Patna. In Bihar, the Panchayati Raj Department has given a clear message by taking major and strict action against the employees who are negligent in their work that now there will be no compromise with discipline. The department has issued an order to stop the salary of more than 50 executive assistants posted in various districts of the state for four days, which has created a stir in the administrative corridors.

This action has been taken on the basis of the report of the special monitoring cell constituted by the department. The Monitoring Cell is conducting verification through random calls and video calls to monitor the attendance and work performance of the Executive Assistants. During this process, many executive assistants were found absent from their assigned work areas and headquarters. The department considered it a serious indiscipline if the location and presence could not be confirmed during the video call.

Clear instructions have been issued by the Joint Secretary to all the District Panchayati Raj officials in this regard. Not only has the salary payment of the concerned employees for December 5, 8, 9 and 10 been stopped, but an explanation has also been sought from them. Also, it has been asked to ensure further disciplinary action at the district level.

Two executive assistants from Paru block of Muzaffarpur district and one executive assistant from Meenapur block have also come under the scanner of this action. Apart from this, action has also been taken against executive assistants of many other districts including Gaya, Gopalganj, Madhubani, Jehanabad, Khagaria, Katihar, West Champaran, Patna, Nalanda, East Champaran, Nawada, Samastipur and Saran.

The department clearly says that unauthorized absence from the workplace not only affects the government work, but also raises questions on the accountability of the administration towards the public. The irregularities revealed through video calls prove that some employees are not serious about their responsibilities. The department has adopted a strict stance considering such conduct in the category of arbitrariness, negligence and indiscipline.