Centre to identify inefficient & corrupt among 30+-year employees; retire them prematurely

In a massive development, the Centre has asked all its departments to review service records of employees who have completed 30 years in job to identify inefficient or corrupt staff and retire them prematurely in public interest, according to a Personnel Ministry order.

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Govt orders review of public servants

The employees' performance review is conducted under the Fundamental Rule (FR) 56 (J) and 56 (I), and also under Rule 48 (1) (b) of the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972, that gives "absolute right" to the appropriate authority to retire a government servant, "if it is necessary to do so in public interest", stated the order. 

The government may, at any time after a government servant has attained the age of 50/55 years or completed 30 years of service, as the case may be, retire him/her prematurely in the public interest, it said. The government has the right to compulsorily retire those officials who have completed 30 years' service by giving him/her notice of not less than three months in writing or three months' pay and allowances.

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What will be reviewed?

Giving details on the applicability of FR 56 (J), the order said the service record of a group A and B category officer can be reviewed if he/she has attained the age of 50 years (in case of joining service before 35 years of age) or after attaining 55 years (in case of joining service after 35 years of age). The Personnel Ministry has also asked all the departments to maintain a register for conducting such a review. The review may include assessing officials based on the files dealt with by him or in any papers or reports prepared and submitted by him of The Personnel Ministry has also mentioned the composition of a review committee and broad criteria to be followed by it while conducting an assessment of the employees' performance. 

Government servants whose integrity is doubtful, shall be retired. Government servants found to be ineffective shall also be retired. No government servant should ordinarily be retired on ground of ineffectiveness, if, in any event, he would be retiring on superannuation within a period of one year from the date of consideration of his case, reads the criteria mentioned in the order. However, in case where there is a sudden and steep fall in the competence, efficiency or effectiveness of a government servant, it would be open to review such a case also for premature retirement, it said.

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Previous compulsory retirements by Modi govt

Since coming to power in 2019, the second Modi government has compulsorily retired batches of inept and corrupt officials five times. In November 2019, the Centre compulsorily retired  21 tax officers on account of various charges taking the total to 85 tax officers 'compulsorily retired in 2019. Previously in September, it had retired 15 tax officials after PM Modi's address to the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort saying that black sheep in the tax administration may have misused their powers and harassed taxpayers.

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Within 11 days, on August 26, 2019, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) compulsorily retired 22 more officers on charges of corruption. Previously, on June 18, 2019, the Modi government cracked down on corruption by compulsorily retiring 15 senior officers of CBIC The first wave of compulsory retirements was done on June 10, 2019, when 12 top government officials mainly belonging to the income tax department were retired.

(With PTI inputs)