Chandigarh: The Punjab government has now issued orders to take immediate action against the officials and employees who have secured permanent residence abroad.
The Personnel Department has issued a letter to all the departments of the Punjab Government today, directing them to take immediate action within a week against the officers and employees who have taken PR in foreign countries or have applied for PR.
The personnel department has issued this letter and Vigilance Bureau Punjab has started the work of identifying such officers and employees separately.
“It has come to the notice of the Punjab government that ex-India leave is being taken after taking PR by several officers and employees. Apart from this, many officers and employees are living abroad without leave. It has also been written in the letter that these officers and employees are also going abroad and working and filing tax returns according to the system there.
According to the letter, immediate action should be taken against the officers and employees who take PR and go abroad without getting sanctioned leave.
The personnel department has also sought a report on the action taken in this regard within a week.
Pertinently, Rakesh Singla, deputy director of food and supplies department, was recently sacked by the government after he had surreptitiously acquired Canada’s PR in 2006.
Gurinder Singh of Patiala, who was involved in the scam in Punsup, also went abroad after the case was registered. In fact, in the year 2002, the government had given the facility of taking unpaid leave for five years for employment abroad, taking advantage of which a large number of officers and employees flew abroad. The number of officers and employees of agriculture, animal husbandry and education departments is more among those who have settled abroad.
Violation of Punjab Civil Services Rules, 1970
Officials said that it is in violation of the Punjab Civil Services Rules, 1970 if the government takes action, then such officers and employees will have to decide whether they have to keep PR or government jobs.
It may be recalled that the Vigilance had also submitted a report to the Punjab government on May 15, 2015, according to which 130 gazetted and non-gazetted officers of the state had pr of foreign countries or were green card holders.