Govt quest to improve output of its employees

The department of personnel and training (DoPT) has sent a questionnaire to various ministries seeking their views on better management of human resources.

The DoPT has been tasked with formulating strategies to augment the quality of the officialdom.

"The inputs received as responses would be valuable in the effective management of the human resources of the government," says the letter accompanying the questionnaire, issued last week.

The department is specifically interested in getting the views of the cadrecontrolling authorities of various services.

A cadre-controlling authority is in charge of a service concerned. For instance, the IAS is controlled by the personnel ministry, IPS by the home ministry and IFS by the external affairs ministry.

An interesting poser relates to the Sixth Pay Commission's recommendation to abolish overtime allowance and introduce a performance-related incentive scheme.

The department wants to know to what degree the decision, if accepted, would " disrupt" work in government offices - "to a large extent; to some extent; or not at all". The DoPT also wants to solicit the views of various stakeholders on the issue of contractual appointments.

The questions put forth include: "Are contract appointments beneficial in the long run? Are employees appointed on contract basis able to perform the duties expected of them...? Should relaxation (of standards) be made while appointing employees on contract basis?" The questionnaire, responses to which have to be submitted by April 15, also intends to judge the performance of DoPT itself.

The first question asks: "Do you think the policies made by DoPT are in line with the current needs of the government?" Another sensitive poser relates to the joint consultative machinery (JCM) of the government. The JCM, comprising officers and employees' representatives, is a mechanism for addressing the issues concerning the staff members.

The DoPT wants to know how well the JCM system has worked or whether it has been unsuccessful.