DoPT wants CIC to do away with outsourced staff or cut wages

In a directive which may prove to be a death knell for CIC's functioning, the government has directed the panel to either do away with its outsourced staff, which constitutes nearly 60 per cent of sanctioned strength, or cut their pay to minimum rates prescribed by it.
Doing away with nearly 100 outsourced employees would mean bringing to halt all the administrative work including data entry of hundreds of orders passed daily, entering details of incoming appeals and complaints, segregating them according to each Information Commissioner and determining if they fulfill criteria of complaint and appeals among other.
These employees were hired through an outsourced agency by the Commission at the minimum wages prescribed as per norms. This contract is renewed every year.

Over the years they gained experience and efficiency in handling matters related to the Commission. They pleaded with then Chief Information Commissioner to give some increment based on the experience and efficiency. The Chief Information Commissioners, who are administrative heads of the autonomous panel, agreed to their demand seeing their work.
CIC sources said in the absence of Chief Information Commission, the registry of the panel started sending files to DoPT for administrative matters which could have been handled at the level of the Commission.
Last week during a meeting of the Secretary, CIC with the senior officers of Department of Personnel and Training, the transparency panel was conveyed that either they stop renewing contracts of outsourced employees or hire them at minimum wages prescribed under the law.

With over 35,000 cases pending and their numbers counting, any step to do away with the outsourced staff which has gained substantial experience during the past eight years in these matters would choke the Commission with cases which would be practically impossible to dispose of, the sources said.