Government recruitments in Punjab suspended indefinitely

The Punjab government has indefinitely suspended all government recruitments across Punjab and orders have been issued to all departments not to conduct any recruitment without the approval of the Finance Department. Even the recruitment process which is already underway and has not been completed should be stopped midway. After these orders of the Punjab government, many departments have postponed the examinations to be conducted during the recruitment process and now these examinations will not be conducted till further orders. The examinations to be conducted by the Punjab Public Service Commission and the Subordinate Service Selection Board this week have been postponed. Administrative reasons are being given behind this, whereas in reality these examinations have been postponed due to the mistake of the senior officials of various departments.

According to media reports, during the previous Congress government in Punjab, the Finance Department issued an order on July 17, 2020, to implement the 7th Pay Commission with the central scale in all future recruitments. Along with this, orders were issued to all departments to notify the new scale to implement the 7th Pay Commission and also amend the rules, but before the senior officers of the departments made direct permanent recruitment in their departments, neither the 7th Pay Commission scales were notified nor the necessary amendments were made in the rules in this regard.

Due to this, the government employees who were recruited in the departments after July 17, 2020, flatly refused to accept that letter from the Finance Department and approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court demanding salaries as per the 6th Pay Commission. Where after the Punjab government’s defeat at the single and divisional bench, the Punjab government had gone as far as to appeal to the Supreme Court, but the Supreme Court also put its stamp on the High Court’s orders, after which now the Punjab government officials, realizing their mistake, have decided to amend the rules.