Majority of HoDs, Distt Heads not furnishing tour diaries
ARI & Trainings Deptt a victim of Govt’s neglect
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, June 9: Incredible it may sound but it is a fact that task of conducting administrative inspections of 38 major and minor departments in the Civil Secretariat is being handled by only five officers. This is mainly due to absolute non-serious approach of the Government towards the Administrative Reforms, Inspections, Trainings and Grievances Department.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that the business of Administrative Reforms, Inspections and Trainings Department is transacted in accordance with J&K Business Rules and in terms of Rule 4(i) of the Business Rules, subjects like administrative reforms, Government Presses, inspections, stationery and office supplies, trainings, educational loans and scholarships and redressal of public grievances have been assigned to this department.
The main task of conducting administrative inspections of all the Government offices and departments is aimed at ensuring proper maintenance of records, implementation of Rules and Regulations and detailed instructions to this effect were issued vide Circular No.2-ARI of 1998 dated November 28, 1998.
However, this aspect never received required attention of those who remained at the helm of affairs in the Administrative Reforms, Inspections, Trainings and Grievances Department as a result of which administrative inspections were conducted rarely.
In the recent past, the issue of administrative inspections of all the 38 departments in the Civil Secretariat came up for discussion in a meeting of Committee of Secretaries chaired by the Chief Secretary and in pursuance to the decision taken in the meeting, the Administrative Reforms, Inspections and Training Department constituted two teams for conducting regular inspections of various offices and departments and submit their findings to the Commissioner/Secretary of the department.
“However, ensuring full compliance of the decision taken in the Committee of Secretaries meeting is not possible for the ARI and Trainings Department especially in the light of the fact that department has very limited manpower”, sources said while disclosing that there are only eight officers in this department—Secretary to Government, Director Finance, one Additional Secretary, two Deputy Secretaries, one Under Secretary, Private Secretary to the Secretary to Government and Accounts Officer.
Of these eight officers, only five officers Secretary to Government, Additional Secretary, Deputy Secretaries and Under Secretary can practically conduct administrative inspections. “How merely five officers can conduct thorough inspection of all the Administrative Departments even in the phased manner remains a million dollar question”, sources said, adding “it will take years together to the ARI and Trainings Department to conduct administrative inspections of all the 38 Administrative Departments in the Civil Secretariat with this minimal manpower”.
Accusing Government of being non-serious towards providing requisite manpower to this department, sources said, “the intensity of the situation can be gauged from the fact that even a proposal for increasing the manpower of the department has not been formulated till date”, adding “at least this aspect should have been deliberated upon in the Committee of Secretaries meeting”.
“This department is also responsible for surprise inspections of all heads of the departments and this exercise is being rarely conducted mainly due to shortage of manpower”, sources further informed, adding “ARI and Trainings Department is also required to monitor and ensure submission of monthly tour diaries by all District Heads and Heads of the Departments but due to lack of cooperation from other departments this mandate is also not being achieved”.
They disclosed that majority of the District Heads and Heads of the Departments are not regularly furnishing tour diaries to the ARI and Trainings Department.
“It is mainly due to shortage of the manpower that we are facing difficulties in conducting regular administrative inspections”, said an officer of the ARI and Trainings Department on the condition of anonymity, adding “in other States of the country Administrative Reforms Department is being accorded top most priority by the Governments but unfortunately in Jammu and Kashmir this department is being treated casually”.
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