Govt’s new mobile phone rules: Text over calls, use landline for work, be polite

Mumbai:  Landline phones are best for work, and text messages are better than voice calls if possible. The Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government has laid down some guidelines on using mobile phones for government work for its employees and officials. State general administration, which is governed by Chief Minister Thackeray, has issued a government resolution dated 23 July that lays down the rules.

While the Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP government was in power, public representatives have made allegations that their phones were tapped. Moreover, the guidelines come at the same time as the Pegasus Project releases lists of politicians, bureaucrats, business tycoons, journalists, and others allegedly targeted by spyware.

According to a senior official from the general administration department, the government resolution is not the result of fears over spying malware and phone tapping. ‘We were planning to frame such rules for the use of mobile phones much before the Pegasus Project reports came about. It is for the simple reason of maintaining decorum when many people are working remotely due to the Covid-19 pandemic,’ she said.  Earlier this month, the department had also published guidelines for government employees regarding video calls.

Moreover, the guidelines state that employees should only use mobile phones for communication during office hours if it is absolutely necessary, and otherwise they should use landlines. Employers and officials are expected to use mobile phones in a polite and unobtrusive manner.  According to the guidelines, employees should avoid arguments and avoid using unparliamentary language on their mobile phones. A text message should be preferred over a voice call and voice calls should be as short as possible.

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Furthermore, employees have been instructed to prioritize calls from public representatives and senior officials, even if they are already talking to another person. During meetings with senior officials, employees are instructed not to check their phones or have earphones plugged in.