NEW DELHI: The Modi government has so far dismissed, removed or compulsorily retired 13 bureaucrats and imposed pension cut on 45 others for unsatisfactory performance and delivery in public service, the government informed Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

Minister of state for personnel Jitendra Singh, in reply to a question from some Rajya Sabha MPs, said during the last one-and-a-half years (since the Modi government assumed power in May 2014), “13 Central Civil Service/All India Service officers have been dismissed/removed/compulsorily retired from government service and penalty of pension cut… imposed on 45 Central Civil Service/All India Service officers”.

Singh said the government has taken several steps to remove deadwood and inefficient officials in the Central Civil Services/All India Services. “With a view to making bureaucracy performance-oriented and accountable, the government has recently issued instructions to all ministries/departments to carry out periodical review under FR 56(j) of Rule 48 of CCS (Pension Rules, 1972) and under Rule 16(3) of All India Services (Death-cum-Retirement Benefits) Rules,” he said.

As per these instructions, the performance of government servants should be reviewed six months before he/she attains the age of 50/55 years or on completion of 30 years of qualifying service, as the case may be, to determine if he/she should be retained in service or retired from service in public interest.

The minister said the department of personnel and training (DoPT), to ensure timely disposal of disciplinary cases and maintain a mechanism of probity among government servants, had issued an office memorandum eliciting information pertaining to disciplinary cases in a standardized format, for its monitoring.

Singh further informed that the government recently issued instructions under Rule 7(2) of the AIS (Leave) Rules 1955 to process deemed resignation of bureaucrats who remain unauthorisedly absent after expiry of leave/study leave/foreign assignment etc. “The government also examines cases against officers and imposes penalty of cut in pension wherever necessary, in consultation with the UPSC,” he said.

As part of its endeavour to make bureaucracy performance-oriented and accountable, Singh said DoPT was reviewing disciplinary cases for IAS, under secretary and above level officers of Central Secretariat Service and Group A officers of CBI, on a monthly basis. Even the respective cadre controlling authorities of central services/cadres have been directed to monitor disciplinary cases against officers of those services periodically, he added.

Singh said a committee headed by secretary, DoPT, monitors on quarterly basis status of all delayed cases of sanction for prosecution and takes the steps needed to resolve such cases expeditiously. Besides, the government has instructed all ministries/departments for time-bound submission of proposals to the cadre controlling authority for initiating disciplinary proceedings against IAS officers.