Revision of APR guidelines to adopt GoI pattern
Exercise imperative for insertion of stringent provisions
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Nov 14: Notwithstanding the dire need of revisiting the Annual Performance Report (APR) guidelines of the Jammu and Kashmir Government and adopting the Government of India pattern, a high-level committee has failed to submit recommendations to the Government even several months after the lapse of deadline.
Vide Government Order No.693-JK(GAD) dated August 6, 2021, the Government constituted a committee comprising three bureaucrats for revisiting the Annual Performance Report guidelines notified vide Government Order No.1311-GAD dated November 9, 2001.
The committee comprising Principal Secretary to the Government Home Department, Commissioner Secretary to the Government, General Administration Department and Secretary, Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs was directed to submit its recommendations keeping in consideration the existing guidelines in the Jammu and Kashmir and the Government of India pattern on Performance Appraisal Report Rules within a period of one month.
“Though the committee was supposed to submit its recommendations by September 6, 2021 yet it has not completed the task till date”, official sources told EXCELSIOR while disclosing that the committee has met only once so far as a result of which no serious discussion could be held on subject.
Interestingly, even the Government has not exerted any pressure on the committee to seek report despite being aware of the fact that there is a dire need to insert stringent provisions in the APR guidelines.
The necessity of amending the APR guidelines was felt when Government started implementing Smart Performance Appraisal Report Recording Online Window (SPARROW) in respect of Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service (JKAS) officers, sources said, adding “SPARROW developed by the Department of Personnel and Training, Government of India, started demanding those details and information, which don’t find mention in the APR guidelines of J&K Government”.
It is pertinent to mention here that SPARROW makes entire appraisal system online and accessible for review at various levels. The system was first made applicable in respect of IAS cadre and then extended to 13 other cadres including the Central Secretariat Services.
“At the Government of India level, there are very strict provisions vis-à-vis Performance Appraisal Report and unless the officers meet the same the SPARROW platform doesn’t accept the details”, sources said, adding “unless such provisions are incorporated in the guidelines of J&K Government and JKAS officers ensure strict compliance to the same the objective behind using this platform for filing APRs cannot be achieved”.
As far as officers of All India Services are concerned, three types of competencies are checked but in the Jammu and Kashmir there is no such mechanism and the intention behind formation of committee for revisiting existing guidelines was to adopt Government of India mechanism, sources further said, adding “in respect of All India Services officers SPARROW accepts the Performance Appraisal Report details only when Property Statement is submitted and if the officers have written the APRs of the officers working under them in their respective departments”.
Moreover, there are two different procedures—one for above Joint Secretary level officers and another for below Joint Secretary level posts while as in Jammu and Kashmir there is one procedure for all the officers. Likewise, in respect of All India Service officers annual health check-up after the 40 years of age is imperative but there is no such procedure as far as Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service and other officers are concerned.
Keeping in view the necessity of bringing APR writing guidelines at par with Government of India Rules there should not have been any delay on the part of the committee of bureaucrats in submitting the recommendations. Moreover, the committee should keep in mind that on the receipt of recommendations the General Administration Department will have to do other exercise before finally placing the amended guidelines before the Administrative Council or Lieutenant Governor for approval and notification.
EXCELSIOR has time and again highlighted that committees of officers don’t meet the timelines mentioned in the orders as a result of which decisions on important matters get delayed inordinately.
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