7 yrs on, Muktsar yet to get district social security officer

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, October 1

The district social security office here is virtually headless for the last seven years. Since October 2012, no replacement has been made in place of an officer, who held the independent charge of the District Social Security Officer (DSSO).

Mostly, charge of the DSSO is given to the block-level Child Development Project Officer (CDPO), who deals with the development of women and children. Notably, the Department of Social Security and the Department of Women and Child Development are two different wings.

In the last seven years, seven officers have been deputed here and three of them were the DSSOs of other districts.

The DSSO post here has been held by various officers — Harpal Singh Bhullar held the additional charge from November 2012 to May 2014; Naresh Kumar, District Programme Officer, Muktsar, was given the additional charge from August 2014 to July 2017; Paramjit Kaur, Child Development Project Officer (CDPO), Lambi, was given the additional charge from August 2017 to February 2018; Gulberg Lal got the additional charge from February to July 2018; Inderpreet Kaur held the additional charge for a few days in July 2018 along with Moga district; Paramjit Kaur, CDPO, Gidderbaha, was given the additional charge from August 2018 to March 2019 and presently, Pankaj Kumar, CDPO, Gidderbaha, CDPO, Muktsar, is holding the additional charge from March 2019.

Sources in the department said the day-to-day functioning of the department was getting affected due to this. Situation is almost the same in the neighbouring Faridkot district. “The state government has recently promoted three employees as the DSSOs, recruited two as DSSOs, however, the independent charge of Muktsar district is not given to anyone till date.”

The district has nearly 85,000 beneficiaries under the social welfare pension schemes for widows, old-age people, destitute children and physically disabled people.

Gurpreet Kaur Sapra, director, Department of Social Security and Development of Women and Children, could not be reached.