IAS association executive panel meet to discuss issues on May 7

LUCKNOW: A meeting of Uttar Pradesh IAS Association’s executive committee has been convened here on May 7 to discuss issues concerning the state cadre officers and press for the demand of early amendment to section 13 (1) (D) of Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) to protect honest officers.

No formal agenda though has been set, the officers feel a number of issues have cropped up since they last met at the association’s annual general meeting (AGM) here on December 15, 2017.

“Though no formal agenda has been set, officers will be free to raise the issues they want to,” said association secretary Alok Kumar.

A senior officer, however, said other issues concerning the officers are likely to be raised. “These include delay in granting no objection certificate (NOC) to an officer who wants to come to state cadre on the basis of marriage with a state cadre officer. The state government’s move to not give posting to another officer and instead attach him to state appointment department is also likely to be raised,” said the officer without elaborating further.

“We also want open door policy

for officers willing to go to Government of India or vice versa, especially, since their not working for at least three years as joint secretary level may debar them from being considered for empanelment as additional secretary and secretary,” said another officer.

An amendment to the act has been a point of concern among the IAS officers in the backdrop of recent cases when officers having a clean record have been charged for corruption for ‘honest mistakes’.

On the demand for amendment to the PCA, the officer said section 13 (1) (D) of the PCA provides ‘a public servant is said to commit the offence of criminal misconduct,—if he, by corrupt or illegal means, obtains for himself or for any other person any valuable thing or pecuniary

advantage; or (ii) by abusing his position as a public servant obtains for himself or for any other person any valuable thing or pecuniary advantage; or (iii) while holding office as a public servant, obtains for any person any valuable thing or pecuniary advantage without any public interest.”

In a welfare state any decision taken by the officer may benefit one or the other individual or entities and defining public interest may be difficult in many cases, said the officer adding, “An amendment to the PCA moved earlier has been pending with Parliament. We will propose that the association should take up the issue with secretary general Lok Sabha and parliamentary affairs department for getting the amendment expeditiously passed.”