Link officers will take charge when officers go on leave

In an attempt to ensure that the work of the departments does not suffer if an officer proceeds on leave for more than three days, the AAP government has ordered that link officers be given full authority to discharge the duties of the absentees in the national capital.

The officers who would be discharging duties of the absentees would be termed as link officers. The Kejriwal government’s move is an attempt to ensure that if an officer is not able to attend office due to any reason for more than three days, the link officer without any official notification would automatically take charge of the allocated departments.

The order to this effect, issued with the approval of deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, has made it clear that the said arrangement in respect of the principal secretaries would continue if the department is headed by the officer of the rank of secretary. The order said: “The above link officer arrangement shall come into operation automatically whenever an officer proceeds on leave/ short-term training course for a period exceeding three days. The link officer shall perform all functions of the officer on leave / training and no separate orders may be required to be issued in this regard.”

The order specifies that officers who will function as link officers will not be entitled to any additional remuneration. It said that all the principal secretaries, secretaries and HoDs are requested to make similar link officer arrangements in respect of officers up to the level of deputy secretaries and deputy directors and above working under their control.

While the decision related to the link officers functioning in the absence of the chief secretary, principal secretary to the CM and financial commissioner would be taken by the CM himself, the decision related to the principal secretary to the L-G would be taken by the L-G. The decision related to the link officer who would perform the duties of the NDMC chairman would be decided as and when the officer proceeds on leave or training.

The order has empowered 73 bureaucrats to act as link officers of different departments. The officers appointed as Link officers include principal secretary (services) for principal secretary of finance and urban development, principal secretary (finance) for principal secretary and principal secretary (services), principal secretary (planning) for principal secretary (finance) and principal secretary (UD), principal secretary (home) as secretary (vigilance) and principal secretary (services), among others.