recruitments. He said that since the Local Bodies Department was supposed to provide essential and basic services to the people and to collect revenue, the filling of vacancies was essential.