JOIN US The Narendra Modi government is reviving an almost defunct e-initiative of the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime to streamline filling up vacancies in the senior echelons of the bureaucracy.
As part of its 100-day agenda, the Ministry of Personnel has identified the need for bringing back ACC Vacancy Monitoring System (AVMS) in operation.
The AVMS, developed in October 2007, is a web-enabled application where information related to all senior posts that require approval from the Prime Minister-led Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) are available.
The system generates e-mail alerts to concerned nodal officers to enable them to initiate necessary action on impending vacancies.
“This is done with a view to facilitate monitoring of vacancies, it has been decided to revive and fully operationalise the AVMS in next 60 days,” the ministry said.
All ministries and departments have been asked to immediately appoint nodal officers if they do not have one and start uploading latest incumbency and vacancy position. The ministry has set June 21 deadline for this action.
After July 15, it was warned, no proposal for consideration of ACC will be accepted for processing in the ACC Secretariat unless it is accompanied by updated vacancy statement downloaded from AVMS. The ACC deals with Board level appointments in Public Sector Undertakings and appointments to the posts up from the level of joint secretary.
According to an office memorandum issued by the ACC Secretariat on Thursday, the software has “fallen in disuse” as relevant information is not being updated regularly by ministries and departments.
The ministries and departments have now been asked to intimate updated information of nodal officers along with their e-mail and mobile number.
“This is urgently required to ensure that auto alerts regarding occurrence of vacancies during the next 75/120 days and intimation regarding uploading of orders/back references may be sent to the nodal officer through e-mail and SMS on real time basis,” the office memorandum said.
In May 2011, the government had asked all ministries and departments to designate a nodal officer for dealing with vacancies, which will be filled following decision of the ACC.
The overall responsibility for keeping track of vacancies and filling them would be with the secretary. The ministry or the department were to assign specific tasks to joint secretaries concerned and include this as a part of the key deliverables of the officer.