Info minister Javadekar sends 200 staff on forced leave for late reporting
01 Jul 2014
Seeking to make good Prime Minister Narendra Modi's promise of better governance, Information & Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar sent off about 200 employees in his ministry on forced leave for non-punctuality.
Javadekar went on a surprise check on Monday morning at 9:15 am to find vacant chairs across the four floors of the Shastri Bhavan that the ministry uses.
"The minister usually sits in the environment ministry in the morning and comes to Shastri Bhavan in the afternoon. But on Monday he came to his office ministry by 9 am. He then [on Monday] decided to check the offices, and found many employees missing," The Times of India cited a source as saying.
After the minister's inspection, I&B secretary Bimal Julka also spoke to senior officials to emphasise on the need for punctuality among the staff. A circular was also issued to officials warning them of disciplinary action if found late again.
Some observers see this as a bit of a publicity stunt, as Javadkar's office itself issued a statement on the issue.
.webp)
