AP govt makes CM accepting authority for annual PARs

Amaravati, Apr 10 (PTI): The Andhra Pradesh government on Saturday made the Chief Minister the Accepting Authority for the annual Performance Appraisal Reports (PARs) of All India Services (IAS, IPS and IFS) officers.

Chief Secretary Aditya Nath Das issued an order to this effect on Saturday, revising the All India Services (Performance Appraisal Report) Rules, 2007 to ''ensure uniformity and control of the executive over the administration for effective public service delivery''.

The Chief Ministers Office termed the new system a ''part of good governance'' to ensure officers get ''encouraged benefited in their career'', irrespective of their seniority.

Senior bureaucrats, however, termed this ''totally against the principles of good governance and decentralization''.

Except in the case of the Secretary to Governor, for whom the Governor himself will be the PAR Accepting Authority, for all other IAS, IPS and IFS officers, it is the Chief Minister.

Hitherto, only in the case of District Collectors and above ranks of IAS officers the PARs, also known as Annual Confidential Reports, used to be referred to the CM.

A senior bureaucrat wondered where the constitutional principle of separation of powers, between the executive and the legislature, now lies.

Bureaucrats in the CMO had a different take on this.

''As the CM is the transferring and disciplinary authority for all AIS officers, as part of good governance, it is desirable that he should give feedback both orally and in a structured manner in the form of an annual performance appraisal system.

Keeping this in mind, the CM has been made the Accepting Authority for all AIS officers and Chief Secretary, DGP and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests the Reviewing Authority for the respective AIS cadres, bureaucrats in the CMO noted.

Bureaucrats, however, are not ready to buy this argument.

''Even in the Government of India, the minister (concerned) is the Accepting Authority only for Joint Secretary and above (ranks). Below that its the secretary concerned,'' a top IAS officer pointed out.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)