543 PARC employees' fate hangs in balance

The inquiry committee, constituted to look into the irregularities in the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC), has found 543 appointments illegal and in violation of merit.
"About 865 employees and 68 consultants were recruited in the Council on contract during the past one-and-a-half year, which the committee found were appointed without following merit and negating the codel formalities," sources told APP.
The irregularities were pointed out following hue and cry by regular employees, who consider the new recruitments an extra burden at a time when they were not being given 50 per cent raise in salaries, as announced by the government in budget for the current fiscal year.
On the directives of NA Standing Committee on Food and Agriculture, PARC Board of Governors and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MinFA), a committee was constituted to look into the matter thoroughly. The committee is headed by Joint Secretary of MinFa with Secretary, Deputy Secretary and Director Establishment of the PARC, as it members.
"The committee constituted to look into the irregularities in the Council found these appointments as illegal and has submitted its report to the authorities in this regard," sources added.
The PARC management has already sacked 68 consultants on February 28 the sources said adding that these consultants were hired on monthly salaries from Rs 1.5 lac to Rs 4.5 lac. Fate of some 543 contractual employees of the Council still hangs in balance, as their appointments have been found illegal and violative of merit.
"The employees were being conveyed that the Council does not have budget to raise the salaries but at the same time it has inducted the contractual employees and overburdened the organisation," the sources added. The issue was also taken by the Senate Committee on Food and Agriculture, which ordered an inquiry into the matter and found these irregularities.
The sources said that delay in the salary raise was not fault of the government by negligence of the PARC management, which failed to forward the case to the Ministry of Finance in time. The employees of the Council have been on strike for last three days demanding of the government early implementation of the 50 per cent raise in salaries. Meanwhile, chief patron, PARC Employees Union, Rana Maqsood and newly appointed President of PARC Scientists Association, PARSA, Altaf Sher have demanded immediate announcement of 50 per cent raise in salaries or threatened strike otherwise.