- February 25, 2024
Haryana Government Issues New Guidelines for Issuing Commendation Certificates to Government Employees
Haryana Government Issues New Guidelines for Issuing Commendation Certificates to Government Employees
Chandigarh, February 25: In a bid to streamline and standardize the process of issuing commendation certificates to government employees, the Haryana government has issued new guidelines. The aim is to ensure that these certificates are only given to those who have truly made outstanding contributions and to enhance their value.
Key Points:
- CM’s Certificate Highest: Commendation certificate issued by the Chief Minister will be considered the highest.
- Issued by Appointing Authority: Only the appointing authority can issue a commendation certificate, not lower-level officials.
- For Exceptional Work: Certificate should be given only for exceptional work and not for routine tasks.
- Recommendations: Recommendations from reporting authorities should be clear and specific.
- CM’s Approval: If the CM recommends a certificate, no further scrutiny is needed.
- Minister’s Approval: If the minister recommends a certificate, the decision will be taken by the CM.
- Detailed Guidelines: The guidelines provide detailed instructions on various scenarios, including cases with multiple reporting authorities and disagreements.
The Chief Secretary has written a letter to all administrative secretaries, heads of departments, managing directors of corporations and boards, registrar of Punjab and Haryana High Court and all universities of Haryana, divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners in this regard.
The letter states that the utmost care should be taken in issuing commendation certificates and they should be awarded only in cases that are truly deserving. If the certificate is issued too easily, it will lose its significance.
The letter further states that the certificate should be issued only by the appointing authority, not by a subordinate officer. Subordinate officers can comment on the good work done by their subordinates, which should be duly recorded in the employee’s annual confidential report.
The letter also states that there are times when a field officer feels the need to encourage his subordinates by issuing a commendation certificate for good work done during a specific event, such as flood relief, locust control, visits of some VIPs, etc. In such cases, commendation certificates may also be issued by officers below the appointing authority, but such letters will not be kept in personal files.
The letter states that where there is only one reporting authority and he/she clearly recommends the issue of a commendation certificate and also indicates the work for which the commendation is proposed, a commendation certificate may be issued. On the other hand, where there are more than one reporting authorities and the first reporting authority recommends the issue of a commendation certificate with a clear indication of the work for which the commendation is proposed and the second authority merely supports it by saying ‘I agree’. In such a case, the commendation certificate may be issued as the second reporting authority, though not in so many words, has clearly stated that the commendation certificate may be issued, but the words ‘I agree’ are sufficient to support the recommendation of the first reporting authority.
Similarly, where two reporting authorities recommend the issue of a commendation certificate and the highest authority does not contradict the recommendation, but records the word ‘seen’ or ‘no comments’ or simply signs it, in such a case also the commendation certificate may be issued. However, if the final authority rejects the recommendation of the lower authority, then no commendation certificate should be issued. Similarly, if the two lower reporting authorities do not recommend the issue of a commendation certificate, but the highest authority in his/her report clearly recommends such a letter, the commendation certificate should not be issued directly. In such cases, the decision regarding the issue of the commendation certificate should be taken by the administrative authority, who is the next higher reporting authority.
The letter further states that if the highest authority recommending the issue of a commendation certificate is the Administrative Secretary, the decision in this regard should be taken by the Minister-in-Charge. Similarly, if the highest authority recommending the issue of a commendation certificate is the Minister-in-Charge, the decision in this regard should be taken by the Chief Minister. If the recommendation for the issue of a commendation certificate is made by the Chief Minister, no further scrutiny will be required and the certificate may be issued as per the recommendation.
The new guidelines aim to ensure that commendation certificates are awarded only to deserving employees and that the process is transparent and fair. This will help to motivate employees and improve their performance.
Significance:
- The new guidelines aim to bring transparency and fairness to the process of issuing commendation certificates.
- They will help ensure that only deserving employees are recognized for their outstanding work.
This will motivate employees to perform at their best and contribute to the overall efficiency of the government.
