Chhattisgarh food department overlooks recruitment norms

RAIPUR: True to the proverbial saying of putting the cart before thehorse, Chhattisgarh food and drug administration department recently took an approval from state government for the creation of 38 posts of Food Safety Officers (FSOs), even when the recruitment process had been completed last year. 

While recruitment process in any government organisation begins with the creation of posts and is followed by issuing of advertisements for inviting applications, the department literally reversedthe norms and conventions while hiring the FSOs. 

The department had, in fact, advertised for the recruitment of 38 FSOs two years ago in 2012, even when the posts were non-existent, and the entire process was completed, after tests and interviews, in 2013.

However, the officers were hired only last month, after the department received sanction for the posts from state government. According to sources, senior officials in the department realised their mistake after it was pointed out to them earlier this year that no posts existed for the recruitments that had been undertaken. 

Even the government notification regarding Service Recruitment Rules (2013) of food and drug administration department has no mention of FSO posts, clearly indicating their non-existence at the time of completion of the recruitment process. 

The department subsequently sent a proposal to the state government for creation of 38 posts of FSOs in March 2014. The proposal was approved on May 22, 2014 and the FSOs were appointed on June 24. 

When contacted, state food & drug controller Dr Kamalpreet Singh said that some posts were created while advertising and the rest by the time of appointment. 

Claiming that there was no error and all rules were followed, Singh said the recruitment process was initiated as posts of food inspectors had to be converted to food safety officers. 

"We are on sound footing and would be able to defend the act, if challenged in the court of law," he said. 

However, an officer in the department confided that a faux pas had been committed. They claimed that under the rules, no department could initiate any recruitment when the posts don't even exist.State Government Union (class III employees) president Virendra Namdev said the entire recruitment process is wrong. 

He said the union had brought this irregularity to the notice of officials but they were not ready to accept their fault. "The only option left now is to approach the courts and challenge the recruitment," he said.