The Odisha government has taken a tough stance against delays in issuing posting orders that cause abnormal extensions of joining time for government employees.
In a letter issued by Principal Secretary Sanjeeb Kumar Mishra, IAS, the Finance Department directed all administrative departments to fix accountability and recover idle salary from officials responsible for such lapses.
The government observed that files related to posting orders and joining instructions were often kept pending without justification, leading to proposals for joining time extensions beyond six months. These delays, it noted, impose unnecessary financial burdens on the state exchequer and attract adverse audit remarks.
Departments already have the power to sanction joining time up to 120 days under existing Finance Department guidelines. Despite this, repeated cases of prolonged delays prompted the latest directive. The government described such instances as serious and warned that officers whose inaction leads to joining time extensions beyond 30 days will face recovery of the idle salary paid to employees.
The circular also instructed departments not to treat extensions beyond 120 days as routine. Proposals exceeding six months will now undergo strict scrutiny. Officials must ensure that employees awaiting posting orders are assigned temporary duties to prevent payment of salary without work.
Departments must clearly state reasons for delay, identify responsible officials, and specify actions taken before submitting any proposal for extension.
