PANAJI
Over the last nearly five years since April 2020, the State government has taken on its roster in its different departments as many as 233 persons on compassionate grounds but is yet to take a decision on the applications of more than double those numbers, 651 to be precise, who are seeking government jobs on those same grounds.
Employment on compassionate grounds is given to those whose either parent or spouse has died while in regular government service and fits within the rules in terms of the recruitment rules for those positions.
According to information supplied by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in the recently concluded budget session of the Goa legislative assembly, his government has suitably placed 233 such persons mostly in non-gazetted positions of Multi-tasking Staff (MTS), lower division clerks (LDCs) and Upperr Division Clerks (UDCs).
However, in response to an unstarred query posed by Congress-turned-BJP MLA from Siolim, Delilah Lobo, Sawant said applications from 651 such persons whose kin have died in service are still pending since April 2020.
Meanwhile, the government has recruited 46 persons as junior scale officers through processes undertaken and names recommended by the Goa Public Service Commission in the last five years -- two in 2020, seven the following year and 16 in 2022.
Last year the government recruited as many as 20 junior scale officers, which is the entry level of the Goa Civil Services cadre. This year one junior scale officer has been recruited, Sawant said, adding that recruitment of four more officers, including two in reserved categories, is in process with the GPSC.
Sawant said in the case of the two reserved posts -- one for physical handicapped hard of hearing and the other for children of freedom fighters -- no suitable candidates are available and have remained unfilled even after advertising twice.
The balance two posts were advertised for EWS category but again unfilled, he said.
Interestingly, the GPSC process for selecting individuals for the top posts of Director of IPHB and Chief Electrical Engineer is on but non-availability of a suitable candidate despite advertising these five times has left both the vacancies unfilled with incumbents officiating on extensions.
For the positions of 10 mamlatdars and joint-mamlatdars, the GPSC has completed the process and recommended only three names. Also, the process to fill one of these posts which is reserved for PwDs is on, he added.
The government has also recruited 15 block development officers (BDOs) since 2019 and the process to recruit one in the reserved category is currently on, Sawant said.
