BHUBANESWAR: Undue favour shown to some retired bureaucrats by re-engaging them as officers on special duty (OSD) in key posts and giving annual extensions by the State government has been resented by officers of different departments. While most of them did not wish to voice their protest as they are not affected, officers belonging to Odisha Secretariat Service (OSS) cadres have come out openly against post-retirement job extension of an officer of Additional Secretary-rank in Home department when the cadre posts are filled up.
Members of the OSS have petitioned Chief Secretary SC Mahapatra objecting to further extension of Sribhusan Shukla, who retired as Additional Secretary in July 2020 and re-engaged as OSD in the same post he was working in Home department. “We object to his further extension as it violates the provisions contained in the General Administration (GA) department resolution (No.23750/Gen) of August 27, 2014. There is no need of an additional hand in a senior position when there is no vacancy in the cadre posts of the department,” said a senior officer of the department.
The resolution said the department authority can hire the job of retired government officers when there are vacancies and recruitment or promotion is not possible due to factors beyond the control of the authority concerned. In order to make a fair recruitment to the vacant post, the authorities concerned are required to invite applications from persons meeting the prescribed criteria.
A suitable person from among the applicants should be selected by a committee. Curiously, all the re-engagement of retired officers is made without following the provisions laid down in the resolution. While the Finance department is giving concurrence, the GA department is not raising any objection to such violation.
In the case of Shukla, the July 8 order of the GA department said, “In pursuance of the provision contained in the General Administration department Resolution No.23750/Gen dated 27.08.2014, the government has been pleased to extend the re-engagement of Sribhusan Shukla, OAS (SAG) (Retd.) as officer on special duty in the Home department for a period not exceeding one year w.e.f. 08.07.2021.”