The Punjab government Sunday asked all its officers and employees not to switch off their mobile phones after office hours, on weekends, and holidays, and to be available for work even after office hours.
In the order signed by the special secretary (Personnel), the Punjab Government said that if an official or employee is not available on the phone, it becomes a hindrance in completing essential administrative work and providing services and facilities to the general public.
“It has come to the notice that many officials are not available on their mobile phones after office hours. Their phones are either switched off, are in flight mode, out of coverage area or even on call diversion.
Some works related to administration require immediate indulgence of the government. Hence, the availability of officers related to these works becomes necessary,” said the order.
“All Special Chief Secretaries, Additional Chief Secretaries, Financial Commissioners, Principal Secretaries and Secretaries are directed to ensure that all officers of your department are available on cell phones after office hours and on holidays to complete essential office administrative work so that these works can be completed in a timely manner,” it added,
A similar order was passed by former chief minister Amarinder Singh in the first year of his term in 2017. At that time, the government said the phone bills of employees are paid or reimbursed to ensure that they are available for 24 hours.
The employees’ phone bill has always been a bone of contention between the government and them.
While the former SAD-BJP government introduced phone allowance for government staff in 2012, the Amarinder Singh dispensation in 2020 drew up a plan to rationalise expenditure by halving the cellphone allowance of its employees. The move was expected to help the government save about Rs 40 crore annually.
The state had been spending Rs 101.2 crore annually on employees’ mobile allowance. The allowance was then halved, and the cellphone allowance of Group A employees was reduced from Rs 500 to 250 per month. For group B employees, it was reduced to Rs 175 from Rs 300 per month. Similarly, for Group C and D employees, it was reduced from Rs 250 to Rs 150 every mont