THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE REFORMS
AND PUBLIC GRIEVANCES IN THE MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC
GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS (SHRI ARUN SHOURIE)
(a) & (b): The Government has seen the report published in the
Times of India dated 29 June, 2000. It appears that an attempt
has been made to generalize on the basis of an isolated
experience in a particular office of the Government. The conduct
of the Government servants including those in the Public Sector
Undertakings is governed by a set of instructions issued from
time to time and all cases of the violations of the conduct Rules
are dealt with in accordance with these instructions. As far as
the employees of the Public Sector Undertakings are concerned,
they are governed by the Conduct, Discipline and Appeal (CDA)
Rules of the respective Undertakings based on the model CDA Rules
prescribed by the Government. The Vigilance Wings of the
Undertakings are headed by Chief Vigilance Officers who are
appointed in consultation with Central Vigilance Commission.
Appointments to top management posts in various Public
Sector Undertakings are made on merits, with the approval of the
Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, based on the
recommendations made by the Public Enterprises Selection Board
(PESB). The policy of the Government is to appoint, through a
fair and objective selection procedure, professional managers in
these Undertakings. Professionalisation of Boards of management
of Public Enterprises is one of the thrust areas of public sector
reforms. Necessary guidelines have been issued by the Department
of Public Enterprises to provide that outside professionals are
inducted on the Boards of PSEs in the form of part-time
non-official Directors whose number should be at least one-third
of the actual strength of the Board. The guidelines also
envisage that the number of Government Directors on the Boards
should not be more than two.
(c): Clause (j) of F.R. 56 and Rule 48 of the Central Civil
Services (Pension) Rules, 1972 confer on the Government an
absolute right to retire a Government servant in public interest
after he has attained 50/55 years of age or rendered 30 years of
qualifying service, by giving him a notice of not less than 3
months in writing or pay and allowances for 3 months in lieu of
such notice. The objective of these special provisions is to
improve efficiency and strengthen the administrative machniery at
all levels of the Government and to provide clean administration.
Similar provisions exist in the All India Services (DCRB) Rules,
1958 in regard to members of All India Services. In terms of
these Rules, a review is conducted to adjudge whether a
Government servant is fit or unfit to be retained in the
Government service. Moreover, the Government have also
introduced the Freedom of Information Bill, 2000 in the Lok Sabha
in order to ensure higher level of transparency and
accountability in the Civil Services.
