<p>The Legal Metrology Department has decided to do away with at least 50 posts to cut costs, a move that comes at time when the state government is mulling to shed weight as part of a bigger effort to rationalize expenditure.</p>.<p>According to a government order, the Legal Metrology Department has reduced at least 50 posts, eliminating several Group ‘D’ positions including peons, attenders and drivers. While until now, there were 503 posts in the department, it has now been downsized to 450.</p>.<p>Requesting anonymity, an official in the department said: “The reduction was earlier recommended by the Haranahalli Administrative Reforms Commission, way back in 2000. This is part of the larger effort to do away with redundant posts.”</p>.<p>The official added that all the 53 posts belong to Group ‘D’ employees, which will now be replaced with contract employment. While rationalising the number of employees, the department has tried to balance it out by adding a few additional senior positions, according to the official. “We have been sanctioned, additional deputy controllers and joint controllers. We had asked for additional inspectors too, but owing to Covid-19, it was not sanctioned.”</p>.<p>Additional Chief Secretary (Food and Civil Supplies) B H Anil Kumar said the move was part of restructuring the department. “Some posts which were vacant for a long time, were surrendered. It’s an organic evolution of the department,” he said. </p>.<p>The Karnataka Administrative Reforms Commission-II, headed by former chief secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar, has recommended doing away with some posts in its recent report to the government.</p>.<p>One of the recommendations was to abolish the four regional commissioners’ posts, which former Revenue minister R Ashoka was keen on doing. Earlier this month, Ashoka (he will still be in office) said the offices of regional commissioners had become “white elephants” and were “waste of resources”.</p>.<p>In 2020, a Cabinet sub-committee headed by Ashoka was also constituted to look into merger, removal or redeployment of posts to rationalize expenditure. While the Cabinet sub-committee recommendations are awaited, there is no larger “drive” at this juncture to downsize departments, Chief Secretary P Ravi Kumar specified.</p>.<p>Cutting costs seems inevitable for the government. In the 2020-21 financial year, the government’s committed expenditure (salaries, pensions, subsidies, etc) touched 102% of the revenue receipts. Simply put, the government had to spend more than it earned.</p>
<p>The Legal Metrology Department has decided to do away with at least 50 posts to cut costs, a move that comes at time when the state government is mulling to shed weight as part of a bigger effort to rationalize expenditure.</p>.<p>According to a government order, the Legal Metrology Department has reduced at least 50 posts, eliminating several Group ‘D’ positions including peons, attenders and drivers. While until now, there were 503 posts in the department, it has now been downsized to 450.</p>.<p>Requesting anonymity, an official in the department said: “The reduction was earlier recommended by the Haranahalli Administrative Reforms Commission, way back in 2000. This is part of the larger effort to do away with redundant posts.”</p>.<p>The official added that all the 53 posts belong to Group ‘D’ employees, which will now be replaced with contract employment. While rationalising the number of employees, the department has tried to balance it out by adding a few additional senior positions, according to the official. “We have been sanctioned, additional deputy controllers and joint controllers. We had asked for additional inspectors too, but owing to Covid-19, it was not sanctioned.”</p>.<p>Additional Chief Secretary (Food and Civil Supplies) B H Anil Kumar said the move was part of restructuring the department. “Some posts which were vacant for a long time, were surrendered. It’s an organic evolution of the department,” he said. </p>.<p>The Karnataka Administrative Reforms Commission-II, headed by former chief secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar, has recommended doing away with some posts in its recent report to the government.</p>.<p>One of the recommendations was to abolish the four regional commissioners’ posts, which former Revenue minister R Ashoka was keen on doing. Earlier this month, Ashoka (he will still be in office) said the offices of regional commissioners had become “white elephants” and were “waste of resources”.</p>.<p>In 2020, a Cabinet sub-committee headed by Ashoka was also constituted to look into merger, removal or redeployment of posts to rationalize expenditure. While the Cabinet sub-committee recommendations are awaited, there is no larger “drive” at this juncture to downsize departments, Chief Secretary P Ravi Kumar specified.</p>.<p>Cutting costs seems inevitable for the government. In the 2020-21 financial year, the government’s committed expenditure (salaries, pensions, subsidies, etc) touched 102% of the revenue receipts. Simply put, the government had to spend more than it earned.</p>
