Ensuring Compliance with Service Book Maintenance and Accessibility: An Urgent Call for Action
Introduction
The All India Postal and RMS Pensioners Association (Tamilnadu State), a registered association under No: 83/2015 with the Tamilnadu Societies Registration Act, 1975, is dedicated to advocating for the rights and well-being of postal and RMS pensioners. In our ongoing efforts to address issues faced by our members, we wish to draw attention to a critical matter concerning the maintenance and accessibility of service books for government employees and retired officials.
Issue at Hand
According to Service Rule 198 (S.R. 198), a service book is mandatory for every government servant from their first appointment to retirement. This book is meant to be maintained meticulously and should be kept in the custody of the Head of the Office where the employee is serving. Furthermore, it is required to be transferred with the employee from one office to another. As per Swamy’s Compilation of FRSR Part I General Rules — 2021 Edition, the service book must be maintained in duplicate. The first copy is retained by the Head of the Office, while the second copy is provided to the government servant for safe custody.
Government of India Decisions
The Government of India has mandated that:
- The Service Book must be maintained in duplicate.
- The government servant must hand over their copy for annual updates.
- The updated copy must be returned within thirty days (Rules 288(2), 288(3), & 288(4) of General Financial Rules, 2017).
Current Practice and Concerns
Despite these clear directives, adherence to these rules is often lacking across various divisions. It has come to our attention that the second copy of the service book, which should be supplied to government servants, is frequently not provided. This failure results in difficulties when retirees discover discrepancies in their service records post-retirement.
Moreover, it has been reported that some pensioners, who request a copy of their service book after retirement, are being asked to pay Rs 500/- for its issuance. This is in violation of the rule, which stipulates that payment should only be required if the government servant has lost their copy (Sub-Rule 3 of Rules 288(2), 288(3), & 288(4) of General Financial Rules, 2017).
Our Request
Given that the non-supply of service books during an employee's service is due to the lapse of office procedures, it is both improper and unethical to demand payment for the issuance of the service book copy post-retirement.
We respectfully request the following actions:
- Strict Adherence to Rules: Instruct the Heads of Divisions to ensure compliance with S.R. 198 and the relevant Government of India decisions regarding the maintenance and supply of service books.
- Waiving of Charges: Direct that copies of the service books be provided to retirees without any charges, especially when the failure to supply the copy was due to the lapse of the office procedures.
Conclusion
We trust that your intervention will rectify the ongoing issues and help maintain the integrity and efficiency of the service book management system. A prompt response and necessary actions from your end would be highly appreciated.
Contact Information
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