iGOT-Linked 'No Training, No Salary' Circular Withdrawn: After Protest, I&B Ministry Revises Order on Withholding Employees' Salaries for Failing To Complete Karmayogi Training Courses
The notice issued on Tuesday, November 19, demanded a status report on course completion by employees instead of withholding their salaries. Having said that, the initial order of November 18, has left several employees with no choice but to try and complete the courses before the month-end as they fear repercussions.
Mumbai, November 21: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), on Tuesday, November 19, revised its order of holding back salaries of government employees who did not complete the mandatory Karmayogi training courses on the IoT platform. Notably, the revision came within 48 hours of the ministry linking employee salaries to the completion of a training module. As per the order dated Monday, November 18, employees including contractual workers, such as Multi-Tasking Staff (MTS) and peons who were identified to be part of the National Learning Week - had to undertake a minimum of four hours of Karmayogi training.
What Did the November 18 Circular Stated?
This decision to reverse its order came after several sections of employees protested against the I&B circular and stated that salaries could not be withheld without a lawful reason. It must be noted that the Karmayogi training course relates to iGOT (Integrated Government Online Training) for civil servants. The course is meant to make officials "future-ready". The office memorandum of November 18 by the ministry directed accounts officers to "clear the salary bills of only those officials who have been certified … regarding their training of mandatory iGOT courses". AYUSH Ministry's Yoga at Work Programme Emerges as Top Performer on IGOT Platform.
Although every ministry has tailored specific courses for its staff, the I&B ministry's prescribed courses, which also include technical modules totalling over 2.15 hours, were criticised by many for being unrelated to the ministry's core functions. As many employees had not completed the Karmayogi training, the I&B ministry asked the accounts office not to release salaries for November.
This led to a furore, which eventually forced the ministry to withdraw its earlier circular and issue a new one. The notice issued on Tuesday, November 19, demanded a status report on course completion by employees instead of withholding their salaries. Having said that, the initial order of November 18, has left several employees with no choice but to try and complete the courses before the month-end as they fear repercussions. I&B Ministry Releases Draft Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill 2023, To Bring OTT, Digital News Under Proposed Law.
The ministry revised its order after the Association of Akashvani and Doordarshan Engineering Employees wrote a letter to Sanjay Jaju, Secretary of I&B ministry. In its letter, the association said that the earlier orders for iGOT training were not circulated to employees. The letter also stated that most of the employees were not aware of such mandatory instructions. Although no formal protest has been lodged, a ministry official said that there was a miscommunication. "The objective was to get an update on who are the officers who haven’t onboarded on the IGot platform. Salaries cannot be stopped like this," the official added.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 21, 2024 11:32 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).