Our Correspondent
KOHIMA, APRIL 18
Expressing concern that thin attendance of administrative heads of departments (AHoDs) and heads of departments (HoDs) at state functions and during assembly sessions reflects poorly on the overall attitude of the bureaucracy, Chief Secretary Pankaj Kumar today asked the concerned officials to be more regular at such occasions.
Addressing the AHoDs & HoDs meeting at the Secretariat Conference Hall Kohima, Kumar pointed out that the attendance of AHoDs and HoDs was found to be short particularly at the assembly sessions that even the Chief Minister had written to his office regarding this.
He stated that though there is no imposition on attendance, every concerned official should recognize his/her responsibility to be present at state functions especially those called by the Governor and the Chief Minister, occasions such as the Independence Day and the Republic Day, as well asthe state assembly sessions. While appealing to the officials on the matter, he said attendance will be recorded in future.
During the meeting, the Information Technology & Communication (IT&C) commissioner & secretary KD Vizo presented a report on the Aadhaar-based biometric attendance system in the state Secretariat. Although Nagaland Civil Secretariat boasts of being the first to implement the system among the north east states, he said, the record of officers and other employees using the biometric machine to login at work is disappointing.
A weekly general report (from April 11-16) handed out in the house indicated that out of a total 1378 registered employees (Aadhaar registered) at the state secretariat under different departments, the number of those using the system to login and logout varied from 422 on the first day (April 11) to 315, 364, 369, 354 and 121 in the subsequent five days respectively. 47% of the registered employees recorded login after 11 am, while 22% login between 10.30-11 am, 12% from 10-10.30 am, 13% from 9.30-10 am, 3% from 9-9.30 am and 3% before 9 am.
A discussion on Chief Secretary’s Special Welfare Fund was also made during the meeting wherein, the operation and utilization of the special fund for relief during natural disasters and for aiding government projects was deliberated. The state government had earlier contributed Rs.2,12,46,901 to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund for the Nepal earthquake victims and the remaining amount of Rs.1,19,55,270 generated out of contributions made by various departments received belatedly was decided during the last AHoDs/HoDs meeting to be kept in fixed deposit in a separate account under the CS’ Special Welfare Fund to be maintained by the NSDMA for relief and rehabilitation aid.
It was pointed out that the state is also vulnerable to natural calamities, therefore whether the government should react on an adhoc basis or set up a regular pattern was debated and the matter was kept in abeyance for further deliberation and inputs.
On the verification report for rooms at the Old Secretariat building, the verification committee informed that the building is under dilapidated conditions and is vulnerable to earthquakes. Considering the frequency of earthquakes that is taking place in the region including the state capital, the house suggested that the departments occupying the Old Secretariat building must begin to arrange alternate office spaces and evacuate the building soon as a precautionary measure.
The house had, during the last meeting, decided to discontinue flower supply in the Civil Secretariat due to financial constraints, however, in view of the representation from the Nagaland Flower Growers Society, the house agreed to continue the supply from April-September.
Other agendas that were discussed at the meeting included the role of state government in the Nagaland Rural Bank, National Electoral Rolls Purification (NERP) 2016 drive, change dispensation under the NITI AAYOG and review of the last AHoDs & HoDs meeting, among others.
