Odisha Govt Prescribes New Guidelines for Engagement of Retired Employees

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Thursday released detailed guidelines for temporarily employing retired personnel.

During 2010- 2014, government establishments faced a severe manpower shortage due to delayed recruitment for various unavoidable reasons, resulting in an excessive workload on the remaining staff. To address this issue, the government decided to temporarily re-engage retired government employees with professional expertise on a contractual basis, under certain terms and conditions.

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This re-engagement was envisioned as a necessity. However, it has been observed that various departments and offices are routinely engaging retired government employees without proper justification, simply to handle day-to-day tasks. Often, such re-engagements occur even when there is no compelling reason for them.

Re-engaging retired employees has inadvertently become commonplace, deviating from the original intent of the policy. These engagements are made contractually for varying durations, remunerations, and terms and conditions.

With financial improvements over the years, relaxed recruitment policies by the Finance Department, and the strengthening and streamlining of recruitment processes, including the rationalization of exams, the situation has significantly improved. After careful review, the government has decided to revoke Resolution No. 23750, dated 27.08.2074, establishing a uniform principle that routine work vacancies should not be filled by re-engaging retired employees.

Instead, departments and offices should take appropriate actions to fill these vacancies through direct or promotional recruitment. Before considering the re-engagement of retired government employees, departments and offices must evaluate the proposal thoroughly.

1. Applicability:

These guidelines shall apply to officers to be re-employed to such posts/services as may be decided by the Government from time to time.

2. Eligibility Conditions:

(i) Officers who have retired from Government service on attaining the age of superannuation and are below the age of sixty-five years having good service records and are physically fit shall be eligible to be considered for re-employment.

(ii) Officers against whom departmental proceedings (u/r15 or u/r 16) or criminal cases are pending or who have been penalized for misconduct during the
period of preceding five years shall not be considered for post-retirement re engagement.

(iii) Officers having “Outstanding” CCR/PAR for continuous sixty months before superannuation can only be considered for re engagement. (NRC shall not be deemed to be OUTSTANDING)

(iv) He/she will not be considered for re-engagement if adverse remarks were recorded in his/her CCR/PAR during preceding ten years of superannuation.

3. Selection Process:

(i) Selection of persons will be made through open adveftisement or any method as decided by the Government from time to time.

(ii) There shall be a Selection Committee to be constituted as mentioned below who will decide the re-engagement of retired employees on the
proposal of the concerned Administrative department ;

(a) Chief Secretary : Chairman

(b) ACS, GA & PG Department : Member

(d) Secretary ofthe respective Ii,/D : Member convenor

The Secretary of the AD shall present the proposals before the Committee and shall have to satisfy the committee about the compelling reasons for re-engagement of such employee. All re-engagements shall be resorted to only in rare cases and not as a matter of routine.

Such re-engagement shall be limited to 1olo of the sanctioned strength in the SB level & above for respective departments.

Only if the Committee is satisfled about the justification, it will recommend the proposal to Hon’ble Chief Minister for his consideration and approval. Mere
recommendation by the Commiftee shall not create any right of the employee to be considered for re-engagement. All such re-engagements shall have to be approved by Chief Minister. There shall be no Post Facto approval in any re-engagement matters.

4. Tenure, Terms and Conditions:

(i) The re-employment shall be made initially for a period of one year and can be extended for subsequent period of three years with spells of one year each subject to satisfactory performance up to a total period of four years not beyond the age of sixty-five years of age in any case or till the posts are filled up by regular process whichever is earlier.

(ii) Re-employed officers will be entitled to pay, leave and other allowances as determined by the Administrative DepartmenvAppointing Authority with
the concurrence of the Finance Department.

(iii) Re-employed officers shall be governed by the provisions of Odisha Government Servants’ Conduct Rules, 1957 and can be proceeded against
for their misconduct, omissions and commissions as per the provisions under the Odisha Pension Rules, 1992.

(iv) The re-employment can be terminated at any time by the respective appointing authority due to unsatisfactory performance or otherwise by
giving one month notice. On the contrary if any re-employed olficer desires to resign he shall do so by giving one month’s written notice to the
competent authority.

(v) The case of officers shall be considered for re-engagement only after theretired officer has vacated the government accommodation allotted to
them. (However, Government may relax this provision where-ever it feels necessary in the interest of exigencies of situation.)