Jammu, Aug 30: A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) of the Army was killed on Sunday in a firing incident along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, defence sources said.

The firing from across the border started soon after the Army noticed some suspicious movement along the LoC in Nowshera sector, the sources said.

They said the Indian troops retaliated strongly and in the exchange of firing, a JCO was hit by a bullet and later succumbed to injuries.

The cross-border firing was going on when the last reports came in, the sources said, adding further details are awaited.

Srinagar, Aug 30: Government has suspended a KAS officer for resorting to dilly dally tactics in issuance of Domicile Certificates to the applicants.

Sources told news agency KNT that Tehsildar Jammu (Khas) Ravi Shankar has been suspended and attached with the office of Divisional Commissioner Jammu.

The reason given for the suspension and attachment of KAS officer Ravi Shankar is the dereliction of duties involving disobedience and very ‘poor performance’ in the issuance of the Domicile Certificates to the applicants causing huge suffering and inconvenience to the general public.

Principal Secretary to the government Revenue Department Dr Pawan Kotwal told KNT the Deputy Commissioner Jammu shall hold inquiry into the conduct and performance of Ravi Shankar under rules and furnish a report accordingly to the government within a period of 15 days.

Mumbai, Aug 30: Aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services provider Air Works on Sunday announced the appointment of Haseeb A Drabu, former Jammu & Kashmir finance minister, as independent director of the company.

This is the second appointment of an independent director at the country as one of the largest aircraft MRO services providers since April when it brought in former army general and former Lt Governor of Andaman Nicobar and Pondicherry A K Singh to its board in the same capacity.
Former banker Drabu”s induction will help in strengthening the Air Works Board which currently comprises five members, the company said in a release.

The appointment of Drabu will be subject to all requisite government and regulatory approvals, including security clearance, Air Works said in a release.

“Drabu”s addition to the Air Works” Board is extremely well-timed. His deep understanding and experience in the areas of policy, planning, banking and economics will have an invaluable bearing on Air Works” overall business strategy and destiny, in light of the unprecedented fluctuation in the economic scenario and the current state of indian aviation due to Covid-19, ” said D Anand Bhaskar, MD & CEO Air Works.

Asks Deptts to review service records of staff

Agencies

New Delhi, Aug 30: The Government of India (GoI)  has asked all its departments to review service records of employees who have completed 30 years in job to identify inefficient or corrupt staff and retire them prematurely in public interest, according to a Personnel Ministry order.

The employees’ performance review is conducted under the Fundamental Rule (FR) 56 (J) and 56 (I), and also under Rule 48 (1) (b) of the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972, that gives “absolute right” to the appropriate authority to retire a government servant, “if it is necessary to do so in public interest”.

It is clarified that premature retirement of government servants under these rules is not a penalty. It is distinct from ‘compulsory retirement’, which is one of prescribed penalties under Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1965,” said the order issued on Friday.

The government may, at any time after a government servant has attained the age of 50/55 years or completed 30 years of service, as the case may be, retire him/her prematurely in public interest, it said.

Instructions have been issued from time to time for undertaking periodic review of performance of government servants with a view to ascertain whether they should be retained in service or retired prematurely, the ministry said.

The latest order has been issued in order to bring in better clarity to the existing instructions and enable uniform implementation, it said.

An effort has been made to review, consolidate and reiterate the guidelines so far issued on the subject at one place, the ministry said in the order issued to the secretaries of all Central government departments.

Giving details on applicability of FR 56 (J), the order said the service record of a group A and B category officer can be reviewed if he/she has attained the age of 50 years (in case of joining service before 35 years of age) or after attaining 55 years (in case of joining service after 35 years of age).

Under FR 56 (I), the appropriate authority has the absolute right to retire a government servant in Group C service or post who is not governed by any pension rules, after he has completed 30 years’ service by giving him/her notice of not less than three months in writing or three months’ pay and allowances in lieu of such notice, it said.

For employees covered under Rule 48 (1) (b) of CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972, it said the review can be done at any time after a government servant has completed 30 years’ qualifying service.

and in the case of such retirement, the government servant shall be entitled to a retiring pension, provided that the appointing authority may also give a notice in writing to a government servant at least three months before the date on which he is required to retire in public interest or three months’ pay and allowances in lieu of such notice, said the order.

The Personnel Ministry has also asked all the departments to maintain a register for conducting such review.

A register of the government servants who are due to attain the age of 50/55 years or to complete 30 years of service, has to be maintained. The register should be scrutinized at the beginning of every quarter by a senior officer in the ministry/ department/ cadre, it said.

The Personnel Ministry has also mentioned composition of a review committee and broad criteria to be followed by it while conducting assessment of the employees’ performance.

Government servants whose integrity is doubtful, shall be retired. Government servants found to be ineffective shall also be retired. The basic consideration in identifying such government servants should be their fitness/competence to continue in the post held, it said.

No government servant should ordinarily be retired on ground of ineffectiveness, if, in any event, he would be retiring on superannuation within a period of one year from the date of consideration of his case, reads the criteria mentioned in the order.

However, in case where there is a sudden and steep fall in the competence, efficiency or effectiveness of a government servant, it would be open to review such a case also for premature retirement, it said.

The entire service record, in addition to the Annual Performance Appraisal Report (APAR), of a government servant should be considered at the time of review, the order said.

The personal file of the government servant may contain valuable material. Similarly, his work and performance could also be assessed by looking into files dealt with by him or in any papers or reports prepared and submitted by him, it said.

Precious Kashmir News
Pulwama, Aug 30: Following repeated complaints of discrepancies, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Pulwama, Dr. Raghav Langer Sunday conducted inspection of patwar halqas and revenue documents held by Patwaris throughout the district.
During the inspection, the bastas of the Patwaris and its contents were scrutinized in detail and huge discrepancies were noticed besides, Government orders, instructions issued by Financial Commissioner Revenue (J&K), Standing Orders 22/23A/23B and provisions of Land Revenue Act were found flouted openly.
In many instances it was found that some of the Patwaris have not conducted the Girdawari (biannual post-harvest crop inspections) in their halqas since 2015-16.
During physical inspection of records it was found that illegal entries in the state land / kahcharie land have not been expunged in the revenue records despite clear cut directions from FCR office and DC Office.
Similarly in some instances it was found that even though Jamabandis have been reported to have been completed by the Tehsildars but on ground Jamabandis are still incomplete/under preparation/ under Partal (verification).
Discrepancies were also noticed in the Daily register (Roznamcha – waqiati), Inspection register (Fard – Partal), Naqulaat register (for revenue extracts) and Village chowkidara register besides it was found that these registers have not been updated since a long period of time.
Many vital revenue documents were also found missing from the Bastas.
The DC also observed overwriting of entries in some Jamabandis, without the attestation of the senior officers and similarly delays were also found in the timely attestation of mutations.
Strict warning has been issued by the DC to the Tehsildars to set the house in order and if in future discrepancy is noticed in what is being reported to the higher authorities and the actual position of the records on ground, strict action shall be initiated.
In view of violations noticed on spot during the surprise inspections, Patwaris of halqas Tral-e-payeen, Noorpora and Kakapora were immediately suspended. Similarly departmental enquiries were initiated against Patwaris of halqas – Awantipora, Khrew/Nagender & Kandizal; besides issuance of showcase notices to others.
Meanwhile the DC directed all the Tehsildars to maintain the revenue records as per Rules and ensure timely updation of girdawaris and jamabandis in line with the Government instructions, reiterating that there shall be zero tolerance in case of any laxity in this regard.

New Delhi, Aug 30: Suspended Deputy Superintendent of Jammu and Kashmir Police Devender Singh, who has been chargesheeted by the NIA for providing support to banned group Hizbul Mujahideen, was tasked by his Pakistani handler with establishing a “contact” in the Ministry of External Affairs for carrying out espionage activities.
According to the chargesheet of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed before a special court in Jammu, Singh, who was posted in the sensitive anti-hijacking unit of Jammu and Kashmir police, had been in constant touch with his handlers in the Pakistan High Commission who have since been repatriated to Islamabad.
The 3,064-page chargesheet, filed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and various sections of the Indian Penal Code against Singh and five others, gave a graphical description of the police officer’s involvement in providing shelter to the cadres of the banned group.

The chargesheet said he had saved the number of his contact at the Pakistan High Commission as ‘Pak Bhai’ (Pakistani brother). The contact had been giving him various tasks which included deployment of forces and arrival of VIPs in the Kashmir valley.
After having committed himself to Hizbul Mujahideen, Singh was asked to establish a contact in the Ministry of External Affairs by his Pakistani handler so that espionage activities could be carried out there.
However, Singh was unable to make any headway into the plan of the Pakistani embassy officials, the NIA officials said.
The chargesheet, filed in the first week of July, has accused Singh and others of allegedly waging “war against India” with the help of Pakistan-based militants and members of the country’s high commission in Delhi.
Besides Singh, others named in the chargesheet are self-styled commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen group Syed Naveed Mushtaq alias Naveed Babu, his brother Syed Irfan Ahmad as well as the group’s alleged overground worker Irfan Shafi Mir, alleged accomplice Rafi Ahmad Rather and businessman Tanveer Ahmad Wani, former president of the Line of Control Traders Association.
Detailing the conspiracy, the NIA alleged that Deputy Superintendent of Police Singh, who is in a jail here, was “in touch with certain officials of Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi through secure social media platforms. Investigation revealed that he was being groomed by Pakistani officials for obtaining sensitive information .

The central agency said in the chargesheet that the probe in the case has brought “on record that the Pakistani establishment has been devising all possible ways and means to fund, arm and sustain the terrorist activities of the banned organization Hizbul Mujahideen”.
Singh was arrested on January 11 this year along with Naveed Babu, Rather and Mir, an advocate, when their car was intercepted by Jammu and Kashmir police near Qazigund on the national highway connecting the Valley with the rest of the country.
A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of an AK-47 rifle, three pistols and a cache of ammunition and explosives. The NIA took over the case on January 17.
The investigation found that Singh, in an apparent bid to shield Naveed Babu, had shifted him along with the advocate to Jammu and arranged safe shelter for them in the city in February last year.
Singh used his own vehicle for the movement of the Hizbul Mujahideen militants and also assured them help in procuring weapons, the NIA alleged.
Investigations show that the accused were obtaining weapons and ammunition from across the border with the help of arms smugglers and Singh. These weapons were later used for militant activities, it said.