Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Feb 14: Emphasising the importance of work-friendly environment for bureaucrats and other officers in the administration, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh said here that it is not only the responsibility of the Central Government but also that of the State Governments to ensure that IAS and Civil Service Officers working under them are provided an opportunity to serve to the maximum of their potential and to perform to their best.
Addressing a gathering of citizens and serving as well as retired Government officers and bureaucrats, Dr Jitendra Singh referred to reports in some newspapers that IAS officers felt confident to serve in certain States but not so comfortable in some other States, Dr Jitendra Singh said, he would not like to comment on this, but insisted that it is indeed in the interest of the administration that officers are provided with a work-friendly environment. If certain officers have reservations in going to the States of their allocated cadre, it is the responsibility of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) or General Administration Department (GAD) to address these reservations and try to resolve them, he said.
When we talk of good Governance and ease of Governance, Dr Jitendra Singh said, we cannot forget that bureaucracy is an essential tool for governance and therefore good Governance cannot be achieved with bad tools.
Referring to a number of officer-friendly decisions taken by the present Government during the last one and a half year, Dr Jitendra Singh mentioned the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, which is pending in the Parliament and which seeks to provide provision of seeking permission for prosecution of officers at all levels whereas it was earlier available only for the officers of the rank of Joint Secretary and above. Similarly, he said, the transfer policy has been relaxed in case of such Government officials who happen to be parents or care-givers of a specially abled child.
With increasing workload and high level of public accountability as well as media scrutiny, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the bureaucrats are obviously under stress and beginning from April last year, the DoPT has also started regular daily Yoga sessions for its officers and the response has been very encouraging. Even in the allocation of State cadres, wherever possible under rules, appropriate help is provided to the officer, which is evident from the accomodative manner in which the division of cadre was done by the DoPT between newly formed State of Telengana and Andhra Pradesh soon after the Modi Government take over, he said.
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