LAHORE: Punjab Board of Revenue (BoR) has requested the caretaker chief minister for upgrade of the posts of patwari, kanungo, naib tehsildar and tehsildar, while removing anomalies and redressing “discrimination”.

It seeks upgrade of post of patwari from BS-9 to BS-11; kanungo from BS-11 to BS-14, naib tehsildar from BS-14 to BS-16 and of tehsildar post from BS-16 to BS-17.

In a summary moved to the caretaker chief minister, Senior Member Board of Revenue (SMBR) Nabeel Javed has stated that the patwaris, kanungos, naib tehsildars and tehsildars are the backbone of the district and divisional administration, as well as the revenue department, and provide support to the government down to village level.

These field staffers also play an important role in the implementation of government policies and initiatives at the grassroots level, including essential services and in all emergencies, disasters and government functions, he says.

The SMBR explains that almost all the equivalent posts of ministerial staff in these pay scales had already been upgraded by the finance department, but the revenue staff was neglected.

He stated the Punjab government had upgraded the BS-1 to BS-16 posts in almost all other departments, including police assistant sub-inspectors (ASIs), excise and taxation inspectors, assistant superintendent jail (ASJ), deputy superintendent jail (DSJ), accountant, deputy accountant, secretaries of the local governments, district food controller, junior clerks, senior clerks, assistants/head clerks, superintendents, private secretaries, schoolteachers etc.

“The upgrade of the posts of revenue field formation, however, was not undertaken despite the fact that the duties and functions assigned to [officials working on] these posts were more challenging than many other posts,” the summary states.

It says that in view of the changing job requirements like provision of computerised fard of Register of Rights and attestation of mutation and other revenue-related services at revenue estate level, computer-literate patwaris having ICS qualification were recruited.

It mentions that as the junior clerks are working in BS-11, patwaris despite having the same qualification and eligibility criteria are in BS-9, adding that it would be appropriate to upgrade the post to BS-11 to rectify this anomaly and address the discrimination.As per the Provincial Management Service Rules 2004, apart from ministerial cadre (five per cent), the PMS has two main feeding cadres – tehsildars and superintendents/private secretaries which equally share 45 per cent quota for promotion as officers. The upgrade of one post of feeding cadre is tantamount to discrimination against the other feeding cadre – the tehsildar cadre.

Published in Dawn, November 23rd, 2023