* Issues directions to submit status report on APRs
Neeraj Rohmetra
JAMMU, Jan 20: Governor N N Vohra has directed all Administrative Secretaries to prepare a list of ‘incompetent and incorrigible’ employees, who had failed to deliver in their respective departments. All the cases of such officials would be decided by the designated Committees in a time-bound manner and services of those ‘indicted’ are likely to be terminated.
Reliable sources told EXCELSIOR, “the Governor has directed the Administrative Secretaries to discreetly prepare a list of the deadwood in their respective departments and invoke Article 226 of the Civil Services Rules, which primarily deals with ‘compulsory/pre-mature’ retirement’ of employees”.
“All cases due for compulsory review under Article 226 have to be placed before the designated committee for time-bound action. Besides, departments have also been directed to submit reports regarding cases processed under Article 226”, sources said, adding, “all cases should be supported by corroborative evidence so that they can even withstand the judicial scrutiny”.
The officials, so identified by the Administrative Heads, sources said, are likely to be pre-maturely retired in terms of the provisions prescribed under the Article 226(2) and Article 226(3) of the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services Regulation Rules.
This is for the third time that such an exercise has been undertaken by the Jammu and Kashmir Government. However, it will be for the first time that the exercise has been initiated, when the State is under Governor’s Rule as in the earlier cases, the State had a political Government and the move turned out to be a damp squib.
The provisions of Article 226 were first invoked by the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed led PDP-Congress coalition Government, but the exercise abruptly came to an end after action against some low-ranking officials. Subsequently, Omar Abdullah led Government started a similar exercise in May 2011.
The then Government had even constituted a high-level panel comprising the then Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary Home and Commissioner-Secretary GAD, with the purpose of recommending action against the ‘incapable’ officials. But, the entire process got derailed after few months.
“The initiative of the Raj Bhavan is also likely to face stiff opposition from several quarters”, sources said.
Article 226(2) of the Civil Service Rules categorically says, “the Government, may if it is of the opinion that it is in the public interest to do so, require any Government servant other than the one working on the post, which is included in schedule-II of these rules retire at any time after he has completed 22 years/44 completed six monthly period of qualifying service or on attaining 48 year of months’ pay and allowances in lieu of such notice”.
The rule further stated that such Government servants shall be entitled to pensionary benefits admissible under these rules on the basis of qualifying service.
Official sources further said, “the Governor has also directed the GAD to ensure that Annual Performance Reports (APRs) of all employees were completed within the given time schedule”, adding, “GAD will soon issue circular to all departments directing them to submit the details of all APRs by February 5, this year about the status of completion of APRs, as on March 31, 2014 in each department”.
“These specific directions were issued by the Raj Bhavan after reports were pouring in from several departments that several Administrative Secretaries weren’t submitting the APRs as demanded by the service rules”, sources asserted.
Section IV, of the Government Order NO. 1311-GAD of 2001, which deals with Maintenance and Custody of APRs says, “the annual report shall be written in respect of every officer under the Government for each financial year. The initiating officer shall record his comments about, Self
Assessment of the officer, being reported upon and fill in the appraisal column on his performance for the year under report to the Reviewing Authority on or before the end of June of the following year”. The Reviewing Authority is also supposed to review and submit the report for the year to the Accepting Authority by July 15 of the following year and the report has to be completed as far as possible by the end of July.
Referring to officials, who fail to initiate / review the reports, the rule says, “an official, who fails to record the report of the officer within the prescribed time, will himself come under adverse comment by the next superior at the time of writing of his/her APR.”
“There have been serious discrepancies in several Government Department and the APRs aren’t being submitted as per rules leading to litigations at several levels”, sources pointed out.
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