A day after the PMO acted against 12 of its non-performing officials and shunted them to other Departments, more officials from across various Ministries have come under the scanner.
The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Wednesday sought comments from Ministries and Departments for performance of total of 122 Deputy Secretaries posted within their jurisdictions to review their conduct in services.
Officials said that the step has been taken to ascertain quantum and quality of work done by them in their career. Of them, a highest of 17 are working in Defence Ministry, 13 in Higher Education, seven in Health and Family Welfare, and six each in Commerce, Food and Public Distribution, Revenue and Rural Development Departments.
Of the total, one each are also working in crucial departments like National Intelligence Grid (Natgrid), National Security Council Secretariat. Five Deputy Secretaries each, whose services are being reviewed, are in labour and Employment, Environment, Forests and Climate Change and four in labour and Employment, three each in DoPT, Industrial Policy and Promotion and Textiles and two each in legal Affairs, Food processing Industries, Financial Services, Civil Aviation and Ayush ministries, respectively.
The move is part of instructions from Cabinet Secretary Pradeep Kumar Sinha that emphasised the need for rotation of officers working in sensitive and non-sensitive posts and call for a review of non-performing officers to ensure probity among government servants. Following which the Government Departments were told to form committees to review the performance of staff working under them and to force compulsory retirement on those found to be shirking work.
Under Fundamental Rule 56(J), the Government has the “absolute right” to retire, if necessary in the public interest, any Group A and B employee who joined service before the age of 35 and has crossed the age of 50. Also, a Group C Government servant, who has crossed the age of 55, can be retired prematurely under the rules.
On Monday, 12 junior level personnel were removed from the PMO and posted to various central government ministries. Of them, three have been sent to Defence Ministry, two each to Agriculture and Cooperation, and Information & Broadcasting Departments, and one each to Commerce, Food and Public Distribution, Higher Education, Petroleum and Natural Gas, and Road Transport and Highways.