Government to set up 2 committees to hire retired babus

The Central government will set up two committees for hiring retired bureaucrats as consultants in various Ministries and departments.

On 9 August, Minister for Personnel and PMO Jitendra Singh told Lok Sabha that bureaucrats and polity were two essential pillars of democracy and bureaucrats and civil servants were tools of governments.

"We can't achieve good governance with bad tools. Therefore, it sometimes becomes necessary to appoint retired bureaucrats. We are now planning to set up a committee with representatives of concerned Ministries or Departments as well as Department of Personnel which will select such candidates.

"If the appointment would be for more than two years and the salary would be more than Rs 50,000, another committee, headed by the Cabinet Secretary, would consider any such proposal of appointment of retired bureaucrats," he said during Question Hour.

The Minister added the government's efforts of appointing retired bureaucrats as consultants were always objective rather than subjective.

"As the consultants and advisors are not to be engaged against regular posts, it is not likely to affect the morale of serving officials or employment opportunities for the youth. Moreover, they bring expertise with them which only improves overall efficiency of the government," he said

Singh said as per the extant rules, the Ministries and Departments may hire external professionals, consultancy firms or consultants for a specific job, not against a regular post.

Some retired senior civil servants having expertise and eminence are also appointed as advisors with a view to achieve certain specified public policy objectives.

-With PTI Inputs