One of the chief
problems in reforming India’s bureaucracy is that it is a powerful pressure group, which
does not like to see a drop in its influence or a drop in its numbers. Now, a
rare opportunity presents itself.
Of 3.3 million civilian central-government employees at the beginning of April 1, 2014,
nearly one million (around 29%) are in the age group of 50-60 years, according
to data released by
the 7th Pay Commission recently.
“This is a ready pointer to the number of retirements that would
take place in the next ten years,” said the report, running into
nearly 900 pages. “The Commission notes that losing experienced high-level
personnel entails unquantifiable costs as new recruits will require training
and on-the-job skills. At the same time it presents ministries/departments the
opportunity to align their personnel requirement in line with their current and
future challenges.”
That observation is in line with a frequently
mentioned need for administrative reform, which could include bringing in
professionals from outside government, introducing performance-linked salaries
and paying higher salaries to fewer employees.
“Successive governments have been guilty of turning a blind eye to
administrative reform without which economic reform will not have its desired
effect,” former cabinet secretary KM Chandrasekhar wrote in a column
in The Economic Times. “The greatest obstacle to ease of doing
business is administrative incapacity and, to this, governments traditionally
pay no heed. It is time we brought administrative reform to the top of the
governmental agenda and create systems that ensure efficiency and
accountability.”
IndiaSpend’s analysis of the staffing
of government departments and numbers of those facing retirement reveals the opportunities that exist in each.
The Pay Commission decides salaries and incentives for
central-government employees. The Commission, which is constituted once in
every 10 years, is also considered
to be the base to decide salaries for state government employees.
“A central-government employee is defined as all persons in the
civil services of the Central Government or holding civil posts under that
government and paid salaries out of the Consolidated Fund of India. This,
however, does not include such persons appointed to serve Parliament or the
Union Judiciary,” the report said.
Here
are some departments that have a heavy concentration of employees in the 50-60
age group:Ministries With Experienced Personnel
Ministry
|
Personnel (overall)
|
Personnel (ages 50-60)
|
Personnel aged 50-60 as %
of all personnel
|
Textiles
|
3,095
|
2,328
|
75
|
Coal
|
305
|
196
|
64
|
Urban Development
|
30,665
|
18,962
|
62
|
Petroleum & Natural Gas
|
230
|
138
|
60
|
Science & Technology
|
6,680
|
3,787
|
57
|
Heavy Industry
|
246
|
138
|
56
|
New & Renewable Energy
|
187
|
97
|
52
|
AYUSH
|
164
|
84
|
51
|
Power
|
1,044
|
523
|
50
|
Among central-government employees, 22.23% are in the 20-30 age
group, 22.28% in the 30-40 age group and 26.1% people in the 40-50 age group.
Age profile of Central Government Employees
While the sanctioned strength of
central-government employees is more than four million, no more than 3.3
million positions are filled, indicating a vacancy of 744,000 positions or 18%.
Civilian Jobs Available in Department of Posts
Vacancies as percentage of sanctioned strength
The government
recruited 857,764 people between 2006 and 2014 – an annual recruitment of only
100,000 people every year.
During the years 2012 to 2017, India’s labour force is projected to
increase by 44.6 million, which is an average annual increase of more than 8.9
million. “This suggests that the Central Government is at best a marginal
source for employment generation,” said the Pay Commission report.
The recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission are likely
to cost the exchequer more than Rs 1 lakh crore ($15 billion) in financial year
2016-17, an increase of 23% over existing salaries and allowances.
The
7th Pay Commission has recommended
a minimum pay of Rs 18,000 per month — for peons, clerks
and some police head
constables — and an annual increment of 3%. It has also recommended
doubling the ceiling on gratuity (lump sum paid based on years of service) to
Rs 20 lakh from the current Rs 10 lakh, enhanced medical insurance and pension
schemes.
Source : centralgovernmentemployeesportal
No comments:
Post a Comment