No longer a walk in the park for bureaucrats

Premature retirement and cut in remuneration of 381 civil services officers

GN Bureau | July 26, 2017


#bureaucracy   #civil servants   #performance  
(Illustration: Ashish Asthana)
(Illustration: Ashish Asthana)

Continuing as a bureaucrat just got a lot tougher with the government weeding out the incompetent and taking action against 381 civil services officers, including 24 who were from the Indian Administrative Service.
 
The Narendra Modi government’s action against civil servants who are non-performers and allegedly involved in illegal activities has shaken up the bureaucracy.
 
These measures were highlighted in a booklet titled ‘3 years of sustained HR initiatives: Foundation for a new India’ and in a presentation made before Modi recently, reported the Mint
 
“To ensure accountability of bureaucracy, the government has made probity and performance the twin pillars on which good governance rests,” the booklet said.
 
The Uttar Pradesh government too has started the process to shake up the bureaucracy. In fact, Yogi Adityanath, soon after being sworn in as chief minister of UP in March, had acted against non-government officials.
 
He ordered the relieving of all non govt advisors, chairmen, deputy chairmen and members in corporations, committees and departments from their duties with immediate effect, reported Finance Express
 
The Uttar Pradesh government is now reviewing the performance of its employees and will retire or even sack those found wanting, a move that has caused a flutter among the 1.7 million strong workforce.
 
“Those whose performance is not up to the mark would be considered for compulsorily retirement as per the government rules,” says the order issued after chief minister Yogi Adityanath called for strict adherence to the compulsory retirement rule, reported Hindustan Times.
 
The officials would be assessed on the basis of ratings given for, among other things, timely disposal of work, punctuality and public image.
 
More than five years back, the government had notified a rule making it compulsory for IAS, IPS and officers from other all-India services to retire in "public interest" if they fail to clear a review after 15 years of service.
 
The Times of India reported that officers adjudged as inefficient and non-performing will be shown the door and even those who make the cut will need to remain on their toes as they face another review after 25 years of service or on turning 50, whichever happens first.
 
The tenth report of the Second Administrative Reforms Commission notes that the life-long job security provided to a government servant leads to such a distorted incentive structure because it is a fact that under the present system, very rarely is a government servant punished or removed for poor performance. As a result, an element of complacency and inertia has got internalized in the civil services.
 
“In the section ‘Dismissal Procedures’, the Commission has recommended a major revamp of the present system of disciplinary proceedings against government employees to ensure greater accountability and to minimise, if not eliminate, misconduct and indiscipline. In addition, the Commission feels that there is also need to find a systemic solution to the issue of complacency that stems from the lifelong job security coupled with lack of penal consequences for non-performance or inadequate performance.,” said the report. 
 
The commission was of the view that there was a need to have a comprehensive in-depth assessment at important milestones in an officer’s career. These assessments, in view of the commission, should be carried out on completion of 14 and 20 years of service.
 
The Fifth Pay Commission, which was set up in 1993 and had submitted its report in 1997, too had recommended “golden handshake as well as compulsory retirement of those found corrupt and incompetent”.
 
 
 

Comments

 

Other News

PM visits crash site, meets the injured

Prime minister Narendra Modi on Friday visited the Air India flight crash site in Ahmedabad to assess the situation first-hand. He met officials and emergency response teams working tirelessly in the aftermath of the disaster. He also condoled the loss of numerous lives in the tragic air accident. He con

Air India flight crashes in Ahmedabad

The Air India flight to London crashed in Ahmedabad within munites of the take-off Thursday afternoon. There were 232 passengers and 10 crew members aboard, and reports suggest there was slim chances of anyone surviving. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed and exploded in a fireball barely out

Cabinet approves two multitracking projects of Railways

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved two projects of the railways ministry with a total cost of Rs. 6,405 crore. These projects include:  1. Koderma – Barkakana Doubling (133 Kms): The project sec

Unlocking the boundless possibilities within

The legendary Jack Canfield (co-creator of Chicken Soup for the Soul series, and author who has sold more than 500 million books) says, “This is the book we’ve all been waiting for.” That is ‘Manifest of Your Infinite Riches’ by Pushkar Anand, founder of the Centre for Infinit

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of AI

From ‘The Matrix’ to ‘Iron Man’, AI has long captivated our imagination. But what was once fiction has rapidly become foundation. AI is now transforming industries, economies and daily life. Nations are investing heavily – recognizing AI`s role not only as a technological marv

The Tricolour flies high over Chenab Rail Bridge: PM

Prime minister Narendra Modi celebrated the hoisting of the tricolour on the iconic Chenab Rail Bridge, the world’s highest railway arch bridge which was inaugurated on Friday, describing it as a moment of immense national pride and a testament to India’s growing capability to build futuristic

Visionary Talk: Amitabh Gupta, Pune Police Commissioner with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now





Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter