Punjab vigilance asks all depts to share details on ‘expat’ officials

CHANDIGARH:  The Punjab Vigilance Bureau wants all government wings to furnish details on officials who have permanent residency abroad or those with a Green Card. The state government had recently sacked an official of the civil supplies department for concealing the fact that he had acquired permanent residency in Canada 15 years back.

Seven years back the VB in its report to the government had stated that some 130 gazetted and non-gazetted officers had obtained PR or Green Card in violation of service rules. However, no action was taken then. The Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department has dismissed deputy director Rakesh Kumar Singla for hiding his residency status. He was handed a chargesheet in 2017. The charges were proved on Jan 29, 2019.

Punjab Consumer Affairs minister Lal Chand Kataruchakk said the official had violated the Punjab Civil Services Rules, 1970. “I have instructed officials to write to all departments to share details with the bureau about the officials who have obtained permanent residency or have green-cards of foreign countries. While serving as a government employee, one cannot be a citizen of another country,’’ said a senior VB officer.

Sources said the May 2015 VB report to the government listed about 130 such officers, including an IAS and two PCS officers. “Most such staff were from the education and agriculture departments. Many departments chose not to revert on the VB report,’’ said a VB officer. In March 2006, then joint secretary (personnel) wrote to all departments saying “references are received from various departments seeking clarifications on granting a ‘no-objection certificate’ to government officers/officials for seeking emigration to foreign countries.”

Citing a Central government policy, the letter said no government officer or official should apply for or seek emigration to any country as long as one is in government service. “The question of issuing a no-objection certificate to a government employee who wishes to migrate to a foreign country, therefore, does not arise. The same rule is also a part of the All India Service Conduct Rules 1968, added in 1993,” said an officer. The Punjab Vigilance Bureau in its 2015 report referred to this letter while listing 130 officials having permanent residency abroad.