New Bill For Fixed Tenures, More Professionalism

Babus to be insulated from netas

The end of the transferposting raj is in sight. Bureaucrats are set to get a new deal from the new government with the Centre readying a legislation that will not only assure babus of fixed-tenure postings but also protect them from political interference in their day-to-day functioning.

Besides, all bureaucratic appointments, transfers and postings will be subject to parliamentary scrutiny. As a consequence, IAS and IPS officers in the country will no longer be at the mercy of the whimsical transfer regime that operates currently.

However, along with these comforts will come added responsibility. The government plans to bring in a new public service code that will lay down a strict performance evaluation regime for promotions and postings of babus.

All these provisions are expected to be part of the Civil Services Bill, 2009, a draft of which is being finetuned. It’s expected to be an improved version of the Public Service Bill, 2007 which could not see the light of day in the previous UPA government.

These provisions, officials indicated, will first be applicable for IAS and IPS officers and may later be extended to all services that come under the all India service category, including the Indian Forest Service.

The Bill, which incorporated various suggestions of the second Administrative Reforms Commission, envisages setting up of a new Central Public Service Authority which will not only professionally manage civil services but also serve the interests of babus and citizens alike through checks and balances.

Mega Makeover

Civil Services Bill moots fixed tenure of 3 years per posting for all IAS and IPS officers

A new agency, Central Public Services Authority, to be set up to work as a watchdog against political interference in the bureaucracy. It will also keep a watch on performance of babus

Postings to be strictly on basis of performance evaluated on a number of tasks assigned to bureaucrats over the years

All appointments, transfers and posting to be subject to parliamentary scrutiny Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha to have say in appointment of cabinet secretary. Similar role for the leader of opposition in state assemblies

New Bill to focus on performance

New Delhi: If the Civil Services Bill becomes an Act in its present form, all bureaucrats will get a minimum fixed tenure of three years. An official said if any bureaucrat is transferred before three years, he or she will have to be compensated for the inconvenience and harassment caused due to such a move.

Regarding top-level appointments in states, the draft states that the chief secretary and director general of police of the state will be selected out of a panel of suitable candidates to be drawn up by a committee comprising the chief minister, leader of opposition and home minister. Currently, the chief minister alone decides such appointments.

Similarly, the leader of opposition will also have a say in the appointment of the cabinet secretary at the Centre. The CS will be selected from a panel by a committee comprising the prime minister, the leader of opposition and the home minister.

The official said: ‘‘If the government deviates from these norms while appointing bureaucrats, it will have to inform Parliament about the reasons for doing so. The new rules also give enough importance to performance parameters of officers considered for top posts.’’

The new Bill will put in place a different kind of performance evaluation system. Unlike the current practice of annual confidential reports (ACRs) which take a panoramic view of a civil servant’s work, the new performance management system will evaluate babus on their job-specific achievements and the number of tasks that they perform as a team leader in a particular department.

These system will be managed by the CPSA which will work under a chairman whose rank will be equivalent to that of the chief election commissioner. The chairman will be appointed for five years by a committee comprising the PM, a Supreme Court judge, a Union home minister and the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha. The cabinet secretary will act as convener of the committee.

The CPSA will aid and advise the central government in all matters concerning the orgnization, control, operation and management of public services and public servants. The authority will also be the custodian of the public service code for babus.

Source :- The Times of India 9 June 2009 P 1 Delhi
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