Question : APPOINTMENT OF AREA WELFARE OFFICERS FOR CGHS DISPENSARIES

(a) whether the Ministry has been instrumental in appointing non-Central Government servants as Area Welfare Officers for certain CGHS dispensaries;

(b) if so, the number of such dispensaries and the details of the considerations due to which such appointments have been made;

(c) whether such appointments are in violation of the CAT judgement which categorized certain persons as non-central Government servants; and

(d) if so, the action taken/proposed to be taken by the Government in this regard?

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI A. RAJA)

(a): The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare does not appoint Area Welfare Officers (AWO) for CGHS dispensaries. The AWOs are appointed by the Welfare Division of the Department of Personnel and Training, Lok Nayak Bhawan, New Delhi.

(b): In view of (a) above, the question does not arise.

(c)&(d): The Department of Personnel and Training nominates AWOs for residential colonies to look after the welfare and related problems of Central Government employees and their families residing in that colony. Area Welfare Officer is not an appointment under the Governemnt of India but is only a functional arrangement to provide a link between the Central Government employees residing in various colonies and the concerned civic and other agencies providing service to them. These functions are performed by them on honorary and voluntary basis. Normally Government Officers are nominated as Area Welfare Officer, as far as practicable.