STATE TIMES NEWS
NEW DELHI: Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Government of India has issued instructions to all the Cadre Controlling Authorities (CCAs) to review the performance / service record of government officials at all levels, with a view to identify such officials who may not be fit to be retained in government service for various reasons.
This was stated here on Wednesday in a reply in Lok Sabha by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) and MoS PMO, Dr Jitendra Singh, in response to a question by Member of Parliament, Sudheer Gupta.
Even though the reply by Dr Jitendra Singh emphasised the seriousness of the Modi government to go ahead with this exercise, it nevertheless reiterated that this is not a new mechanism and the provisions of rule under FR 56(j), Rule 48 of Central Civil Services (CCS) (Pension) Rules, 1972 and Rule-16(3) of All India Service (Death cum Retirement Benefits) Rules, 1958 already provide for such periodic reviews. It is just that, possibly, these rules were not followed seriously earlier and the Modi government had only reiterated the existing rules and thus begun a strict monitoring process thereof, he added.
The monitoring mechanism for reviewing the performance of officers, Singh stated, has been strengthened and speeded up by the government by activating the Review Committees.
As per the information available from different ministries and Departments of Government of India till May 2017, the service records of 11,828 Group ‘A’ and 19,714 Group ‘B’ officers have been reviewed so far and provision of premature retirement invoked against 133 officials, he added.
As for the promotions, the reply by Dr Jitendra Singh stated that there is a comprehensive policy for this purpose, which is as per the provisions in the recruitment rules for the respective posts.
Pertinent to mention that in recent three years, the Modi government has initiated a number of measures to improve performance of officers and curb corruption. A Bill ‘Prevention of Corruption Amendment Act’ is also in the pipeline to be brought up in the Parliament.