Deccan Herald: Mysuru: Thursday,
May 12, 2016.
The
authorities in the Health and Family Welfare department have been blatantly
flouting the rules since over a decade in appointments under compensatory grounds and
deputation of field staff to office work on health grounds, who later get cadre
change and additional benefits under the
impression that their deeds would not be noticed.
In a classic
example, which has come to light due to an application under Right to
Information Act, a person has been appointed as a literate assistant on January
28, 2005, in violation of rules. The violations seem to have been done as a
favour because she is a widow of a doctor, even though she was just ninth pass,
according to the documents presented by her.
M G N
Shankar, who runs a security agency, a resident of Tavaragere, in Mandya, has
been digging the irregularities in the Health department since almost a decade
and he had applied for the information under RTI Act.
According to
the documents provided by the department, C Nagarathna, widow of Dr L
Rajugowda, was 9th standard pass and she was appointed as a literate assistant
with a higher pay scale, while one Vasantha Kumari, a SSLC fail candidate, was
appointed as a Group D employee with a lower pay scale, around the same time in
the same Mandya district. While the initial basic pay scale for Vasantha Kumari
was Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,850, that of Nagarathna was Rs 2,600 to Rs 4,350.
Following a
time bound revision, Nagarathna’s pay scale is Rs 11,000 to 19,000 (letter
dated May 8, 2015) at present.
In a letter
dated August 8, 2015, the Public Relations Officer and Assistant Administrative
Officer of the office of the Director for Health department, literate assistant
and Group D posts are equivalent and carry equal pay scale.
Direct
appointment
The letter
also states that there is provision to directly appoint one to the post of
literate assistant.
However, in
an earlier letter, dated March 5, 2015, the same office had stated that only three
posts FDA, SDA and Group D are offered
on compensatory grounds. According to sources in the Health department,
literate assistant is actually a promotion post for Group D employees and not
an entry-level post.
In a letter
from the DHO’s office, it has been stated that 17 persons, whose qualification
is less than SSLC, have been appointed as Group D employees, while only one
person has been appointed as literate assistant, in Mandya district.
Though
Nagarathna was appointed to Victoria Hospital, in Bengaluru, a revised
appointment letter was issued within 17 days (on Feb 15, 2005), a surprise
speed for any government office, deputing her to the DHO’s office in her home
district Mandya, where she is still working on ‘deputation’.
In fact, two
papers produced by Nagarathna from Malavalli Government Girls High School (Old)
contradict each other. While the school has issued a handwritten marks card of
ninth standard, the list of the students who have been admitted to the school
in the same academic year (1981-82) does not have Nagarathna’s name.
Neither DHO
Dr Manchegowda nor Health Minister U T Khader were available for comment.
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