Prohibiting the retired officers from writing about their department – CCS Pension Amendment Rules

 Prohibiting the retired officers from writing about their department – CCS Pension Amendment Rules 

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS
(DEPARTMENT OF PERSONNEL AND TRAINING)

RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 427
(TO BE ANSWERED ON 22.07.2021)

CENTRAL CIVIL SERVICES (PENSION) AMENDMENT RULES, 2020

427 DR. SANTANU SEN:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Ministry has consulted different stakeholders while bringing in the Central Civil Services (Pension) Amendment Rules, 2020 through which a condition of ‘good conduct’ has been added in Rule 8 prohibiting the retired officers from writing about their department;

(b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and

(c) the detailed rationale behind taking such decision?

ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

(a): Stakeholders were consulted while amending Rule 8 of Central Civil Services (Pension) Amendment Rules, 2021 [Vide Corrigendum dated 01.07.2021 notified in The Gazette of India, 2020 replaced with 2021]. The condition of good conduct already exists in the CCS (Pension) Rules.

(b): The Intelligence or Security Organizations included in the Second Schedule of the Right to Information Act, 2005, were consulted through administrative Ministry / Department.

(c): Prior to amendment, it was upto the concerned official to decide whether the published material falls in the prescribed prohibited categories or not. In case, the official feels that the material he is going to publish does not fall in the prohibited category then he could publish the material without any prior approval of the Government. Later on, in case Government comes to a conclusion that the published material comes / falls under the category of prohibited material, a loss to the country would have already happened. To prevent such situations, the current amendment has been made.