GANGTOK, 19 June: The State Government, on 16 June, rescinded all permissions granted to government servants to join associations and organizations. With the Circular issued by the Department of Personnel making this announcement, government servants are no longer allowed to become members of any association.
Since just about all ‘associations’, from sports bodies to literary to community to social organizations, have substantial government servant membership, how these groups weather this thinning out will be interesting to watch.
But that is not the big worry. The implementation of this Circular is bound to come with its share of confusion because even the implementing department, the DoP, appears largely unclear of not only what is expected of it in instances of ‘disobedience’, but even about which memberships are disallowed and which can be overlooked.
The Circular in question does not help in clearing the air because it has banned government servant membership from “any association”. And almost immediately confusion begins with officials at the DoP, at the moment at least, unclear on how ensure effective implementation. In fact, the department has yet to ascertain for itself whether employees’ associations are also included in memberships no longer allowed to government servants.
The Circular which is all of one sentence long, disallows memberships from “any association”, a terming which even as it is explicit in banning all memberships, is also vague because it does not mention any exemptions.
Officials at the DoP when queried on the matter were clearly unclear on the finer points of the implementation of the ban, the rationale behind it – apart from it being a proviso in the Employees Conduct Rules – nor did they have much idea as to what would be the fate of the existing various kinds of employees’ associations. Apart from the general Employees’ Association for group C & D employees there are other associations as well including the MR & WC employees’ association and association of certain cadres of employees as well.
To further complicate the conundrum, the DoP does not have the figures on the number of employees who, on permission of the government, are members of various associations or are associated with them in any capacity. This, after several days since the order was issued by the state government.
The order was issued by the government on the basis of the Sikkim Government Servants (Conduct) Rules 1981 a clause [Rule 7] in which says that the every government servant requires the permission of the government prior to joining to any NGO or association. The recently issued government circular states that the government has decided to take back its permission on employees’ joining various associations; it states “…in supersession of all the permissions granted to government employees’ under Rule 7 of the Sikkim Government Servants (Conduct) Rules, 1981”.
The senior officers in administration were not available to comment on the issue since they were engaged with pre-budget consultations and preparation.
The state government servants have more than 15 registered associations, and what will be the fate of these associations is not yet decided nor has the state government deregistered these associations after the circular was published on 16 June.
Senior government officials at the DoP admit that there will be several interpretations of the circular.
Meanwhile, members of Doctors’ Association have put in their resignation papers today itself. The other employee associations are probably bidding their time, awaiting more clarity.
Since just about all ‘associations’, from sports bodies to literary to community to social organizations, have substantial government servant membership, how these groups weather this thinning out will be interesting to watch.
But that is not the big worry. The implementation of this Circular is bound to come with its share of confusion because even the implementing department, the DoP, appears largely unclear of not only what is expected of it in instances of ‘disobedience’, but even about which memberships are disallowed and which can be overlooked.
The Circular in question does not help in clearing the air because it has banned government servant membership from “any association”. And almost immediately confusion begins with officials at the DoP, at the moment at least, unclear on how ensure effective implementation. In fact, the department has yet to ascertain for itself whether employees’ associations are also included in memberships no longer allowed to government servants.
The Circular which is all of one sentence long, disallows memberships from “any association”, a terming which even as it is explicit in banning all memberships, is also vague because it does not mention any exemptions.
Officials at the DoP when queried on the matter were clearly unclear on the finer points of the implementation of the ban, the rationale behind it – apart from it being a proviso in the Employees Conduct Rules – nor did they have much idea as to what would be the fate of the existing various kinds of employees’ associations. Apart from the general Employees’ Association for group C & D employees there are other associations as well including the MR & WC employees’ association and association of certain cadres of employees as well.
To further complicate the conundrum, the DoP does not have the figures on the number of employees who, on permission of the government, are members of various associations or are associated with them in any capacity. This, after several days since the order was issued by the state government.
The order was issued by the government on the basis of the Sikkim Government Servants (Conduct) Rules 1981 a clause [Rule 7] in which says that the every government servant requires the permission of the government prior to joining to any NGO or association. The recently issued government circular states that the government has decided to take back its permission on employees’ joining various associations; it states “…in supersession of all the permissions granted to government employees’ under Rule 7 of the Sikkim Government Servants (Conduct) Rules, 1981”.
The senior officers in administration were not available to comment on the issue since they were engaged with pre-budget consultations and preparation.
The state government servants have more than 15 registered associations, and what will be the fate of these associations is not yet decided nor has the state government deregistered these associations after the circular was published on 16 June.
Senior government officials at the DoP admit that there will be several interpretations of the circular.
Meanwhile, members of Doctors’ Association have put in their resignation papers today itself. The other employee associations are probably bidding their time, awaiting more clarity.
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