Who are the MPs wishing to know more about bureaucracy? And replies they received

Whither Bureaucracy? Civil servants cleaning a lawn

MORE and more Members of Parliament, most of whom belonging to the ruling BJP, want to know more about bureaucracy. If questions asked in Lok Sabha are any indication, those MPs, many of whom are first-timers, want to know whether IAS, IPS or IRS officers have resigned to join private sector, or whether the government changed the formats in which civil servants need to submit their assets and liabilities post Lokpal Act. Here are 5 such MPs, their questions and what replies they had received from the government:

MP Asking the Question: Ashwini Kumar, BJP, Karnal (Haryana)
The Government Reply: No IAS, IPS or IRS officer has resigned during the last three years to take up jobs in private sector. Yet, 11 IAS officers and 15 IRS officers resigned during this period on personal grounds. No IPS officer resigned during the same period.
According to rules, no prior permission is required for officers who have resigned to join other organizations. But Rule 26 of All India Services (Death Cum Retirement Benefits) Rules, 1958, say the retired officers must take prior permission if they wish to accept post retirement commercial employment before the expiry of one year from the date of their retirement.

MP Asking the Question: Kumari Shobha Karandlaje, BJP, Udupi-Chickmagalur, Karnataka
The Government Reply: The total personnel belonging to Other Backward Classes (OBCs), as on January 1, 2013, in 69 Central government ministries or departments was 5,23,721 which is 17.74% of 29,52,080 employees. According to government norms, 27% government jobs are reserved for OBC candidates.
The reasons for lower representation of OBC in services are identified as under:
a) Reservation for OBC started only from the year 1993.
b) OBC candidates who were appointed up to 1993 are not included for counting the representation.
c) There is generally a time gap between occurrence of vacancies and filling thereof as recruitment is a time consuming process.
d) Some reserved posts for OBC remain vacant due to non-availability of suitable candidates of reserved category.
e) Some of the selected OBC candidates do not join the service or leave the service after joining because they get better opportunities elsewhere.

MP Asking the Question: Sudhir Gupta, BJP, Mandsour (MP)
The Government Reply: Apprehensions were raised by several ministries and departments and other stakeholders about the complexity involved in furnishing the details of assets and liabilities of officers, their spouses and dependent children. Subsequently, the government of India vide its order dated August 28, 2014, constituted a panel to simplify the forms and the process in which public servants shall make declaration of assets and liabilities. The said committee submitted its first report on October 1, 2014, recommending simplified formats for declaration of moveable property and for declaration of debts and other liabilities by public servants.
Now, the deadline of submission has been extended till December 31, 2014.

MP Asking the Question: Meenakshi Lekhi, BJP, New Delhi constituency
The Government Reply: In order to encourage scientists to continue in government service, they are given speedy and timely promotions without linking it to availability of vacancies. Also, doctors in teaching faculty are allowed to serve up to the age of 65 years.

MP Asking the Question: Nandi Yellaiah, Congress, Nagarkurnool, Telangana 
The Government Reply: The sanction for prosecution received from CBI is pending against 247 public servants in 108 cases in various Central government ministries/departments as well as state governments, as on October 31, 2014. DoPT in an office memorandum dated May 3, 2012 circulated recommendations of a Group of Ministries (GoM), wherein, the competent authority was instructed to mandatorily take a decision within a period of three months from receipt of request and pass a speaking order.