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New Delhi: The Narendra Modi government has asked over 40 ministries to immediately send details of non-performing and corrupt officers for their compulsory retirement.

The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has sent a letter, marked as ‘Reminder Immediate’, Tuesday to 45 ministries and government bodies, including NITI Aayog, ministries of agriculture, finance, human resource development and law.

In the letter, the DoPT has asked the ministries to send the names by 13 December.

The DoPT further said that very few cadre units have provided inputs to the department with respect to those who are covered under the extant provisions of FR 56(j) and Rule 48 of the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972.

These rules allow the government to carry out compulsory retirement of staff in public interest.

The latest communication from the DoPT comes six months after the government wrote to all ministries asking them to send names of corrupt or non-performing officers to be considered for forced retirement every month.

“The Ministries/Departments should ensure that the prescribed procedure like forming of opinion to retire a Government employee prematurely in public interest is strictly adhered to, and the decision is not an arbitrary one and is not based on collateral grounds,” the DoPT letter dated 22 June had said.

However, according to sources in the DoPT, the ministries have been dragging their feet on submitting these details.

Also read: Modi govt placates IRS officers unhappy with promotion delays, forced retirements

Info govt wants

The DoPT letter has asked the ministries to send details such as how many times the individuals concerned have taken leave, whether penalties have been imposed on them ever and what their appraisals have been like throughout their career.

The government also wants to know the health condition of the employees concerned and whether it has any bearing on their work, whether their services are seen to be useful, whether they are fit to continue to hold the post or if there is any reason to doubt their integrity viz. complaint of suspicious transaction in property, corruption, informal feedback, etc.

Anti-corruption push

After the Modi government came to power this year, it has been a stated aim of the ruling dispensation to weed out officers seen as “deadwood” or those facing allegations of corruption.

In his speech on this year’s Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his government had taken several steps to eradicate corruption.

“You must have seen, in the last five years, and this time after coming to power, we have dismissed several people who enjoyed cushy positions in the government,” he said.

“Those who used to be roadblocks in our endeavours (to eradicate corruption), we told them to pack their bags (because) the country doesn’t need (their) services.”

So far, the government has removed officers only from the Indian Revenue Service (IRS).

Also read: After IRS, Modi govt wants to forcibly retire IAS, IPS officers, review tainted ones monthly

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