The delay on the part of Public Service Commission (PSC) in issuing advice memos is proving costly for hundreds of aspiring rankholders who have been waiting for more than one year after being included in the ranklist.
The delay is going to seriously affect the rankholders as the government has decided to implement the contributory pension scheme for those employees who are getting appointed from April 1, 2013.
It has been pointed out that there will be employees belonging to the same ranklist bracketed in two categories of pensioners as statutory and participatory because of the delay in issuing advice memos. The delay in issuing the advice memo for LDC and last grade rankholders who are waiting for appointment, would deny them statutory pension. Rankholders, who preferred anonymity, alleged that there was a tacit understanding between the government and the PSC in delaying the advice memo.
Complaints have been raised by candidates included in the ranklist of women police constables, staff nurses in the Health Department and women Excise guards that the government in tacit understanding with the PSC was delaying appointments to deny them the rights for statutory pension.
They point out that though the notification to these posts were made in 2010, not even the shortlists have so far been prepared even after a span of one year after conducting the examination.
Hundreds of candidates who have appeared for the examinations one year back for selection to the posts of Excise guards, Forest guards, village extension officers (VEOs), HSSC (commerce), HSSC (Economics), in various districts, are worried that not even the shortlists for these posts have been prepared.
Baiju S, a candidate for the post HSSC(Commerce) and a native of Aluva, told ‘Express’ that following the delay they would be deprived not only of the pension benefits but also seniority as the in-service promotees would get the benefits including the seniority with retrospective effect from the date of occurrence of the vacancy.
Responding to this, a top official of the Personal and Administrative Reforms (P and ARD) Department who preferred anonymity, admitted that rankholders from the same ranklists will be bracketed in the two categories for pension benefits as per the existing rules.
He said that it was not clear whether the date of occurrence of the vacancy will be taken into account in case of undue delay in the recruiting process and appointment.
However, PSC chairman K S Radhakrishan denied the charge that PSC was delaying the issuance of advice memos in tandem with the government to deny fresh recruits statutory pension.
‘’Once the government reports the vacancies to the PSC there ends its role. The government has no role in the PSC issuing the advice memos,’’ he said.
The chairman also said that in fact the PSC was taking extra efforts to issue the advice memos especially for the posts related to the health sector. He said the main reason for the delay is the absence of mechanisation.
‘’In fact every day we are issuing advice memos for various posts. There is no question of delaying any list,’’ he said.
Referring to the issue of candidates of same ranklists getting different treatment in case of pension benefits, he said it was quite natural for those who come top in the ranklist to get appointed first.