THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a major decision that gives more control to department secretaries over Secretariat officials, the government has given them powers to initiate minor penalties on department staff. The aim of the new decision is to ensure more discipline among staff.
The notification in this regard – issued by principal secretary (personnel and administrative reforms) Biswanath
Sinha on Thursday that was accessed by TOI – states that the powers to initiate censure and withhold increments temporarily for a specified period can now be initiated against employees by respective department secretaries. Till date, these powers were held by the general administration department secretary and the minister in charge of general administration, which is the chief minister.
The notification states that government has delegated the powers to additional chief secretaries, principal secretaries and secretaries who are the heads of departments. Employees are those in
Kerala Secretariat service,
Kerala Secretariat subordinate service, miscellaneous posts at Secretariat, last grade employees and part-time contingent employees of the secretariat.
According to rule 11(2) of
Kerala State Civil Service (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules (1960), withholding increments for a temporary period can range from three months to two years. This would mean that the department secretary can initiate censure and withholding increment of any employee - from secretariat assistant to the rank of special secretary.
“Censuring may seem like a trivial action, but, it will be marked in his service book. It will even affect the employees’ promotion prospects,” said a senior official.
Meanwhile, employees’ associations expressed reservations about this new decision. “We have our reservations as this can be used, vengefully, by a secretary on a subordinate,” said general secretary of Kerala Secretariat Employees’ Association MS Bijukuttan.
Secretariat that has 4,500 employees, is categorized into general administration secretariat, law secretariat and finance secretariat. While law secretariat and finance secretariat function independently under the law minister and law secretary and finance minister and the finance secretary, respectively, disciplinary actions are taken at the respective level of the secretary and the minister. Whereas, in the case of the other 40-off departments, the disciplinary action was being initiated by GAD secretary and the chief minister. The respective department secretary must write to GAD secretary to initiate action against an employee under him.
Meanwhile, Sinha said that the step would pave the way for better administration.
“Smooth administration requires delegations of powers. An employee in a department can be best judged by the concerned department secretary,” he said.