<p>Bengaluru: A tussle has broken out between the health and family welfare department’s principal secretary Harsh Gupta and the secretariat staff after the senior IAS officer wrote to the government flagging inefficiency and seeking a restructuring of the department. </p>.<p>His letter to the secretary of the department of personnel and administrative reforms, which called for timely clearance of staff-related files, restructuring of the department and better supervision by the officer currently serving as deputy secretary–1, has drawn sharp criticism from the Karnataka Government Secretariat Employees’ Association, which accused him of making “baseless allegations and demoralising employees”. </p>.<p>In the letter dated October 29, Gupta stated that since the health department provided emergency services to the public, it is important to keep the employees’ morale high by ensuring that the files related to appointments, transfers, inquiries, pensions and court cases were processed as early and as efficiently as possible. </p>.<p>He also asked for an additional post to be created in the section handling matters of the health department. </p>.<p>“It is requested that competent officers or staff be posted in the section handling service matters in the department of health and family welfare, that officers selected through direct recruitment be appointed at the level of section officer or deputy secretary and that one additional post at the level of additional secretary be created in this department, and an IAS or senior KAS officer be immediately posted to this additional post,” he wrote. </p>.Camera found in hostel bathroom begets massive protest in Tata Electronics' Apple unit near Hosur.<p>However, the Government Secretariat Employees’ Association has urged Dinesh Gundu Rao, Minister for Health and Family Welfare, to advise Gupta to withdraw his letter in a dignified manner. </p>.<p>In its own letter, the association accused Gupta of making “baseless accusations, decreasing the morale of the government staff and disturbing their mental peace”. </p>.<p>The association said that by asking for the restructuring of the department, the principal secretary was “unfairly” generalising all officers for the incompetence of a single officer. </p>.<p>It also questioned the authority of the department secretary to seek the restructuring of the entire department just to appoint competent individuals. </p>.<p>“When all other department secretaries trust the efficiency of the department staff, why does only this officer make baseless allegations,” it asked. </p>.<p>It called the letter “an insult” and warned of a collective protest if it was not withdrawn. </p>
<p>Bengaluru: A tussle has broken out between the health and family welfare department’s principal secretary Harsh Gupta and the secretariat staff after the senior IAS officer wrote to the government flagging inefficiency and seeking a restructuring of the department. </p>.<p>His letter to the secretary of the department of personnel and administrative reforms, which called for timely clearance of staff-related files, restructuring of the department and better supervision by the officer currently serving as deputy secretary–1, has drawn sharp criticism from the Karnataka Government Secretariat Employees’ Association, which accused him of making “baseless allegations and demoralising employees”. </p>.<p>In the letter dated October 29, Gupta stated that since the health department provided emergency services to the public, it is important to keep the employees’ morale high by ensuring that the files related to appointments, transfers, inquiries, pensions and court cases were processed as early and as efficiently as possible. </p>.<p>He also asked for an additional post to be created in the section handling matters of the health department. </p>.<p>“It is requested that competent officers or staff be posted in the section handling service matters in the department of health and family welfare, that officers selected through direct recruitment be appointed at the level of section officer or deputy secretary and that one additional post at the level of additional secretary be created in this department, and an IAS or senior KAS officer be immediately posted to this additional post,” he wrote. </p>.Camera found in hostel bathroom begets massive protest in Tata Electronics' Apple unit near Hosur.<p>However, the Government Secretariat Employees’ Association has urged Dinesh Gundu Rao, Minister for Health and Family Welfare, to advise Gupta to withdraw his letter in a dignified manner. </p>.<p>In its own letter, the association accused Gupta of making “baseless accusations, decreasing the morale of the government staff and disturbing their mental peace”. </p>.<p>The association said that by asking for the restructuring of the department, the principal secretary was “unfairly” generalising all officers for the incompetence of a single officer. </p>.<p>It also questioned the authority of the department secretary to seek the restructuring of the entire department just to appoint competent individuals. </p>.<p>“When all other department secretaries trust the efficiency of the department staff, why does only this officer make baseless allegations,” it asked. </p>.<p>It called the letter “an insult” and warned of a collective protest if it was not withdrawn. </p>
