Govt staff irked by appointment of retd officials, consultants

Govt staff irked by appointment of retd officials, consultants

Julie.Mariappan@timesofindia.com  30.8.2024 

Chennai : Days after Union govt scrapped lateral entry in services due to opposition from various quarters, Tamil Nadu govt employees criticised state govt for hiring retired officials a s consultants in multiple departments. The Tamil Nadu Secretariat Association (TNSA) lodged a complaint with the chief minister, alleging that numerous appointments are being made without any established guidelines. 

The association members said retired officials from the law department, formerly holding the positions of additional secretary or joint secretary, have been occupying roles in Secretariat departments and various committees. Retired additional secretaries have been appointed as consultants in departments such as special programme implementation, environment, climate change, and the forest department, all on contract basis. They alleged that even the project monitoring units are managed by consultants. 

“Govt tendency to take policy decisions on the advice of consultants, ignoring work of employees, is against social justice,” the TNSA stated in its complaint. The association contended that the previous AIADMK regime had employed a few retired officials, mostly IAS officers, as consultants, in a limited manner. They argued, however, that the current regime appointed consultants without any guidelines. The increasing appointment of consultants by state govt ‘silently’ contradicts its own ‘Dravidian model’ governance, particularly in light of DMK's opposition to recruitment of lateral entrants in Central services, which was deemed against social justice, it said. 

Taking to X, PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss questioned the process of appointing specialists for the mission management unit for drug-free Tamil Nadu, noting the absence of reservation.