PSWA & AUPO - JOINT MEETING

Minutes of the Co-ordination Committee Meeting of the Association of UPSC recruited Programme Officers of AIR& Doordarshan (AUPO) and the Programme Staff Welfare Association(PSWA )held on 16th June 2009 in Broadcasting House, New Delhi.

An emergency meeting of PSWA and AUPO was held in All India Radio Broadcasting House, New Delhi on 16th June 2009. The meeting was held in view of a large number of direct recruit Programme Officers from PEX upwards all over the country expressing their deep anguish over the inordinate delay in holding of the review DPCs and DPCs for the JTS grade of IB(P)S as per the directions of the Hon’ble Courts . The meeting also discussed that the delay in conducting review DPC/DPCs was directly linked to the large scale recruitment/promotion scam in the Programme cadre of All India Radio and Doordarshan.

Members across the board expressed their deep indignation and unequivocally condemned the fact that Programme Executives recruited by UPSC have not got a single promotion for 20-27 years and are being forced to serve under persons engaged on contract and illegally inducted into programme cadre in violation of all norms and statutory rules.

Some vital documents obtained through RTI recently by the Associations pointing to a full blown recruitment /promotion scam in the department were also placed before the members. The documents show how hundreds of illegal appointees such as present day Science Officers etc (serving as i/c DDG ) were inducted into the programme cadre in violation of the Cabinet Approved MIB Regularisation Scheme of 1982 and the Statutory Recruitment Rules.

Members expressed their anxiety with the pace of progress in resolving the issue, in spite of some interactions/meetings being held at the highest levels of Administration and their positive intentions to remove illegalities. It was also observed that some subordinate officials are adopting obstructionist and dilatory tactics to delay the efforts to resolve the matter as they appeared to have a nexus with the illegal appointees.

In view of the above, Members decided that this long term injustice should not be allowed to continue and the following decisions were taken unanimously:

a. It was resolved that if there was no concrete progress to resolve the illegal interpolations of ineligible contractual persons into the seniority lists of the Programme Executives and the encadered Staff Artist before the next date of the Contempt Petition –i.e 2nd July 2009 – a three day “Calling Attention” sit in Satyagraha Dharna would be conducted at all major selected Capital Stations to coincide with the Budget Session of the Parliament. Hon’ble Members of Parliament would also be requested to raise the issue during Zero Hour.

b. Representatives from different parts of the country shall also congregate in New Delhi and sit on fast to peacefully register the protest.

c. It was resolved that, meanwhile joint delegations of both the Associations shall meet CEO, Secretary, Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Ministers of State for Information & Broadcasting, Members of Parliament etc, to seek their urgent intervention in the matter.

d. It was also resolved that, as a Confidence Building Measure, DG,AIR , CEO and Secretary(I&B) should be requested to take concrete steps to remove persons illegally interpolated in the Programme Cadre to ensure that the law of the land prevails .As an interim, all administrative powers should be immediately withdrawn from those illegal appointees holding high and senior positions in the Programme cadre, pending the conduct of review DPCs, so as to avoid abuse of authority .

e. Failing which members will be constrained to not take any orders, instructions etc from these officers and shall not submit their ACRs etc. to these illegal appointees.

f. It was resolved to request the Deptt and the Ministry to revoke all DPCs from STS up to SAG Production grades of IBPS conducted after March 26th 2004, as these DPCs failed to include those from Programme Executives cadre who are eligible as per statutory rules for Production posts of IBPS and as held by the Principal Bench of CAT on 26th March 2004.

g. It was resolved to request the DG, CEO and Secretary to fast track an enquiry for finding out the facts and circumstances including the conspiracy and collusion angles leading to the illegal inclusion and the continuous further elevations to higher posts of a large number of erstwhile contractual employees who were not covered by the statutory rule and whose appointments were outside the purview of Art 309.

h. It was resolved that CEO should be requested to take disciplinary action against officials who had been /or are adopting obstructionist and dilatory tactics.

i. It was decided that , the issue of recruitment scam shall be taken up with the PMO, Members of the consultative committee, CVC and CBI.

j. It was also resolved that the matter be highlighted through Press and media channels to draw the attention of whole nation to the unprecedented plight of the DR Officers of the Public Service broadcasters.

k. Members also decided that the DoP&T, Cabinet Secretary to be approached to request that pending the conducting of the review DPC/DPCs and all consequential benefits being given to the Programme Executives, no cadre review should be done for the IB(P)S and the recent scheme of parity with the IAS should also not be implemented as these would further institutionalize benefits to the persons illegally holding higher posts.




L.S. Bajpayee,Convenor, AUPO
Pramod Mehtaa President, PSWA