Yogi Govt to Retire "Corrupt” and “Inefficient” Officials Aged 50 and Above

Lucknow: The Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government has instructed all government departments to set up screening committees for compulsory retirement and screening of all such employees who attained the age of 50 years on or before March 31, 2022, as it plans to weed out more “corrupt” and “inefficient” officials, NewsClick has learnt.

According to an order issued by the State Chief Secretary, Durga Shankar Mishra, the process of screening should be completed by July 31st and the list of officers who have been given compulsory retirement should be submitted to the department of personnel by August 15, in order to ascertain who among them need to be prematurely retired from service.

“I have been directed to say that all the establishment(s) controlling officers working under you should complete the screening of the personnel by July 31,” said Mishra in an order dated July 5, 2022.

The order, dated July 5, has been marked to the additional chief secretary, the principal secretaries, and the secretaries in the government. 

“For the purpose of deciding 50 years age, March 31, 2022, will be the cut-off date. This means the government servants, who have completed 50 years’ age on March 31, 2022, will be considered for screening,” the order reads. 

“I have also been directed to say that the employees whose case has been referred to the screening committee in the past and the decision to continue them in service has been taken will be continued in service till the age of their retirement and their cases should not be referred to the screening committee again. However, if new facts come to the notice of appointing authority, the case of such an employee may be put up before the screening committee,” he said.

In the mandate sent by the chief secretary to the personnel section, it has been said that "Fundamental Rule 56 of financial handbook (chapter 2, part 2) provides that the appointing authority at any time can give a three-month notice, without giving any reason, expecting for the retirement of any government employee (regular or ad hoc) who has completed the age of 50 years. A government order number 13/48/85-karmik-1 dated October 26, 1985 provides for setting up of screening committees along with guidelines for compulsory retirement,” the order reads further. 

The order has, however, not gone down well with the employees, with the president of the UP Secretariat Employees' Association, JN Tiwari saying that such attempts were aimed at harassing government servants.

"We will not tolerate it," he said, adding that a meeting would be held to discuss the order and decide the future course of action, which might include going on strike if the state government goes ahead with the exercise to force out senior government employees.

Expressing strong opposition, Atul Mishra, general secretary of the State Employees Joint Council, UP, told NewsClick that the government’s decision was made to create fear psychosis among state employees. Such orders have been in vogue since 1986,  however, they were not being implemented. 

"The State govt not only has frozen Dearness Allowance (DA) but also put on hold other allowances including the city care allowance and department-specific allowances. Besides, the government has not fulfilled its promises to the state employees, salary increment of corona warriors and other benefits to its employees. Instead of fulfilling its order, the government is creating an atmosphere of fear among employees so that we can not resist," Mishra told NewsClick adding that "It's ironic that the state the chief secretary- who was given one year of extension in service, is ordering to retire employees above 50."

Durga Shankar Mishra, Chief Secretary to the government of Uttar Pradesh, is a 1984 batch Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer. His service was due to end on December 31,  2021. But two days before his retirement, he was appointed to the post of Chief Secretary. Along with this, he was also given an extension of service for one year.

NOT THE FIRST TIME 

This is not an isolated case. The Yogi government issued similar instructions to screen employees above 50 years of age in the health department in September, 2020.

A letter sent to Director (administration), Health and Medical Services and the departments concerned, ordered mandatory screening of state health department’s employees above the age of 50 years and those found ‘under-performing’ would be forced to retire.

The order stated that a screening committee had been set up in order to review the performances of class 3 and class 4 healthcare employees of the clerical cadre. The committee, comprising of four members, will start reviewing the performance of employees based on several aspects. Eventually, it will submit a report to the government.

The Chief Minister had ordered a similar exercise in May-June, 2019 to screen IAS/IPS officers having crossed 50 years of age. The exercise was ostensibly aimed at giving voluntary retirement to those who were found to be “corrupt or non-performing.”

However, none of them were forced to retire despite a list being submitted to the government. The Uttar Pradesh IAS Association had also raised strong objections against the government adopting such a practice in contravention of the rules set by the central Department of Personnel and Training.