To prevent bad things happening to good people and good things happening to bad people

A Departmental Inquiry Manual to help the harassed honest public servant and to make it difficult for the dishonest public servant to escape

PLEDGE


WE, THE PUBLIC SERVANTS OF INDIA, DO HEREBY SOLEMNLY PLEDGE THAT WE SHALL CONTINUOUSLY STRIVE TO BRING ABOUT INTEGRITY AND
TRANSPARENCY IN ALL SPHERES OF OUR ACTIVITIES. WE ALSO PLEDGE THAT WE SHALL WORK UNSTINTINGLY FOR ERADICATION OF CORRUPTION IN
ALL SPHERES OF LIFE. WE SHALL REMAIN VIGILANT AND WORK TOWARDS THE GROWTH AND REPUTATION OF OUR ORGANISATION. THROUGH OUR COLLECTIVE EFFORTS, WE SHALL BRING PRIDE TO OUR ORGANISATIONS AND PROVIDE VALUE-BASED SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRYMEN. WE SHALL DO OUR DUTY CONSCIENTIOUSLY AND ACT WITHOUT FEAR OR FAVOUR.

Need for a new Handbook for Inquiry Officers and Disciplinary Authorities as observed by the Hota Committee Report of July 2010

137. At present, there are a few Handbooks for Inquiry Officers and Disciplinary Authorities. These Handbooks are not official publications but have been written by different authors with knowledge of Service Law. In our view, most of these Handbooks need to be updated. We recommend that the Institute of Secretariat Training and Management(ISTM) under the
Department of Personnel and Training, Government of India will bring out an updated Handbook incorporating the latest Service Laws, the statutory notifications and the Executive Instructions. The need for updating the Handbooks is felt because the latest case laws and instructions are often not included in them. .

How Manuals should be prepared as suggested by the Administrative Reforms Commission

The existing Departmental Manuals and Codes should be **thoroughly reviewed and simplified with a responsibility on the Head of the Department to periodically update such documents and make available soft-copies on-line and hard copies for sale. These manuals must be written in very precise terms, and phrases like ‘left to the discretion of’, ‘as far as possible’, ‘suitable decision may be taken’ etc should be avoided. .**

Why honest should not be harassed as observed by the PC Hota Committee Report July 2010

One of these is the tendency to browbeat members of the All India Services through motivated action, including frequent transfers, transfers to posts which do not normally warrant posting of an officer of his seniority, suspension and initiation of Disciplinary Inquiries without adequate basis. Through such steps, State Governments humiliate and harass several officers of these Services, in effect warning others what can happen to them unless they, too, toe the line… there is need to do much more because the large proportion of the All‐India Services Officers serving in connection with affairs of a state feel quite let down by the inability of the Central Government to protect their interests effectively.

Why should the dishonest be allowed to punish the honest for doing what is expected of them?

All public servants should be honest. They also have a responsibility towards the nation to help the organizations to discharge vigilance functions effectively by bringing to the notice of organizations about the activities of dishonest employees.

Ground Reality

It is only the corrupt people who are favoured. All sensitive posts where there is opportunity for looting money are given to corrupt officials. It is so obvious. It is happening because the whole system is designed to encourage corrupt persons Sri N Vittal, Former Chief Vigilance Commissioner in Bureaucracy Today, 28/2/2011