As part of good governance, Rajasthan government is mulling over rolling out transfer policy on the lines of central government, which will restrict transferring employees before three years.
The state government has prepared a common standard operating procedure (SOP) which has been sent to all departments. The head of departments and other senior officers will discuss the provisions and come out with suggestions. The transfer policy is the brain child of chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma and chief secretary Sudhansh Pant
As per the common SOP, employees will not be transferred before three years while they will have to serve at least two years in rural areas during their entire service period.
Transfer policy: A long time demand
There has been demand for a clear cut policy on transfer of government employees. There have always been disputes regarding transfers. During the last tenure of Vasundhara Raje government (2013-2018) a committee under the leadership of then home minister Gulab Chand Kataria was set up. It had come out with a draft policy but the government failed to implement that. The transfers remained to be in the hands of MLAs and ministers who manipulated it through desires .
People alleged exchange of money for transfers and transfers-postings became a money spinning industry for politicians.
When Bhajan Lal Sharma government came in, transfers started taking place in the month of February opening the Pandora's box again. With transfers started disputes and many employees moved courts against the basis of transfers. In the absence of any valid transfer policy government failed to defend its decisions and it had to revise transfer orders several times much to its embarrassment.
What will be there in the new transfer policy?
Now the government has decided to bring in new transfer policy. The state government will invite online applications from employees before transfer on vacant posts. The applications of employees will be scrutinised by the senior officers and HOD who will ensure counselling those employees. During counselling, physically handicapped, widows, single woman, extraordinary sportspersons, husband-wife matters, dependents of martyrs, employees suffering from in curable diseases and those who have spent considerable time in dark zones will be preferred.
However, the SOP will not be applicable in departments like Raj Bhawan, Assembly and state election commission.
According to sources, the SOP will be implemented as it is in departments where the number of employees are less than 2,000. However, departments having employees more than 2,000 have been asked to send their suggestions which can be incorporated in the transfer policy to suit their needs and requirements. The transfer policy will be applicable for all boards, corporations, public sector units and local bodies.
How the policy will work?
Every year, departments will have to upload information about the vacant posts on portal between 1-15 January. In the basis of that list, employee can apply for transfer online between 1-28 February. The department will conduct counselling sessions on the received applications between 1-30 March following which the transfer list will be released by April 30 every year.
