New Delhi: The compulsory retirement of 12 officials of direct taxes and 15 from the indirect taxes department is only a tip of the iceberg.
The Modi 2.0 government is all set to weed out a large number of the insufficient public servants in a big way on the monthly basis and there is no word on filling up the vacancies so created. The sword hangs on all those who are 50 and above.
The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) that functions directly under the Prime Minister has issued an office memorandum (OM), asking all ministries and departments to furnish a list of such employees who need to be retired prematurely "in public interest."
It has sought the list of all such employees in a prescribed format by 15th of every month. The first lists are to be submitted by July 15.
An official in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), which will oversee the exercise, says the move to weed out the insufficient babus on a continuous basis is expected to energise the administrative machinery to have a lean and efficient government.
He said care is to be taken to ensure the ousted employees do not get any stay from courts or the administrative tribunal, the DoPT will ensure that he checks provided by the Supreme Court in the case titgled Union of India vs Colonel JN Sinha are strictly followed in prematurely retiring the government employees.
The OM calls for periodic review of the performance of employees who have attained 50 years of age, so as to undertake premature/compulsory retirement of the inefficient employees under Fundamental Rule 56(j) and Rule 48 of CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972.
"All ministries and departments are requested to undertake the periodic reviews in letter and spirit, including the public sector undertakings (PSUs/banks and autonomous institutions) under their administrative control. Department of Public Enterprises will also compile nd countercheck with all ministries/departments concerned," reads the OM issued on June 20.
Titled as "Strengthening of administration -- Periodic review of Central Govt employees under Fundamental Rule 56(j), the OM of DoPT "also directs the ministries to ensure that the prescribed procedure like forming of opinion to retire a government employee prematurely in public interest is strictly adhered to, and that the decision is not an arbitrary one, and is not based on collateral grounds."
The format of the reports for premature retirement will include group-wise (Group A, B and C) number of employees to be reviewed under Rule 56(j), number of employees reviews under the section in public interest, number of employees reviews and against whom FR 56(j) invoked/recommended group-wise and number of employees retired prematurely under FR 56(j).
The copy of the office memorandum is not only marked to the secretaries of all ministries and departments, but also to the President''s secretariat, vice-president''s secretariat, the Prime Minister''s Office (PMO), Cabinet Secretariat, CAG, Secretary of UPSCs and the Central Vigilance Officers of all ministries and departments.
