The Centre has issued a directive prohibiting civil servants, including those in the All India Services (AIS) such as the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Police Service, and Indian Forest Service, from accepting awards or recognition from private bodies, institutions, or organisations that contradict government guidelines.
The Union Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances, and Pensions has directed all state chief secretaries, secretaries to various government departments, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change to ensure that the guidelines issued on June 22 are followed.
In an office note, the ministry stated that it had observed members of the AIS collecting prizes or accolades from private groups in violation of the guidelines. The government decree stated that the practise of presenting prizes to members of the AIS by private organisations and institutes should be discouraged because the government has different mechanisms to recognise the merits and contributions of these officials. Accepting an award from a private organisation would be inappropriate, it stated.
However, the government has permitted AIS members to receive honours after receiving prior clearance from the relevant department’s competent authority or the state government, and after verifying the qualifications of the award-giving body. The order emphasised that such approval should be provided only in rare instances, such as honouring an officer’s merit for work done outside of government duties or where the government believes an individual officer is deserving of a specific award. The Centre stressed that any approved award must not include monetary compensation.
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