By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Aug 2: The Meghalaya government has issued the office memorandum for the timely conduct of Departmental Promotion Committees (DPCs).
The office memorandum (OM) issued by the Personnel and Administrative Reforms (B) Department said there are cases of delay in convening the DPCs and eligible candidates are not promoted on time despite vacancies, heading to discontentment.
The office memorandum said the delay is due to issues such as the non-availability of annual confidential reports (ACRs), slow processing of files, and non-availability of records on the status of court cases or criminal cases, necessitating the issuance of a standard operating procedure or SOP.
The SOP stated all departments/ heads of departments/ offices should review the promotions at least twice – in January and July – a calendar year to fill up vacancies due to arise.
According to the OM, the ACRs of all government servants should be maintained and updated regularly to be acted upon when the DPCs are convened.
It has also come to the notice of the government, the OM said, that adverse entries in the ACRs are not reported according to the standing instructions of the Personnel Department. This leads to delays in conducting the DPCs, it added.
“In relation to this, the instructions contained in this Department’s OM number PER (AR) 149/80/Pt.1I1 dated 2 February 1983 is to be adhered to in cases where there are adverse remarks in entries in ACRs,” the OM stated.
All departments, heads of departments, and offices have also been asked to provide the latest status of a court or criminal case pending against an incumbent government servant whose promotion is under consideration.
They have also been asked to periodically review the date of superannuation of the government servants concerned with a DPC to be convened at least two months before an eligible government servant retires so that he or she can be promoted on the date of superannuation.
All departments, heads of departments, and offices have further been directed to submit a quarterly report to the Personnel and Administrative Reforms (B) Department. The report will be placed before the Chief Secretary to the government of Meghalaya for information.