Don't address grievances to Prime Minister: Govt warns babus

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New Delhi: Irked by a plethora of grievances of government employees reaching the Prime Minister's Office, the Centre has issued a warning to the officials, asking them to follow other channels for redressal of their complaints.
In a stern directive, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said necessary 'disciplinary action' will be taken against central government employees if they address their grievances to the Prime Minister, Ministers or high functionaries like Secretary directly.
"This Department is receiving a number of representations, on service matters, addressed to the Prime Minister, Minister, Secretary (Personnel) and other officers directly from the government servants... "In any matter connected with service rights or conditions, a government servant wishes to press a claim or to seek redress of a grievance, the proper course for him is to address his immediate official superior, or the head of his office, or such other authority at the lowest level as is competent to deal with the matter," said the order which cited an over 60-year-old government instruction in this regard.
Of late, it is observed that there is an increasing tendency on the part of officers at different levels to by-pass the prescribed channels of representation and write directly to the high functionaries totally ignoring the prescribed channels, it said.
"The problem is more acute in large departments where often very junior employees at clerical level address multiple representations to the Minister, Prime Minister and other functionaries. "Apart from individual representations, the service unions have also developed a tendency to write to the Ministers and Prime Minister on individual grievance," said the order issued recently to all central government departments.
Some of these representations are often forwarded through Members of Parliament, in violation of rules, the order said, adding that existing instructions clearly provide that representations on service matters should be forwarded through proper channel.
As such, submission of representations directly to higher authorities by-passing the prescribed channel of communication has to be viewed seriously and appropriate disciplinary action should be taken against those who violate these instructions as it can rightly be treated as an unbecoming conduct, the DoPT said citing instructions in circulars issued in 1952, 1968 and 1999.
"It is again reiterated that these instructions may be brought to the notice of all government servants and appropriate disciplinary action may be taken against those who violate these instructions," the order added.