Work outsourced, curtains for printing, stationery dept

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 21

Having already decided to close down the State University Text Book Board, the Punjab Government has proposed to shut down Printing and Stationery Department which had 1,200 employees at one point of time.

As per a report of Public Accounts Committee tabled in the last session of Punjab Vidhan Sabha, the government has proposed that since most of the printing work is being outsourced, the department should be closed.

Earlier, in a meeting held between the department officials and the committee, representatives of the department had said there was shortage of staff in the department, so most of the printing work was being outsourced. They said printing work through outsourcing cost much less than the department doing printing on its own.

In the meeting, the department said even the Planning Department had suggested that the Printing and Stationery Department should be closed and printing operations be stopped completely. It had also said that the guidelines should be framed for getting the printing work done through outsourcing.

Interestingly, the government had created a huge infrastructure for the department and at one point of time there used to be 1,200 employees. Now, just 300 employees are left. Besides that the department has 35 acres of prime land.

The committee has also suggested to the government that the way this department was led to slow death, it should not happen with other departments. “Besides protecting the interests of the government, the interests of the employees could also be protected,” the committee observed.

Earlier in January, the government had decided to merge the Punjab State University Textbook Board with the State Language Department, which was established in 1970. The department was instrumental in publishing more than 350 textbook titles in Punjabi language.

300 employees on its rolls  

• The Punjab Government has proposed to shut down Printing and Stationery Department, which had 1,200 employees at one point of time. Now, just 300 employees are left.
• As per a report of Public Accounts Committee tabled in the last session of Punjab Vidhan Sabha, the government has proposed that since most of the printing work is being outsourced, the department should be closed.