To weed out those public servants from Government services who are found involved in acts of corruption coupled with taking part in criminal activities, constant endeavours now being made by the UT Government cannot be ignored. Besides on these grounds, employees found to be underperforming, not devoted to their duties, not punctual in reporting for and remaining absent from duties in an un-authorised way, found indulging in dereliction of duties and misusing their official positions equally deserve to be out rightly relieved of their ”services” either by prematurely retiring them or depending upon the severity of grounds of violations of the Rules dismissed from the services. It needs to percolated deep into the working force in departments/ offices/PSUs of the Jammu and Kashmir Government that Government service meant duty, delivery and performance with all probity, transparency and apparent hard work. The times are demanding output in every department/office on daily basis since the same is being paid by the Government. The Government on the other hand is also reported to be embarking upon initiating several measures to strengthen human resources development of its Government employees including measures for smooth career progression, eHRMS, abolishing interviews for non gazetted cadre posts and the like.
The matter assumes utmost importance when the concerned employees are from the Police force which is supposed to be responsible for enforcing the law, prevent crimes from taking place, provide emergency response and provide support service of different hues under severe circumstances and challenges. It becomes, therefore, increasingly essential that regular performance levels of Police personnel of all ranks are assessed plus more importantly, watching their physical fitness, conduct and dealings in personal capacities and how even in cases of being ”off” the duty hours, they maintained decorum of their uniform and the department which is totally non-negotiable and non optional.
That the UT Government of Jammu and Kashmir had recently to prematurely retire 36 of such policepersons who were found involved in one or the other forms in activities enumerated above depicts the need of such exercises being undertaken periodically and which so far was not being done in the normal course by the successive Governments which could be due to either there was not sufficient cushion provided for in relevant Service Conduct Rules (CSRs) or there was lack of administrative will to amend the same and formulate a policy to retire employees on the above grounds before their usual service term otherwise got completed in normal course.
It was, therefore, in the year 2020 only that a ”reform” or an amendment was brought into the existing Rules in Article 226 so that employees could be retired after completing 22 years in service or reaching 48 years in age whatever the case but only in such cases which were duly found and ascertained to be the “dead wood” hence liable to be cut from the staff. Although the powers and the discretion lay with the administration with a proper structure of reviewing, yet ultimate decision, of course, is to be wholly dictated by the circumstances related to the generated opinion to do so in the public interest because it is the public money which is paid to them as salaries and spent on perks and allowances etc in their favour.
The basic premises of Government employees being utmost integrity and devotion to duty and performing ably on continuous basis, leading a private and public life which does not clash with the set standards of decency, transparency, utmost honesty and provisions of the law. It was also decided, to be recalled, while amending and up-dating Article 226 (2) of the SCRs that the exercise of review of the performance of the Government servants must be initiated for each employee. This probably was started for the first time especially in ”noted” instances where both or either of the grounds that of 22 years in service and 48 years of age, were taken into consideration while we feel performance appraisal each year must be made an inalienable part of essential service Rules to impart in employees a cogent culture to perform and not treat a Government service as a luxury of an irrevocable contract till retirement irrespective of performance, integrity and transparency .
Follow our WhatsApp channel
