In an unprecedented move to rid the system of lobbying for transfers and postings by government employees, the new BJP government of Odisha has issued an order that prohibits government employees from using influence to secure favourable transfers or postings. The order was passed on November 11.
Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja has written to secretaries of all departments and district collectors to ensure its compliance. This order is said to have been necessitated by the fact that several bureaucrats were found trying to exert “extraneous influence” on their transfers or postings.
The letter cautions bureaucrats that any violation would attract disciplinary action. Transfers and postings are guided by administrative exigencies considering merit and following established procedures. But there has been a growing tendency among bureaucrats to use influence to secure favourable postings and transfers. Now any attempt to circumvent the established norm will be viewed as a serious misconduct inviting punitive action.
Interestingly, this order is being interpreted as yet another crackdown upon the bureaucracy, which is perceived to have yielded tremendous powers during the previous Naveen Patnaik government.
