The Centre has eased norms for officers on foreign posting and central deputation for a maximum period of seven years from the existing five years. The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said that if the administrative Ministries and other borrowing organisations wish to retain an officer beyond five years, they may extend tenure of deputation, where absolutely necessary in public interest, up to a period not exceeding seven years at a stretch.
The move comes after various Ministries and organisations approached DoPT for relaxation of the five-year deputation tenure condition citing “exigencies “. DoPT has now asked all Ministries that “no case of extension shall be referred to it “.
“This shall be done with the approval of the Minister of the borrowing Ministry or department concerned with which the officers are administratively concerned, “ said the DoPT.
Further, in cases where the necessity to have deputation tenures longer than seven years is felt, the administrative ministries, departments or borrowing organisations concerned may amend the relevant recruitment rules of such deputation post accordingly, after following the requisite procedure.
“No extension of deputation beyond seven years is to be allowed unless provided in the relevant recruitment rules of such deputation post. It is reiterated that no case for extension beyond five years shall be referred to DoPT, “ said the directive.
DoPT had last year issued a directive and warned officers that they may lose their job for overstaying on foreign posting. Some babus had termed it as a harsh rule and were allegedly lobbying for its revision, official sources said. In a related development, the Finance Ministry recently issued guidelines on foreign tours. Bureaucrats can go on a maximum four overseas trips in a year, as per the new norms.
In yet another administrative reform to facilitate action against corrupt and non-performers, the Centre has asked officers to maintain a confidential diary to record instances of alleged corruption about their subordinates and details of action taken on them.
The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has asked supervisory officers to maintain the confidential diary in which instances which create suspicion about the integrity of a subordinate should be noted from time to time and action to verify the truth of such suspicions should be taken expeditiously by making confidential enquiries departmentally or by referring the matter to the Special Police Establishment.