Mocking the Confidential in the ACRs : The promotion question
- Sangai Express Editorial :: May 10, 2013 -

Two points are clear. One the Government of India has obviously woken up to the loopholes that plague the process of promoting officers on the basis of their Annual Confidential Report and two, the Government continues to be besotted with 'examinations'.

This should about sum up the factors that have led the Centre to decide that State civil/police officers will have to appear for an examination to be conducted by the Union Public Service Commission to be eligible for promotion to the all India services such as the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Police Service and Indian Forest Service.

Obviously senior officials who have slumbered their way through the promotion ladder by mastering the art of chamchagiri will have sleepless nights, if not nightmares, while the younger, determined ones may just see this as the perfect opportunity to go higher up the pecking order.

Loopholes in the ACRs. So are compulsory examinations going to be the answer to plug the loopholes ? Open to debate.

Are examinations the only yardstick to grade the merits or demerits of officials ?

Or should seniority be the only criteria for promotion, which in a sense is acknowledging the years of service put in by the employees ?

The answer will obviously not be in black and white, that is for sure. And for sure too, there will be diametrically opposing view points on this. To digress a little, but which is anyway central to the understanding of ACRs, just how meaningful is it, especially in the context of Manipur ?

This is perhaps the best time to raise this question and the officials manning the affairs at the Department of Personnel of the Government of Manipur may have some explaining to do.

For starters and this is very important. How 'Confidential' are the ACRs of the employees in Manipur ?

The import of this question may be better appreciated in the backdrop of the fact that it is the employees themselves who have to run from pillar to post to get their ACRs signed by the senior officials concerned.

Here is a perfect example of trashing the importance of the term 'Confidential' and this is where the DP should be answerable.

Given the reality that is Manipur and the culture that is prevalent in the corridors of the Babudom, running from one pillar to post to get one's ACR signed can mean something much more than merely getting the signature appended on the files concerned.

Seniority is the norm, that has been followed in the process of promotion, at least in Manipur, but that this has been flouted many times must be one of the worst kept secrets in the State.

This is where favouritism can and has reared its ugly head. The result is the victimisation of young, honest and diligent officers.

That Delhi seems to have realised the shortfalls is a welcome development, but in trying to correct a wrong, it should also ensure that it does not end up creating more problems and heart burns.

The tragedy is, if the higher officials are not sincere enough, then everything, whether it is seniority, ACR or even the proposed UPSC conducted examinations will fall flat on its face.