Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Dec 27: Addressing a press conference here today on the occasion of release of an e-book highlighting some of the main achievements of DoP&T (Department of Personnel & Training) in last few months, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh announced two major initiatives for the new year, including the decision to send bureaucrats and senior Government officers for interaction and discussion with students on diverse subjects ranging from governance to ethics and the second decision to start country-wide workshops for State Government employees beginning in the first phase from the States of Jammu & Kashmir, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
Elaborating on this, Dr Jitendra Singh said, as the level of public awareness is constantly on the rise and Government is keen to bring in more and more transparency in governance, a closer rapport of senior Government officers with youngsters will enable them to come out from the confines of their office chambers and file work, and obtain a first-hand feel of what the young India thinks about them and how best can they live up to the changing aspirations of the youth who comprise more than 65% of the country’s population.
Referring to the decision to hold district-wise upgradation workshops for Government employees beginning from a peripheral State like Jammu & Kashmir, Dr Jitendra Singh said, this will not only improve the level of deliverance in governance, but will also bring different States closer to the mainstream of deliverance in a country as diverse as India.
Highlighting some of the major achievements of DoP&T in the last six months, Dr Jitendra Singh said that in keeping with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s emphasis on good governance with simplified procedures, the provision for a single self-attested affidavit had been introduced which had eliminated the requirement of attestation by a gazetted officer, notary, etc.
Considering the increasing number of pensioners in the country as a result of increased lifespan and better status of health, Dr. Jitendra Singh said, the process of settlement of pensioners’ grievances had been put on fast-track, as a result of which, as on date, only 25% of the pensioners’ grievances are pending in the Department. In addition, process of holding pensioners’ workshops in different States had also been initiated and first two such workshops were held in Shillong and Agartala in the months of November and December respectively, he added.
In order to make the working environment more conducive for government officials and employees, Dr Jitendra Singh said, a number of innovative decisions had been taken in the last few months, which included exempting an official from mandatory transfer in case he or she happens to be a parent of a differently abled child. In addition, the definition of sexual harassment had been enlarged to include in its ambit, instances of workplace related harassment faced by woman employees even outside the premises of the workplace.
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