Days after a controversy erupted over alleged anomalies in transfers of officers in the Public Works Department (PWD), health department and Jal Shakti, the UP government on Tuesday decided that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s approval would be mandatory in transfer of any government employee henceforth. Chief Secretary Durga Shanker Mishra issued an order to this effect on Tuesday. In the order, Mishra made a reference to an earlier order issued on June 15 that was regarding the transfer policy of government officials and employees in 2022-23. The order issued on Tuesday said after the end of the transfer period as per the annual transfer policy for 2022-23, approval of the CM would be required for all types of transfers of personnel of groups A, B and C and D. According to the annual transfer policy issued on June 15, the transfer period ended on June 30. In that policy, it was mentioned that all transfers at the level of government, heads of departments, division and district level must be completed by June 30 in the transfer session 2022-23. It added that after the end of the transfer period, transfer of personnel of Group A would be permitted after approval of the CM through the minister of the department concerned. However, transfers of personnel of Group B, C and D were allowed to be done “in inevitable circumstances with the approval of the minister of the department concerned.” “With the order issued on Tuesday, the CM has taken the authority to take a decision on the transfer of government officer and employee - right from an IAS officer to a peon posted in any department. Also, the order is a setback for the ministers of the state Cabinet and they will not be able to approve transfer employees of groups B, C and D henceforth,” said an official in the department of appointment and personnel. The Adityanath-led government had to repeatedly face embarrassment over allegations of anomalies in transfers on different departments last month. In July, UP’s PWD Minister Jitin Prasada had come under a cloud in the wake of removal of his Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Anil Kumar Pandey and suspension (by CM Adityanath) of five senior PWD officials over their alleged involvement in transfers in lieu of money. Newsletter | Click to get the day's best explainers in your inbox In the same month, Minister of State for Jal Shakti Dinesh Khatik sent his resignation to Governor Anandiben Patel and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, alleging anomalies in transfers and that he was facing discrimination because he was a Dalit. An official in the department of appointment and personnel said, “All due transfers were to be done by June 30. Now if there will be any genuine proposal for transfer of any government employee, it can be done only after approval from the CM office. The decision will filter unnecessary proposals for transfers.”
