The Forum for Good Governance (FGG) has requested the State government to dispense with the system of appointing retired bureaucrats as advisors and chief advisors with ‘fabulous salaries’ and supporting staff as it is nothing but squandering public money.
Steps should be taken to stop giving extensions and reappointments to retired officers and the government should provide employment to unemployed youth in their place. Forum secretary M. Padmanabha Reddy lamented that the government was spending close to a crore on each of these advisors and their supporting staff every year.
In a memorandum submitted to Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, he said that barring some exceptions, senior bureaucrats were dancing to the tunes of politicians, in violation of rules and regulations, in the hope of getting post retirement appointments. Appointment of retired officials was giving a wrong signal to those working that they should be amicable to the party in power if they wanted appointments post retirement.
“Moreover, the advisors are sitting beside the Chief Secretary and other senior officials during meetings as if they will render on-the-spot service. This is nothing but doubting the capacity of in service officials. After formation of Telangana, most of the chief secretaries and directors general of police are appointed as advisors, which speak volumes of their working a decision making while in service,” Mr. Padmanabha Reddy added.
Apart from appointment of advisors, the government was giving extension or reappointment to a number of officials in departments like Revenue, Panchayat Raj and others. This was not justified in the light of the fact that a large number of youth were eagerly waiting for employment.
