SHILLONG, JULY 15: The Thma U Rangli Juki (TUR) on Wednesday demanded the state government to ensure the deprived successful women candidates of the Gram Sevikas, who are currently on an indefinite hunger strike, get their rightful appointments.
“It is your bounded duty as a public servant to restore the rights of these women that have been illegally usurped,” TUR leader Angela Rngad said in a letter addressed to the Chief Secretary PBO Warjri and DC PS Dkhar .
She said, “We trust that you will be proactive and fulfill your constitutional mandate to ensure that these women get their rightful appointments.”
The DSC Qualified Gram Sevikas who have qualified the exams and interview, the results of which were declared on August 21, are staging their ongoing indefinite hunger strike as the government has failed to give them appointments till date.
The TUR leader said “It is indeed unfortunate that they have to resort to this extreme measure after several of their petitions to various departments including to your office fell on deaf ears.”
“It is indeed willful negligence on the part of the authorities be it the Chief Secretary as head of the administration, the DC, the C&RD and Personnel Depts who chose to ignore and not act on the more than 8 letters/petitions and requests for appointments that these women have submitted to them since 2013,” she said.
Rngad said, “Such negligence can in fact be construed as abetting the illegalities that take place in the processes of announcement of Govt. job vacancies and appointments of various Government functionaries.”
Stating that this is not the first instance of meritorious candidates having to resort to such an agitation, she said, “The illegal backdoor political and bureaucratic appointments in several levels of administration have meant that the entire system is one which is corrupt and hence violates all norms including constitutional guarantees.”
Pointing out that their demand is a legitimate one, she said, “Their right to be appointed cannot be ignored given that several RTI findings reveal that in the period 2010 till date there have been several appointments to the posts of Gram Sevak and Gram Sevika in the district on an adhoc and temporary basis which are in effect immanently irregular and illegal.”
In addition, information reveals that there have been posts of Gram Sevak/ Gram Sevika created as a result of subsequent departmental promotions that have taken place in the period 2010 till date, she alleged.
Furthermore, it may be noted that out of the 814 candidates who undertook the written exam, 20 women were declared passed out of which 17 appeared for the interview and 12 were declared successful and out of which till date only 2 have been given appointments. On the other hand, 22 men were also declared as passed and all 22 have been given appointments, the leader said.
“It is a blatant case of Gender discrimination and violation of the constitution that out of those that featured in the merit list, only the male candidates were given appointments and the women have thus far been ignored,” she said.
According to her, the question that needs to be answered is: is there a different criteria for absorbing Gram Sevaks and Gram Sevikas even as the examination and interview they undertook was a common one? Also, it is a known fact that many women are absorbed on “compassionate grounds” against a vacant Gram Sevak post. So why is there this outright injustice in appointing only men and maintaining of a separate merit list for male and female candidates?- By Our Reporter
It is appreciable that the TUR is taking the initiative to succour the successful Gram Sevika candidates in their struggle for recruitment. I hope the TUR will give its best to fight for the cause of not only the Gram Sevikas but the others who might face this same problem im the near future. Keep it up TUR.