Caste certificate panels in State ailing ahead of examinations, elections

 

 

 

 

 

 

The crucial examinations are scheduled to commence from next month and elections also are likely to be announced shortly, but the Caste Certificate Scrutiny Committees are grappling with key posts remaining vacant. After the exams and announcement of poll schedule, students and aspirants throng to the committees for caste validity certificates. But, the vacancies may affect that work. There are total 36 district-wise Caste Certificate Scrutiny Committees in Maharashtra. Each committee has one post of Chairman, Deputy Commissioner and Member, Research Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police, and Police Inspector sanctioned. However, as per the official position, of these total 180 posts, 86 are vacant. That is, almost 48 per cent of the sanctioned posts are vacant in Maharashtra! Of 36 posts of chairpersons of the committees, 22 are vacant. These include 21 vacant at the end of last year and one more that became vacant recently at Yavatmal. In Nagpur Division, five out of six posts of committee chairpersons are vacant. In Amravati Division, four out of five posts are vacant. Thus, in Vidarbha region, of total 11 posts of committee chairpersons, nine are lying vacant.

 

Of 36 posts of Deputy Commissioner and Member, 11 are lying vacant. Similarly, 13 out of total 36 posts of Research Officer are vacant. As many as 26 out of 36 sanctioned posts of Deputy Superintendents of Police have got no occupants in the committees. Similarly, 14 out of 36 posts of Police Inspector have not been filled. The posts of Deputy Superintendents of Police and Police Inspector are with Vigilance Squad. Sunil Ware, Director General, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Research and Training Institute (BARTI), Pune, and Chief Co-ordinator of all District Caste Certificate Scrutiny Committees in the State, has already written to the Secretary of Social Justice and Special Assistance Department in this regard earlier this month. BARTI has been writing to the department since March 2023 in this regard and has made at least six requests to fill up vacancies. However, the situation has not changed. The vacancies of chairpersons are on account of selection of eight Additional Collector rank officers to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), and posting to other departments. The work of the committees is being done by way of handing over additional charge to other officers.