Senior-most babus must take CM’s permission for leave: Assam govt

Guwahati: The Assam government has revised rules of leave for the state’s senior-most bureaucrats, making it mandatory for them to take permission of the chief minister from now onwards.
This new rule is for all officers from the rank of commissioner and secretary and above and the senior-most secretary of a department.
It was issued last Saturday during Bhogali Bihu after many senior bureaucrats were found absent from important meetings.
The state’s personnel department’s office memorandum states, “It is observed that on some occasions senior officers of government of Assam are not available in the headquarters and hence were not present in important meetings, etc.”
The office memorandum added, “Henceforth, all officers in the rank of commissioner and secretary and above and the senior-most secretary of a department in government of Assam, will obtain prior permission of Hon’ble chief minister of Assam before leaving headquarters for any visit outside the state.”
Earlier, they did not have to obtain any permission for leaving headquarters for private visits within the state but had to inform their heads or the chief secretary.
Last year, the government made it mandatory for all its employees to seek permission from the deputy commissioner of their district of posting before leaving the district.
With regard to foreign trips, all proposals of both official and private foreign trips of officers and employees below the rank of secretary which does not involve any expenditure to the state government have to be approved by departmental ministers.