Ishtiyaq Ahmad
Srinagar August 06 : Tightening noose around bureaucrats, the Centre has directed Jammu and Kashmir administration to review and monitor the performance of IAS officers posted in the Union Territory.
The directives come as Centre wants to show the development in Jammu and Kashmir post abrogation of Article 370.
“There are directives from the Department of Personnel and Training to monitor and review the performance of IAS officers posted in Jammu and Kashmir. Those who fail to show desired results, the government has decided to take strict action against them,” a senior official told news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS).
The official said that the Jammu and Kashmir administration has been asked to initiate a process to identify bureaucrats who are ineffective in work.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration has been directed to submit monthly progress reports of departments.
“The performance of bureaucrats will be evaluated on the basis of timeline completion of targets, outcomes of the schemes, priorities fixed, quality of work done, and status of benefits of projects,” the official said.
The official said it was seen that most of the bureaucrats are “hiding” the performance details about their departments.
He said that the government has taken a strong note that developmental works have got affected over the years for non-utilization of funds.
The official said that departments have also been told to submit annual Results Framework Document (RFD) to the government.
“Once the departments submit their RFD report to the government, the planning, development and monitoring department has to prepare its own report to check the progress of development in J&K,” an official of the Planning and Development Department, said.
The official said that departmental heads have been directed that project-wise utilization certificates (UCs) should be submitted in time. “It is for speedy and effective implementation of centrally-sponsored schemes (CSSs),” he said.
Similarly, the government recently asked administrative secretaries to initiate a process to identify employees who are “ineffective in work or not fit to continue” after completion of 22 years of service or have attained 48 years of age.
In October 2020, the J&K government had amended Article 226(2) of the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Service Regulations for a provision to retire at any time any government employee after he has completed 22 years of service or attained 48 years of age.
The then Financial Commissioner had issued a notification pertaining to the matter and said that the appropriate authority has to give either three months prior notice or three months of allowance to retire any employee.
Almost a year later, the J&K government has released a fresh circular, pulling up departments for not initiating performance reviews of employees.
Recently, Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta in the circular stated, “It has been observed that the departments have not initiated any exercise for reviewing the performance government servants.”
“It is impressed upon all the administrative Secretaries to initiate the process/ exercise of reviewing the performance of Government Servant who has completed 48 years of age/ 22 years of service for identifying such Government Servants who are ineffective in work and are not fit to continue in the post held and have no utility for the purpose for which they are employed,” reads the circular. (KINS)
