www.callforjustice.in
How many years of service is enough for bank management to assess and judge the potential, character, knowledge, capability, capacity, attitude, managerial skill, innovative skills, creative ideas, ,initiative, willingness, honesty and integrity etc of an officer for giving promotion to him from one grade to another grade, or from one scale to other?
10 years,
20 years,
30 years
or more?
Educational qualification of a staff, record of performance during preceding years and his capacity to satisfy customers is already tested by management during his posting at various branches and offices. What else is then required to be tested by Interview panel to judge whether one staff is suitable for promotion or not?
Quality of an officer is already tested by bank management in span of more than 10 years and even thirty years of service and hence it is foolish to expect from members of Interview panel that during one to three minute interaction with the candidate in Interview process they will be able to extract something additional from the candidate.
Obviously Interview process is used to reject good officers and select officers who may be bad performer but who are the choice of members of Interview panel constituted for promotion process. Officers who are flatterer and who earn bribe and honestly share with their bosses or who is choice of some VIPs can be selected in preference to really good performers only by using weapons of rejection handed over to members of Interview panel.
If 10 to 30 years of service is not adequate to estimate the suitability of an officer for promotion to higher scale I think officers who judge and who are supposed to decide the suitability of an officer for promotion to higher grade or higher scale are incompetent and of doubtful integrity. Obviously such officers should be shown the exit door first.
On the contrary if an officer is not fit for promotion to higher scale even after 10 to 30 years of his service, such incompetent officers should be removed from service or given CRS.Only stopping of annual increment is not enough to penalize such non performers.
It is worthwhile to mention here that officers who work sincerely but not found fit for promotion either by corrupt member of Interview panel in interview process or due to biased rating in Annual appraisal reports are given assignment of higher responsibility by bank management. Such senior officers perform the best but they are not given even annual increment. They are kept in stagnation for three years irrespective of their performance. Juniors who do not perform are getting increment every year without any hindrances whereas seniors who perform better are denied even annual increment. It is justified or not only God knows.
But if an officer has to pass through ordeal of interview for getting promotion to higher grade scale does not seem justified from any angle of consideration. Interview and appraisal system in banking industry prevalent for promotion is totally unjustified, illogical and ill motivated. Such unwarranted processes give enough scope for injustice. Such Interviews are nothing but paves the way for arbitrary promotion to person who are not good for the health of the bank.
This is worthwhile to state that officers who are selected for promotion are invariably found to be guilty of causing loss to bank in subsequent years. It astonishes that officers of negligent and fraudulent character, officers who are charged with various lapses and against whom disciplinary action has been initiated, are selected in faulty promotion processes prevalent in banking industry and conducted by greedy and corrupt senior officers. This is why bad officers are posted as Branch head who do not know how to deal with customers and how to protect the interest of the bank. As a result NPA is increasing year after year in Public sector banks and the government is silent spectator of mischievous acts of top ranked officers.
CBI is more often than not ,asked to investigate into fraud or any matter related to loss of money to bank or any other office, but I am of strong opinion that CBI investigation should be conducted into all recruitment and promotion processes which are taking place and which took place during last 10 to 30 years. This can only reveal the ongoing corrupt and unhealthy practices in the system which leads in unhealthy practices and rise in corruption. Permanent Solution to this cancerous disease of bribe or flattery oriented recruitment, posting, promotion in government offices can only pave the way for real reformation in banking industry in particular and government department in general.
India has seen fake IAS officers, fake teachers, and fake ministers. Indians in general have experienced indifferent attitude of incompetent of government staff in almost all offices. India has suffered huge loss in fake currency note, fake stamp, fake passport, fake ration card, payment for goods and services without its actual delivery, fake schools and colleges and what not. India has seen whimsical appointments in government offices and forgery in almost all competitive test conducted for admission in schools, colleges and universities. Unemployed youths and serving employees in government offices have plenty of experience of fraudulent activities related to recruitment and promotions in government department. India has several examples when meritorious candidates are rejected and non-meritorious candidates who fulfill demands of recruiters (such as bribe, gifts, powerful recommendations, etc) are selected. One could not dream of the fact that even Pilot officers may be recruited through forged means. It is possible in India only.
Large scale corruption is involved in all types of examination, tests, recruitment processes, promotion process, postings and transfers of Human resources. Chief Minister of a state treats even IAS officers as his home servants. CMD and CEO of banks and public sector undertakings are selected only if there is recommendation of a minister or there is a strong lobby behind a person desiring to be CMD or ED or CEO.When head of a department comes through corrupt ways and means, one can imagine of its repercussion and far reaching ramification down the level. Chain of transfers takes place as per choice of top officers. Choice is seldom based on merit but on more often than not based on quantity of bribe he is offered .Merit is getting disrespect everywhere and non performers but corrupt persons are always getting preferences.
As a matter of fact seeds of corruptions are sown from the very day of admission of a child in schools and it continues from getting employment to getting retirement benefits. Everywhere there is prominent role of bribe and flattery. And undoubtedly such unhealthy culture results in escalation of corruption in India. All efforts taken to curtail or reduce the level of corruption goes in vain and proves to be ineffective in practice.
Need of the hour is therefore to stop unhealthy practice in employment, posting, promotion and transfer prevalent in Indian administrative offices throughout the country.
CBI is more often than not ,asked to investigate into fraud or any matter related to loss of money to bank or any other office, but never in conduct of top officers who are indulged in unhealthy practices in process of examination, tests, recruitment processes, promotion process , transfers and postings. Punishments are never awarded to wrong doers in our country. It is always junior level staff who are made scapegoat for all evil works done by top ranked officers and ministers.
I am therefore of strong opinion that CBI investigation should be conducted into all recruitment and promotion processes which are taking place and which took place during last 10 to 30 years. This can only reveal the truth of corrupt and unhealthy practices going on for years and years and prevalent in almost all government departments which leads in unhealthy practices and rise in corruption.
Permanent Solution to this cancerous disease of bribe or flattery oriented recruitment, posting, promotion in government offices is to punish those officers who misused their discretionary powers and perpetuated reign of injustice for their vested interest and who accumulated illegal wealth through such unfair means. Only punishment to corrupt officers sitting at top post can demonstrate the real intention of the government and only such effective actions can only pave the way for real reformation in banking industry in particular and government department in general.
