Srinagar, Dec 29: CIC Operators of the Rural Development Department (RDD) in Jammu and Kashmir, recruited in 2004 through a rigorous merit-based process, are continuously raising their voices over long pending demands for regularisation and salary revision.
Despite nearly two decades of dedicated service, these employees receive a meager salary of Rs. 10,000 per month, with no increments since 2010.
Efforts to address their plight began in 2014, when a cabinet order directed the RDD to regularise their services. However, the directive remains unimplemented. In 2016, the government created 172 Data Entry Operator positions to facilitate their regularisation, and the Finance Department’s High-Level Empowered Committee approved the process in its 58th and 60th meetings. Legal opinions from the Advocate General and the Department of Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs have also supported their case.
Following the J&K Reorganization Act 2019, the General Administration Department (GAD) advised the RDD to submit details of CIC Operators to the Establishment Cum Selection Committee. While this process has been completed, progress remains stalled, leaving these employees in mental and financial distress.
With no salary increase in over a decade, the operators are struggling to meet basic living expenses.
The CIC Operators appealed to chief minister J&K Omar Abdullah to take decisive action to secure their regularisation and much-needed salary revision.
They emphasized that addressing their issues is not just a matter of fairness but also recognition of their longstanding contributions to the department.
They hoped that swift action will bring stability and dignity to their professional lives.
