GANGTOK: Pressing for administrative reforms in his second term, Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Golay has assured that the four-year regularisation policy is here to stay but will be based on the performance of government officials.
On Monday, in the first coordination meeting of the 2nd SKM government with senior government officials at Manan Kendra, CM Golay said, “The four-year regularisation policy for temporary government employees in non-gazetted posts will stay intact. But regularisation will not be done in general. We won’t regularise those employees with a poor performance record or those who have failed to do their duty sincerely.”
Golay emphasised the regularisation of those temporary employees who are diligent in their duties and have their good performance reports endorsed by their departments.
“Those who have been negligent in their duties will not be regularised until they improve. Currently, the same regularisation policy applies to those who work and those who are lazy. It is the same policy for those who come to the office at 9 am and those who come at 2 pm. This is not justified. We must value and reward hardworking employees, while those who are delinquent should receive punishment,” said the Chief Minister.
CM Golay, a seven-time legislator, is well-versed in the functioning of the state government and is aware of how “some officials and employees prioritize their social functions over being in their offices during working hours.” He stated, “First, they go for their social functions and only after that come to the office. Our first priority should be our duty. Those coming late in the afternoon after attending social functions get the same promotion as those who come early and work late. This is not justified, and we must create a policy regarding promotions. I feel that we should not go for promotions in general,” he said.
He announced that even those officials who are relatives of the Chief Minister or the ministers should not be spared for negligence in duty. “I ask the heads of departments, additional chief secretaries, and the chief secretary to listen carefully to my announcement. There could be my relatives or relatives of ministers, MLAs, or secretaries in the offices. If they don’t do their duty using my name, immediately suspend them. If not done, I will take action against you. It is not acceptable that my or ministers’ relatives do not work sincerely. Immediate action should be taken, and I will reward such officers on national days of August 15 or January 26 for their courage,” said Golay.
He directed the senior officials to keep his and the ministers’ relatives under close scrutiny regarding their duties and attendance.
Golay directed Chief Secretary VB Pathak, present at the meeting, to formulate a policy along these lines for the promotion of government employees.
Golay assured the delivery of government services at the public’s doorstep. He urged senior government officials to ensure proper inter-departmental cooperation, timely processing of files, and decision-making at their respective levels instead of passing the responsibility to higher-ups, causing needless delays.
Golay highlighted why the SKM government needs to deliver more in its second term. “Last term, we told the people that we could not do much work due to the Covid pandemic. But now people will not excuse this time, and hence, let us all work committedly,” said Golay, urging the ministers also to take full responsibility for their departments.
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