AAP government looks for bureaucrats overstaying on foreign assignments

The AAP government has started looking for bureaucrats who are overstaying beyond their approved tenures while on deputation for foreign assignments. The city government has started a mammoth exercise to locate such officers following directions from Union Cabinet Secretary Pradeep K. Sinha that states must initiate proceedings for deemed resignation from those officers who do not return from foreign assignments within one month of completion of their approved tenure and also forward a proposal to this effect to their cadre-controlling authority.

In a letter to Delhi chief secretary K.K. Sharma, the Cabinet Secretary said that a number of instances have to come to notice where officers have been overstaying beyond their approved tenures while on deputation abroad. “This trend needs to be discouraged by ensuring strict action against errant officers as per extant policy,” Mr Sinha wrote in the letter.

“It may also be noted under Rule 7 (2) of the All-India Services (Leave) Rules 1955 and instructions issued vide letter No. 11019/ 95/2015-AIS-III dated 03/1/2015 state governments shall initiate proceedings for deemed resignation if the member of service does not return from foreign assignment within one month after completion of the approved tenure and forward a proposal to the concerned cadre-controlling authority i.e. department of personnel and training (DoPT) for IAS; MHA for IPS and MoEF & CC for IFS officers for further taking further action on the issue,” the letter added.

Following the Cabinet Secretary’s directive, city deputy secretary (services) Mukesh Kumar Sharma has written to all the IAS officers of AGMUT cadre, stating that in the event of any officer overstaying for any reason, whatsoever, he or she is liable to disciplinary action and other adverse civil service consequences that would include the period of unauthorised overstay not being counted for service for the purpose of pension and that any increment due during the period of unauthorised overstay being deferred with cumulative effect till the date on which the officer rejoins the parent cadre.

“The Cabinet Secretary has once again impressed upon the cadre-controlling authorities to ensure that extant provisions in this matter are strictly followed and that the officers are made aware of the implications of overstay before they are relieved for taking up their foreign assignments. The cadre-controlling authorities are further advised to make sure that the officers do not continue their foreign assignment beyond the approved tenure and that they report back to their cadre immediately after completion of approved tenure.”

Earlier, an exercise by the cadre-controlling authorities had reportedly suggested that as many as 19 IAS officers and two of the IPS belonging to various state cadres had been missing for ages and shockingly neither Centre nor the states had any clue about their whereabouts. Most of these civil servants went abroad on study leave or some official assignments and never returned.