Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath time and again has proved that he is a no nonsense CM and does not think twice before adopting a strict and fearless approach. He is a hard task master. Since the time he has come to power, he has taken various measures to sanitize Uttar Pradesh which was once plagued by lawlessness, corruption and crime. In a major step towards cleaning the bureaucracy of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Government is contemplating “compulsory retirement” for employees aged 50 years and above. The rule is in existence since 1986 but no one dared to implement it. Bureaucrats aged above 50 will be screened, their performance would be judged and their report of their performance will also be submitted by department heads by July 31st. If their performance is found unsatisfying then they will be asked to retire.
An order issued by UP Additional Chief Secretary Mukul Singhal reads, “You all (departmental heads) should complete screening of all the employees above 50 years of age for compulsory retirement by July 31. For considering 50 years of age, the cut off date will be March 31, 2018.” The order further adds, “It means employees who have completed 50 years by this date will be considered for screening.” According to Economic Times, the order also reads that according to rules, any government employee – whether temporary or permanent – can go for retirement. Around four lakh employees would be directly affected by this order.
The order hasn’t gone down well with the employees. They are taking it as an attempt to harass government employees. President of UP Secretariat Employees’ Association, Yadavendra Mishra said, “It will not be tolerated.” He also threatened to go on strike if the state government decided to go on with the employee screening exercise.
Any new change or reform is opposed with all the might by those who are unwilling to change. Change is inevitable. This is an excellent initiative which would help to get away with the complacent and corrupt government employees and would make space for the honest employees to rise and work for the betterment of the people and the state. If strictly implemented then this move would increase the accountability also. People go after the government jobs for comfortable life and job security because they know that in government job there is zero accountability and once you are there, you are in for life. There is almost no incentive to get the things done, and it is one of the prime reasons why things often are not done. This particular measure will help in solving this issue.
This is a good step to improve the working culture of the bureaucracy plagued by zero-accountability, red-tapism and corrupt officers. Earlier also, Yogi Government has strictly directed the government employees to be punctual. He has made it very clear that his government would not tolerate corrupt and non-performing employees in the service.
CM Yogi is one of the most fearless leaders of the current time. His crackdown on ineffective bureaucracy is the first step towards bureaucratic reform in the country. It will set the precedence for the other states to follow the same.