News Analysis India

Tag: Department of Personnel and Training

  • Union health ministry urges Department of Personnel and Training for filling up of vacant posts

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Union health ministry has requested the DoPT for an early and timely action to fill up the vacancies in nine senior posts, stating that this has put it under “acute stress” as it is required to put in extra efforts to ensure full preparedness across the country even though the COVID-19 pandemic is declining.

    In a letter to Deepti Umashankar, Establishment Officer and Additional Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan has highlighted the unfilled posts in the grades of additional secretary, joining secretary, director and deputy secretary under the Central Staffing Scheme and of the Central Secretariat Service (CSS) in the Ministry of Health.

    “I would like to say that a number of vacancies still persist, while a few more posts have fallen vacant or are likely to fall vacant soon.”

    “You are aware that even though the pandemic of COVID-19 is declining, we cannot let our guard down. At this crucial juncture, the Ministry of Health is required to put in extra efforts to ensure full preparedness across the country. Vacant positions of one Joint Secretary and eight DS/Directors have put this ministry under acute stress. It is therefore requested that an early and timely action may be taken to fill up the existing vacancies and also the vacancies arising in the coming weeks,” he said in the letter on October 13.

    In the letter, Bhushan also mentioned the names of the eight officers who have moved out of the ministry either on study leave or due to promotion or repatriation.

    This is the second such letter to the DoPT seeking filling up of vacant posts.

    The first one was written on August 12.

  • ‘Y-Break’: Five-minute yoga in ministry and government offices to de-stress employees

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: The Centre has asked the ministries and government departments to promote five minutes of yoga in work places to refresh and de-stress employees.

    This will be called the ‘Y-Break’.

    The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said it will help in enhancing efficiency and productivity at work places.

    Earlier, the Ministry of Ayush had launched a ‘Y-Break’ mobile application consisting of asanas, pranayam and meditation.

    As per a DoPT order, it was designed and developed for workplace by an expert committee in 2019 and the module was launched in January, 2020, on a pilot project basis in six major metro cities — Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kolkata — and the feedback was found to be encouraging.

    Subsequently, the Ministry of Ayush developed an android-based application and it was made available recently on Google Play Store for access by the public, said the DoPT order. 

    “In order to spread awareness about access and usage of Y-Break protocol/app among the workforce for all sectors (public/private), all ministries/departments of government of India are requested to promote the usage of Y-Break protocol among the employees,” said the order from DoPT.

    The DoPT has also asked government departments to issue necessary guidelines for all employees including those of sub-ordinate offices to promote the use of Y-Break.

    The yoga protocol in the Y-Break application comprises simple yogic practices such as Tadasana, Urdhva-hastottanasana, Skandha Chakra, Uttanamandukasana, Kati Chakrasana, Ardhachakrasana, Prasarita Padottanasana, deep breathing, Nadishodhana Pranayama and Bhramari Pranayama.

  • Compassionate appointment process streamlined, senior officers to meet deceased government servants

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  Issuing fresh instructions on appointments on compassionate ground, the Centre has said a senior officer should be deputed to meet the family members of deceased government servants and apprise them of available terminal benefits.

    Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said a committee of three officials may be constituted to consider the applications and recommend individual applicants for grant of compassionate appointment.

    The committee will be chaired by an officer not below the rank of Director/Deputy Secretary in the ministry and officers of equivalent rank in case of attached and subordinate offices.

    A senior official said the revised guidelines will ensure transparency and probity in processing the claims.

    References were received from different ministries and departments relating to the procedure and modalities. The lack of uniformity in processing claims by different offices also came under the scrutiny of Central Administrative Tribunals, said officials.

    “In case it is observed by the welfare officer or senior officer that the condition of the family of the deceased government servant is indigent, the family should also be apprised of the scheme for compassionate appointment,” said the instructions.

    In such cases, the welfare officer or any other officer would assist the family member in applying for appointment on compassionate grounds and all assistance should be extended to enable the family members to fill in the application form.

    The applicant should be advised in person about the requirements and formalities to be completed by him or her.

    The applicant should also be given detailed information of the posts to which they can apply.

    Every application found in order should be acknowledged by assigning a unique registration number and this should be done in two to three weeks.

  • Ex-Bengal Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay may lose retirement perks

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Centre has initiated “major penalty proceedings” against former West Bengal Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay, amid a tug-of-war between the Union government and the Mamata Banerjee dispensation over him, which may deprive him of post-retirement benefits, partially or fully.

    The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has sent Bandyopadhyay, now an advisor to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, a “memorandum” mentioning the charges and giving him 30 days to reply, officials said Monday.

    The former chief secretary has been warned of major penalty proceedings which allows the Central government to withhold pension or gratuity, or both, either in full or in part, they said.

    The June 16 memorandum sent to Bandyopadhyay informs him that the Centre proposes to hold major penalty proceedings against him under Rule 8 of the All India services (Discipline and Appeal) rules, 1969, read with Rule 6 of the All India Services (Death-cum-Retirement Benefits) Rules, 1958.

    “The substance of the imputations of misconduct or misbehavior in respect of which the inquiry is proposed to be held is set out in the statement of Article of Charge,” it said.

    Bandyopadhyay, a 1987-batch IAS officer (retired) of West Bengal cadre, was “directed to submit within 30 days of the receipt of this memorandum a written statement of his defence and also to state whether he desires to be heard in-person”.

    “Major penalty proceedings have been initiated against Bandyopadhyay as per relevant service rules,” an official said.

    The rules allow the Central government to withhold “pension or gratuity, or both, either in full or in part, whether permanently or for a specified period”.

    It also allows the Centre to order the “recovery from pension or gratuity of the whole or part of any pecuniary loss caused to the central or a state government, if the pensioner is found in a departmental or judicial proceedings to have been guilty of grave misconduct or to have caused pecuniary loss to the central or a state government by misconduct or negligence, during his service, including service rendered on re-employment after retirement”.

    The Centre had on May 28 sought services of Bandyopadhyay, barely a few days after he was given a three-month extension beyond the date of his superannuation (May 31), and asked the state government to relieve him immediately with a direction to him to report at DoPT, New Delhi.

    The DoPT had sent him a reminder after he failed to report in response to its May 28th order.

    As the tussle between the Centre and the state continued over the order, Mamata Banerjee on May 31 said that Bandyopadhyay has “retired” and been appointed as her advisor for three years.

    The Union Home Ministry has also slapped a show-cause notice on Bandyopadhyay under a stringent provision of the Disaster Management Act that entails imprisonment for up to two years, for abstaining from a meeting presided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Cyclone Yaas.

    The notice said Bandyopadhyay “acted in a manner tantamount to refusing to comply with lawful directions of the central government”.

    Bandyopadhyay had responded to the Home Ministry’s notice.