Contractual Staff Manage To Evade Gujarat Government Transfer Policy

The reason for such regular transfers is to prevent corruption, as it is feared that staff staying in the same position for an extended period could turn to unethical practices. To avoid this, the government transfers officers frequently, sometimes even after just 3 or 6 months.

But departments such as Education, Health and Tourism have not transferred their staff for as many as 20 years.

Why? Because many have been hired on a contractual basis or through outsourcing. Even though their contracts are renewed every year, corruption is believed to have taken root in many of these departments.

The Recruitment Process

Recruitment on an outsourcing or contractual basis is common, especially in departments such as Health, where over 25,000 employees have been hired in this fashion.

The Education and Tourism departments, among others, also follow this practice. These departments hire workers from private agencies at salaries ranging from Rs 15,000 to Rs 50,000.

Private agencies recruit employees after winning government tenders. A few of these companies are worth Rs 500 crore to Rs 1,000 crore.

There are accusations, albeit unsubstantiated, that some of them take a cut of Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000 from each employee in cash after depositing their salary into their bank account.

In the past, a few affected employees have protested and taken legal recourse. However, without proof, these allegations have remained mere whispers in the wind.

At the same time, contractual employees cannot be transferred because they are under the control of private agencies.

Tenders are usually issued for two or three years. When they expire, new tenders are often delayed while existing tenders get extended, creating a systemic logjam. 

In some departments, heads directly announce contract-based positions with salaries ranging from Rs 20,000 to Rs 1 lakh, along with other benefits. These employees, directly hired by the departmental heads, are occasionally transferred.

Lack Of Accountability And Data In Government Hiring

Unlike permanent government employees, who fear societal pressure, loss of their jobs, and missing out on post-retirement benefits if they engage in corruption, contract workers have no such fears.

Neither the state's General Administration Department (GAD) nor the government has a full record of how many contractual employees exist in each department. There is also no data on how much they are paid annually or the overall cost incurred on them.

Kamal Dayani, Additional Chief Secretary, GAD, said, "We have requested data from all government departments regarding contract and outsourced employees and officers. We have also asked for records of permanent government employees. Once we receive this information, we will have a better idea."

The lack of transparency and accountability in tracking contract workers raises serious concerns about governance and the potential for unchecked corruption.

As the government continues to rely on outsourced and contract-based staff, addressing this data gap is crucial to maintaining integrity within public institutions and preventing misuse of resources.