Employee rules amended, gift limits revised

The state government made an amendment in the Government Employees8217; Conduct Rules, 1966...

The state government made an amendment in the Government Employees8217; Conduct Rules, 1966, regarding communication of official information by government employees, to conform with the requirements of the Right to Information Act, 2005.

The amendment was approved in the meeting of the State Cabinet which met here today under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Every government servant would now communicate to a member of public or any organisation full and accurate information, which can be disclosed under the RTI Act, 2005. Earlier, under the rule, no government employee. except in accordance with any general or special order, was authorised to communicate such document or information. The amendment has been made on the recommendation of the Second Administrative Reforms Commission of the Central government.

The Cabinet also gave approval for revising the limits fixed for accepting gifts by any government employee. Government employees can now accept gifts from their relatives and friends of Rs 4,000 instead of Rs 500 on weddings, anniversaries, functions or religious functions. However, they will have to report to the government if the value exceeds Rs 4,000. The amendment to Rules-18 2, 18 3 on the recommendation of the Chief Justice and Judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court for acquiring or disposing of immovable property were also approved. The state government also decided to take all the posts of medical officers HCMS-II out of the purview of Haryana Public Service Commission. The Health Department is facing an acute shortage of doctors and the present process of recruitment of doctors through Haryana Public Service Commission is very time consuming.

Recruitment of medical officers would be made by a committee of the Health Department, which would hold interviews on a monthly basis.

The Cabinet also decided to provide a government job to Pardeep Singh, brother of Kuldeep Singh, a resident of Dabar Colony, Bhiwani, who was killed in police firing.

Approval was given to the proposal of General Administration Department for conversion of 61 temporary posts of the state Election Commission into permanent ones and declaration of the state Election Commission, Haryana, as a permanent organisation.

The government also decided to establish a separate Directorate of Medical Education and Research in the state to regulate all the colleges and schools relating to health and education sector.