Top officers' pay run into MGEL-hurdle
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 15 2013: With many top-ranking officials yet to comply with the Manipur Government Employees' List (MGEL) norms their monthly entitlement are likely to be held up with immediate effect.

Under MGEL norms all the personnel serving under Government of Manipur, including IAS/IPS, MCS/MPS and IFS officers are supposed to update latest information regarding current place of posting and designation.

launched to work out precise figure of strength of Government employees for streamlining the administrative system, the exemplary computerised personal information project is considered to be the chief factor for the Manipur Government bagging the prestigious Prime Minister Administrative Excellent Award some months ago.

However in reality administrative insightfulness is bound to be questioned as the order (MGEL) of the Finance Department issued some years back is not being complied with in the true sense.

According to an informed source, another order of the Finance Department had a clause whereby employees in the organised sector such as IAS/IPS, MSC/MPS and IFS officers, also encompassing the Chief secretary were allowed to provide relevant service details at a later stage without any effect on their monthly salary unlike ordinary personnel whose data updating were supposed to be completed within a specified period of time.

Speculating that the data updating leniency clause might be one of the reasons for the organised sector employees yet to provide relevant details as is necessary, the source explained that the exemption was given mainly due to frequent posting and transfer of officers under the said category.

As data updating was not complied with in time a number of cases also exist wherein relevant information of newly posted officers cannot be compiled into the computer for the same post remains in the name of his/her predecessor, maintained the source adding that such incongruities are complicating the situation.

It is also said that Department of Personnel, under which purview posting/transfer of top ranking officers falls, not providing timely information for updating relevant date in MGEL might be another crucial factor for these officers not finding proper mention as is mandatory under the project.

Citing instances, the source pointed to the present incumbent PC Lawmkunga still enlisted as the Principal Secretary in MGEL and not the Chief Secretary of Manipur and specifying R Sudhan as SDO (Ukhrul) rather than his present designation as the Joint Secretary (Power) .

The fact that monthly salary of many top ranking officers would be held up has been recently confirmed by an order of the Treasury Office to various department directing authority concerned to enter/update promotion as well as relevant information failing which their pay bills will not be processed with effect from the current month, confided the source.

In the meantime, an order of Commissioner of General Administration Y Thamkishore has asked department authorities, including Manipur Secretariat to ensure mandatory compliance to the MGEL norms of their respective employees.

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