The management of Uttarakhand Purva Sainik Kalyan Nigam limited (UPNl) has taken a stern note of the education department’s decision to go for open tender for recruitment of 650 class IV employees on contract. The UPNl has a mandate to provide contractual class IV workers to different departments of Uttarakhand government. The education department had recently floated an open tender for selection of an outsourcing agency which would provide 658 class IV workers to the education department. These employees include guards and peons which would be posted in the primary schools of the state. The decision to seek outsourcing agency for recruitment raises eyebrows since apart from being the authorised outsourcing agency, the UPNl levies minimum surcharge- which is only 2.5 percent- on the employer. Seemingly annoyed by the decision of education department the managing director of UPNl, Brigadier P P S Pahwa has written a letter to the education secretary in which he has objected to the decision of education department for seeking an outsourcing agency when UPNl is already functioning in the state for the same purpose. He said that UPNl has sponsored more than 23000 workers to different departments of the state from its inception till date.
To provide reemployment opportunities to the ex-servicemen and offer job opportunities to the wards of armed forces personnel the government of Uttarakhand set up Uttarakhand Purva Sainik Kalyan Nigam limited (UPSl) in the year 2004 later in January 31, 2007 the government made it a corporation and it was rechristened as UPNl.
When contacted, the Primary education director Seema Jausari told The Pioneer that the department has taken approval of the state administration before floating the tender for an outsourcing agency to provide peons and security guards in the schools.