Compulsory retirement: Uttar Pradesh government departments asked to screen employees in 50+ age group
The Uttar Pradesh government had undertaken a similar exercise in July 2017 and 200 to 250 employees were compulsorily retired then
In a bid to improve efficiency, the Uttar Pradesh government has asked all its departments to screen employees in 50-year plus age group for compulsory retirement by the end of July.
It has asked them to submit a report about the employees compulsorily retired following screening by August 15.
Chief secretary Durga Shankar Mishra on Tuesday issued orders in this regard, asking all the additional chief secretaries, principal secretaries and secretaries to set up committees and carry out screening for the purpose of improving efficiency.
“I have been directed to say that all the establishment controlling officers working under you should complete the screening of the personnel by July 31,” said Mishra in an order dated July 5.
He said the information about the compulsorily retired employees should be provided on self-signed prescribed format to department of personnel (section-1) by August 15.
Mishra also said, “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 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.”
He further said, “For the purpose of deciding 50 year 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.”
“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.
The state government’s move has already evoked strong reactions from the organisations representing the employees.
“This is a routine procedure followed by the state government regularly. But the state government is not providing jobs and the vacant posts in different departments are not being filled up. With this, the state government may compulsorily retire an experienced employee and fill up the post with an outsourced one. This is not justified and the organisation will oppose the move and send a letter in this regard to the chief secretary,” said JN Tiwari, president of the State Employees’ Joint Council.
The state government had undertaken similar exercises in the past, too. It initiated such an exercise on July 6, 2017. The exercise, initiated to bring efficiency, continued for nearly nine months. In all, about 200 to 250 employees were compulsorily retired while the committees set up to identify IAS and PCS officers for compulsory retirement failed to identify any officer.
The screening committees set up in recent years have failed to identify any senior officer of the all India or state services for compulsory retirement in Uttar Pradesh.
Chief secretary Durga Shankar Mishra and Additional chief secretary (personnel) Devesh Chaturvedi were not available for comment.
