Fall from Grace-Who is vetting officers doing 360 degree evaluation?
Recently a very interesting case came to limelight. Managing Director of Centre for Railway Information System (#CRIS), a registered society under Ministry of Railways hired six #advisors in Oct. and Nov., 2024.
Table below shows the details of these officers-
None of these officers are known for any special IT skill or design of systems. So question is, what would an officer do as #consultant in highly technical Enterprise Architecture design at mature age of 64?
Similarly, spending #public-money in hiring consultants in general administration defies logic and lacks basic probity. Question is, why these officers which include two Members and two Chairmen did not even examine why are they being offered sinecures? How can we trust their decisions if they lack even basic smell test?
Beyond Issue of Probity
Apart from issues of #probity, one needs to ask reasons for granting #extension to a Member Finance who presided over wild fluctuations in #IRCTC stocks. The officer was later accommodated in a #statutory tribunal. What is the moral standing of #IRAS leadership if they choose to accept extensions? Can they be fair and square in their dealings? All their lives these officers take pride in humiliating their colleagues by taking high moral stand, but when it came to them they fell to the scraps thrown at them.
Ep68: #IRTS-अक्षम नेतृत्व का अनैतिक आचरण! कृपया यह वीडियो भी देखें!
Regarding #IRPS less said the better. This service which was earlier manned by ex-cadre officers now has distinction of having juniormost #PHODs and #DRMs. One wonders, how can a department which does not face the heat of decision making and of #Train running can be so richly rewarded? It is not out of place to mention that even 1997 batch officers are #PCPOs while 1993 batch officers are in queue to become DRMs.
Well, we will discuss this in a different article.
Compromised 360 Degree Reviewers
Returning to the taint of accepting extensions and taking such sinecures is bad enough, but its gets worse still as these officers also do 360 degree review. It is said that the incumbent #MD of #CRIS has taken all possible officers who will do his 360 degree review for #IRMS L-16 empanelment. All those officers are on his pay roll. How can 360 degree review be done now?
Who has authorised MD/CRIS to abuse his authority to distribute #largesse from exchequer like the way he has done? Is it because of his open closeness to the #Minister? This also raises question on the #tenders which #CRIS is reportedly doing. #CRB must immediately review such hiring practices.
Compromised Board-abdication of responsibility by CRB and Minister
When #RailwayBoard Members give themselves appointment letters stamping hard over the most sacred of rules of leadership roles in government-that “no officer takes a decision of which oneself is the only #beneficiary”, this should have been challenged and annulled by #CRB and or #Minister. But the fact that this act went unchallenged shows that the #Board has become a cesspool where ethics are waterboarded.
“No one can draw salary paid by taxes unless the selection is by a commission or a recruitment board giving equal opportunity or by search cum selection committee which is duly approved”. But #SeemaKumar as #MOBD selected herself as #MD of #PRCL a #PSU under her control by getting interviewed by a direct reportee. Not just that, by orchestrating a clever set of manoeuvres, she got her #husband also, a tax payer paid salary.
Silence of #CRB and #RailMinister on this issue is deafening or is this the silence of connivance?
It was jokingly said that #RailwayBoard has become a cesspool where real big chunks float at the top.