DoPT bid to ‘right-size’ staff across ministries

At a time when the government is tightening the belt on unnecessary expenditure, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has, in an ambitious move, initiated a manpower audit for rationalisation of staff.
Government sources said the exercise is aimed at “right-sizing the staff strength”’ across all ministries and department. “We want to clarify that we are not downsizing the staff but just right-sizing or rationalising it to distribute it evenly all over,” a senior DoPT official said.
Sources added that once the survey is done excess staff from a particular ministry or department will be transferred to the ones facing a staff crunch.
The government as of now is not favourably inclined to go in for fresh recruitments unless absolutely necessary.
Eventually this exercise will end up saving money for the government.
Both the finance ministry and the DoPT in the last few days have announced a slew of measures aimed at cost cutting which include restrictions of foreign travel, stay and meeting in five-star hotels, buying new vehicles and big ticket appointments.
“It has been noticed that some ministries and dep-artments are heavily over staffed. Some of this staff is not governed by the DoPT but by the concerned ministries only. We are in touch with such ministries so that their extra staff can be adjusted somewhere else,” the DoPT official added.
According to DoPT the excess staff is mostly at the level of Class III and IV employees and it was a priority to rationalise them first.
A number of senior officials who have exceeded their five-year deputation but continue in their present positions will also be repatriated, sources added.
Source: Deccan Chronicle