To: Sh Bhupinder Singh Hooda Honble Chief Minister of Haryana Chandigarh Subject: MEMORANDUM FOR BETTER PAY SCALES

& UPGRADATION OF STATUS OF WELFARE ORGANIZERS (WOs) IN ZILA SAINIK BOARDS OF HARYANA

Sir, 1. I, being the President of Haryana Welfare Organizers Association of Zila Sainik Boards of Haryana, submit views on behalf of the Association for your kind consideration and favouable action, a) Appointment & Pay Structure: Prior to 1980, Ex-Servicemen of other ranks were appointed to the post of Welfare Organiser (WO) in the Zila Sainik Boards of Haryana. Subsequently the basic qualification for appointment to the WOs post was raised and advertised as under:Must be Junior Commissioned Officer with Civil Education Matric or Equivalents vide Haryana Govt. Notice No. 3/82. b) Nature of Duties: The post of WO demands extensive field duties in regard to verification of all important matters related to Ex-servicemen, Widows of ESM, serving defence personnel & dependents of all these categories. It demands utmost care & follow up action with regard to welfare of the beneficiaries. Their hard work & vast experience becomes handy in speedy disposal of pension cases in the hours of crisis faced by the Widow/Next of Kin of an ESM. Apart from this their recommendation is of utmost importance for financial grants to ESM & Widows in the distressing conditions. They prepare cases for Ex-gratia grants, additional pension, orphan pension, blind & paraplegic assistance, and financial assistance to age old nonpensioner ESM & their widows. They are responsible for the publicity of the welfare measures & schemes announced by the Central/State governments and hence have close contacts with the ESM & widows/dependants of their area of responsibility. Normally their work relates to a Divisional Officer in any District of Haryana. By virtue of nature of their duties & experience they are instrumental in organizing huge gatherings in ESM reunions at District as well as State level. c) Former Status & Work Experience: All serving WOs in the Zila Sainik Boards of Haryana are awardees of PRESIDENTS COMMISSION and have held Class II Gazetted Officer status while serving in the defence services. Most of them discharged their duties ranging from 20 to 32 years in defence forces before hanging their uniforms. They are well trained & experienced in management of men & material hence an asset to the nation as well as the organization in which they work.

d) Promotional Avenues: There are no promotional avenues for the WOs of Zila Sainik Boards of Haryana. e) Earning of Pension: Around 80 % of Total Strength of WOs do not earn pension as their qualifying service to earn pension is not reached as many of them get reemployment around 50 years of age. Hence it is unjust and disgraceful to their former status. One one hand state govt. claims that Haryana is No. 1 in seeing the welfare of ESM but on other hand Ex-Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) are compelled to work at a salary les than that of a daily wage earner. How far the claim of Govt. is justified and correct. f) Non Applicability of Time Bound Pay Scales (Selection Grades): Benefit of time bound pay scales (Selection Grade) on completion of 10 and 20 years of service is not applicable to these Ex JCOs re-employed as WOs in Zila Sainik Boards of Haryana, like other civilian employees of Haryana Govt. owing to the fact that WOs are left with only six to ten years of service in the present appointment in Zila Sainik Boards of Haryana to whom neither the benefits of promotion grades nor any benefit of their former 20 to 32 years of previous meritorious military service is given. It will not be out of the place to mention here that a civilian employee of Haryana Govt. put in initial pay scale of 4000-6000 (Pre-revised) enjoys better status and basic salary per month by virtue of their promotional avenues and time bound pay scales (selection grades) on completion of twenty years of service. The WOs, having rendered more than 20 to 32 years of meritorious service in their previous career, are compelled to accept the initial pay pay scale 4000-6000 which is in no way justified. Had they not joined the Indian Defence Services they could have been better placed in society & enjoyed better status in Central/State Govt. Services like their civilian counterparts. Hence while fixing pay scales for re-employed ESM in Haryana Govt. their previous experiences and qualifications may kindly be considered and examined in length. g) Financial Burden: There are, at present around 150 posts of WOs in Haryana, with about 10% remaining vacant at any given time. Since 50% of financial expenditure on Zila Sainik Boards in Haryana is shared by Central Govt. the financial burden on the Govt of Haryana will not be substantial. 2. In view of the position explained above it is requested that the following genuine demands of WOs may please be considered sympathetically as under:a) Basic Pay: Basic pay may be fixed at par with that of 9300+4600 pay scale which was given to Army Welfare Officer in civil and cadre in police department. Their basic pay being 6500-10500 and hence providing them corresponding scale in the present pay commission report. b) c) Status: Status of WO may be upgraded to Class II gazetted officer.

Change in Designation: The designation of Welfare Organizer (WO) may please be changed to a Welfare Officer (Defence).

d)

Promotional Aspects: The promotional aspects for WOs may please be considered otherwise higher pay scale provision be made on completion of five years of service in the post. Thanking you in anticipation Yours faithfully

(Jagbir Singh Hooda) President Haryana Welfare Organisers Association .