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New recruits at MWD? [Hyderabad] [Times of India](Times of India Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) HYDERABAD: The minorities welfare department (MWD), which has the dubious distinction of being the only department that has not seen fresh recruitments in the past five years on account of the previous government's step-motherly treatment, may finally get some reprieve as the principal accountant general (PAG) has reportedly taken note of the manpower and equipment crunch. The move comes after the AP State Minorities Commission (APSMC) found that many posts in the MWD and its affiliated agencies were lying vacant after district collectors submitted reports on its instructions. "We recently received a communication from the PAG's office expressing their desire to take pre-emptive action. The PAG, which does detailed auditing, seems to have taken an adverse note on the lapses and is inquiring into them," said APSMC chairman Abid Rasool Khan. There has been a freeze on fresh recruitments at the department in the past five years, he added. While requesting collectors to comply with the recommendations to fill vacancies at the earliest, the commission asked them to allot at least one room from where DMWOs can discharge their duties. According to reports submitted by the collectors, each DMWO office has a sanctioned strength of eight members at various levels. APSMC sources said that in most cases, around 50 per cent of the posts were vacant. Further, many offices had no computers and were functioning on borrowed equipment. "In certain cases we found that the posts were being occupied by those who did not wish to leave districts. This is a result of the lackadaisical approach of the previous minister with regard to welfare of minorities. The Rs 1,027 crore budget allocation was eyewash," Khan alleged. It was earlier reported in these columns that in February, 21 deputy collector grade officers from other departments were posted at the beleaguered MWD for a period of one year. However, with the bifurcation, many of these officers are likely to be posted in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Meanwhile, a source on Monday said that alarmed by the Kishanbagh riots which claimed the lives of three persons in firing by the BSF last May, a 12-member delegation of Sikhs and Muslims from Delhi, including Mohinder Pal Singh from the Shiromani Akali Dal and lawyers Sufian Shaik, met the commission and expressed their willingness to broker a peace deal between Muslims and Sikhs. "They did not want both minority communities to fight and are keen on peace while stressing on the fact that the real culprits must be booked," the source said. (c) 2014 Bennett, Coleman & Company Limited |