Govt Keen to Ensure Timely Promotions of Employees Without Slightest Delay: Union Minister Jitendra Singh

Union Minister Jitendra Singh expressed the central government's strong commitment to ensuring prompt promotions for central government employees during a meeting with the delegation of the Central Secretariat Rajbhasha Seva Sangathan. The delegation, which visited him on Monday, conveyed gratitude for clearing a backlog of delayed promotion cases through mass promotions. They further appealed for similar swift resolution of pending cases related to Rajbhasha officials, as stated by the Personnel Ministry in a release on Tuesday.

Singh assured the delegation of the Department of Personnel and Training's (DoPT) unwavering focus on timely promotions across various government employee cadres. He highlighted the DoPT's recent approval, in June, for the mass promotion of 1,592 Assistant Section Officers (ASOs) to the post of SOs on an ad-hoc basis, emphasizing immediate implementation.

The minister underscored the significant promotions accomplished in the past years, citing approximately 9,000 mass promotions in the preceding year and 4,000 promotions in the three years prior, sanctioned by the DoPT.

Singh emphasized Prime Minister Narendra Modi's strong emphasis on providing a conducive work environment and timely benefits to diligent officials, aiming to sustain their motivation for nation-building efforts.

Highlighting the government's efforts over the past nine years under Prime Minister Modi's guidance, Singh addressed prolonged stagnation issues in various central ministries. He attributed these issues to historical legacies, such as pending court cases, inadequate vacancies in higher grades, and personnel-related challenges.

Acknowledging the prolonged stagnation experienced by certain cadres and employees at specific levels, Singh noted instances where employees in the lowest administrative positions spent 30 to 35 years without receiving promotions. He highlighted that, in many cases, litigation had stalled promotions due to inappropriate decisions or previous administrations manipulating rules for out-of-turn promotions.

Regarding the 4,000 recent promotions, Singh highlighted the government's careful consideration, seeking legal counsel and establishing valid provisions for judicial scrutiny even when cases were under legal review, emphasizing the meticulousness of the process.