A breather for retiring officers
Government officials on the verge of retirement can take it easy. The department of personnel & training (DoPT) has barred central departments from withholding any portion of the retirement gratuity on grounds that the outstanding licence fee for their government accommodation is yet to be worked out. The only other eventuality that could empower departments to hold back the gratuity is a pending disciplinary proceeding.
Pay hike for junior information officers
Junior level Information Service officers can now get a higher grade if the Information and Broadcasting Ministry finally accepts an order of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT). The Hyderabad bench of the tribunal has asked the Prime Minister's Office to sort out the tussle between I&B and Finance ministries over sixth pay commission recommendation granting higher salary to the junior grade information service officers. The officers have for long been urging I&B ministry to implement the recommendations.
Officers have their way in formulating sports bill
The bureaucrats in the sports ministry have had their way in formulating the National Sports Development Bill. The ministry officials have told the Justice Mukul Mudgal committee to ensure that BCCI comes under the RTI not on the basis of their funding but for using the term India, which many experts say is not legally tenable. Since the government would find it difficult to claim substantial funding to BCCI as in the recent years the cricket authority had not taken substantial tax benefits from the government. So, an alternative was searched.
Guidelines for use of power still missing in govt depts
One year and two reminders later, a majority of the central departments haven't yet drawn up guidelines for exercise of discretionary powers of ministers. The government had last year directed all the departments to frame and make public the guidelines. It turns out that only 18 departments have responded. Of course, no one really expects the guidelines to tie the ministers' hands. The civil servants had taken all the precautions and kept the list of discretionary powers of the ministers so short that even once it is completed, it won't make a difference.
Guidelines for use of power still missing in govt depts
One year and two reminders later, a majority of the central departments haven't yet drawn up guidelines for exercise of discretionary powers of ministers. The government had last year directed all the departments to frame and make public the guidelines. It turns out that only 18 departments have responded. Of course, no one really expects the guidelines to tie the ministers' hands. The civil servants had taken all the precautions and kept the list of discretionary powers of the ministers so short that even once it is completed, it won't make a difference.