State allows appointment on compassionate ground amid austerity measures
Kolkata: Despite austerity measures taken up by the state government following a considerable drop in revenue generation, the Mamata Banerjee government has allowed appointment on compassionate grounds to the next of kin of its employees who have expired during their period of service.
The state government took up austerity measures as it is currently required to incur heavy expenditure to combat the COVID-19 outbreak at a time when the lockdown has severely affected the state's coffer.
It was stated in a state government order dated April 2 that there shall be no recruitment or engagement of manpower unless approved by the Finance department.
Later, the state government felt that allowing appointment to the next of kin a state government employee who died during service period is essential, considering that it will come as a great help and support for their entire family at this critical time.
In a recent order, in reference to the previous order announcing austerity measures of the state Finance department, it has been stated: "...it is hereby clarified that appointments on compassionate grounds as admissible as per existing orders and provisions will not come under the purview of the aforesaid order."
The decision of the state government, despite incurring a loss of around Rs 5,000 crore in its exchequer every month, will benefit a large number of people as they do not have to wait till the situation to get normalised.
According to a senior official in the state secretariat, there are many such cases in which all procedures were almost complete and the beneficiary is in the threshold of getting appointed on compassionate ground.
The process had got stuck with the April 2 order. Finally, with intervention at the highest level of the state government, the decision to allow appointments on compassionate ground has been taken.
This comes at a time when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has ensured salary to all state government employees
on time every month, unlike many other states which have only managed to give a part of the usual salary to their employees.
The state government employees of all levels and their unions have welcomed the move. When contacted, Convener (Mentor Group) of Paschimbanga Rajya Sarkari Karmachari Federation Manoj Chakraborty said: "We welcome the move of the state government as it has come as a sigh of relief for many."
In the same order, "absorption or appointment of attendants to ministers-in-charge, ministers of state and chief government whip of the West Bengal Assembly" has also been allowed.
