Know your Ministry - No. 45 - Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions

The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions is placed under the overall charge of the Prime Minister assisted by a Minister of State. It is the coordinating agency of the Central Government in personnel matters specially issues concerning recruitment, training, career development, staff welfare as well as the post retirement dispensation. The Ministry is also concerned with the process of responsive people-oriented modern administration.  The Ministry comprises three Departments: (i) Department of Personnel and Training (DoP&T) (ii) Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DAR&PG) (iii) Department of Pensions and Pensioners’ Welfare (DoP&PW)

VISION & MISSION:

The Ministry has set up its Vision to create an enabling environment for the development and management of Human Resources of the Government for efficient, effective, accountable, responsive, transparent and ethical governance. It has established a Mission for Development and management of government personnel by attracting the best talent, providing excellent career advancement opportunities, encouraging competence and innovation, adopting a dynamic framework of personnel policies and procedures, ensuring capacity building at all levels, inculcating and supporting a culture of transparency, accountability and zero tolerance of corruption in public affairs, and institutionalizing a system of continuous and constructive engagement with stakeholders to make the public services in India more efficient, effective, accountable and responsive.

Divisions of the Ministry: Recruitment Agencies, Training Division, Senior Appointments under the Government of India, Administrative Vigilance, Central Vigilance Commission, Central Bureau of Investigation, Joint Consultative Machinery, Central Administrative Tribunal, Staff Welfare, Public Enterprises Selection Board and Central Information Commission

DEPARTMENT OF PERSONNEL & TRAINING

The role of the Department of Personnel & Training can be conceptually divided into two parts, In its large nodal role, it acts as the formulator of policy and the watch-dog of the Government ensuring that certain accepted standards and norms, as laid down by it, are followed by all Ministries/Departments, in the recruitment, regulation of service conditions, posting/transfers, deputation of personnel as well as other related issues. Towards this end, guidelines are issued by it for the benefit of all Ministries/Departments and it monitors the implementation of these guidelines. It also advises all organizations of the Central Government on issues of personnel Management. At a more immediate level, the Department has the direct responsibility of being the cadre controlling authority for the IAS and the three Secretariat Services in the Central Secretariat. The Department also operates the Central Staffing Scheme under which suitable officers from All India Services and Group ‘A’ Central Services are selected and then placed in posts at the level of Deputy Secretary/Director and Joint Secretary, on the basis of tenure deputation. The Department also deal with cases of appointment to posts of Chairman, Managing Director, full-time functional Director/Member of the Board of Management of various Public Sector Undertakings/ Enterprises, Corporations, Banks and financial institutions. It also deals with the assignment of Indian experts to various developing countries. It is also responsible for formulation and coordination of training policies for the All India and Central Services and providing support for the capacity building of State Government officials.

The Ministry is also entrusted with the administrative work relating to the following Institutions: - • Union Public Service Commission • Central Vigilance Commission • Lokpal • Central Administrative Tribunals • Central Information Commission • Central Bureau of Investigation • Staff Selection Commission • Public Enterprises Selection Board • Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration • Institute of Secretariat Training and Management.

DEPARTMENT OF PENSION & PENSIONERS’ WELFARE

The Department of Pension & Pensioners' Welfare is the nodal department for formulation of policies relating to pension and other retirement benefits of Central Govt. employees covered under CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972  (except Defence, Railway and Post & Telecommunication). Apart from formulation of pension policy for the Central Govt. Pensioners/Family Pensioners, it also seeks to promote pensioners welfare and serves as a forum for the redressal of Pensioners' grievances.

DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE REFORMS & PUBLIC GRIEVANCES

The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances is the nodal agency of the Government of India for administrative reforms as well as redressal of public grievances relating to the States in general and those pertaining to the Central Government agencies in particular. The Department endeavours to document and disseminate successful governance practices by way of audio-visual media and publications. The Department also undertakes activities in the field of international exchange and cooperation to promote public service reforms. There are seven Divisions in the Department namely Administrative Reforms, Organization & Methods, e-Governance, Documentation & Dissemination, International Cooperation, Administration & Coordination and Public Grievances. The Principle objectives of the Department are:

• Promoting administrative reforms in government policies, structures and processes.
• Formulation of policy and coordination of issues relating to redress of grievances.
• Dissemination of governance knowledge and good practices.
• Promoting reforms through e-Governance.

The Department has set up its vision to facilitate pursuit of excellence in governance for the benefit of all citizens. It has established a Mission to foster excellence in governance and pursuit of administrative reforms through:

• Improvements in government structures and processes.
• Promoting citizen-centric governance with emphasis on grievance redressal.
• Innovations in e-Governance.
• Documentation and dissemination of good practices.

PRINCIPAL AGENDA TO MOVE FORWARD

• The Never ending problem of Corruption in Public Office and the need for stringent legislative measures to establish Integrity and Honesty of Public Servants including that of the Executive has to be formulated sooner or later to cleanse the System and restore Trust and Confidence of the people of the country.
• Ministry to create a vibrant environment in order to exhibit utmost transparency in the functions of the Executives devoid of inefficiency and ineffectiveness to restore ethical governance.
• Identification of the best talent available in the country to provide employment opportunities to encourage competence and innovation in Governance.
• Introduce Reforms to study the administrative feasibility to remove the executive control or clutches from any ruling Central Government to make Agencies of National importance like Union Public Service Commission, Central Vigilance Commission, Lokpal, Central Administrative Tribunals,  Central Information Commission, Central Bureau of Investigation • Staff Selection Commission, Public Enterprises Selection Board and Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration • Institute of Secretariat Training and Management.
• To include the Pension and Pensioner’s Welfare matters of Banks, Defence, Railway and Post & Telecommunication along with other Central Government Services under the administrative and executive control of a single Apex Executive body under an Independent Ministry by making suitable amendments to the existing Enactments.