Bengaluru: The Karnataka government issued a circular, restraining officials from going before the media, to air their grievances or share opinions, other than for bonafide official purposes. It also bars officials from using social media as a platform to project government or department achievements as personal achievements, and asked them to use accounts or handles created in the name of the administration to share official information.
‘Government officials making unwarranted statements through the press statements and press conferences have come to the government’s notice. As such incidents will have ill-effects on the administrative system and cause embarrassment to the government. The government has viewed such conduct of the officials seriously. Officials have hence been prohibited from making unwarranted statements through press statements and press conferences, other than for the purpose of performing bonafide official duties,’ an official circular stated.
The circular signed by Chief Secretary P Ravi Kumar, cited service rules, and warned that disciplinary action would be taken against officials found making use of unwarranted platforms to express their personal opinion and indulging in any act that causes embarrassment to the government in violation of its rules and policies . It also added that, officials can only use the media to share official information on government programmes and for necessary official duties, but not to air their grievances.
The circular has come after Revenue Minister R Ashoka’s statement in the legislative assembly, instructing the Chief Secretary to take action against ‘overacting’ officials who directly go before the media to level charges or air grievances. He was responding to an issue raised by JD(S) leader and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and his party MLA S R Mahesh, accusing some IAS officers of making allegations against legislators before the media.
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