JK govt sets up high-level panel to probe selection in KVIB

The Jammu and Kashmir governmenttoday constituted a committee to conduct an inquiry into the selections made by the state's Khadi Village and Industries Board (KVIB) against various posts recently.

According to an order issued by the General Administration Department (GAD), Principal Secretary to the Government, Home Department R K Goyal was appointed as Chairman while Principal Secretary to the Government, Health and Medical Education Department Pawan Kotwal and Secretary to the Government, School Education Department Farooq Ahmad Shah were appointed as committee members.

The committee is to submit its final report within one month, the order said.

On February 25, Chief Minister Mehbooba Muftihad ordered a high-level inquiry into the procedural inadequacies in the selection process of the Khadi and Village Industries Board (KVIB), the results of which were declared a couple of days ago.

She had ordered the probe following severe criticism over the appointment of her own nephew Aroot Madni (37), son of ruling PDP vice-president Sartaj Madni, as an executive officer in the board. The board had issued an advertisement against vacancies on October 8, 2016. Shortlisted candidates took a written test in August 2017, and interviews for the position began in the last week of January.

The selection process was conducted by a private recruitment agency instead of the J&K Service Selection and Recruitment Board (JKSRB). The chief ministers nephew declined to accept the employment offer from the board following the controversy generated by his appointment.

Opposition National Conference had launched a scathing attack on the PDP over alleged nepotism and malpractice in the selection of candidates. "The KVIB list is full of appointments made on the basis of relations and affiliations to the CM's family and party. Withdrawal of application by Sartaj Madnis son does not end the case but indicates he wouldnt have been able to stand the scrutiny of a probe," the party said.