Haryana government notifies new guidelines for issuing appreciation letters to Government Employees

Published on: 25 Feb 2024 at 05:31 PM

Published by: PreetiMahajan

The Fact News Service

Chandigarh, February 25

In Haryana, government officers and employees will now receive appreciation letters to recognize exceptional work performance. These letters will be issued based on their outstanding achievements. Furthermore, they will be documented in the personal files of the respective officers or employees.

Haryana Chief Secretary Sanjeev Kaushal has issued detailed instructions in this regard here today.

In a letter addressed by the Chief Secretary to all administrative secretaries, heads of departments, managing directors of corporations and boards, registrars of all universities, divisional commissioners, and deputy commissioners, it was stated that utmost care should be taken in issuing appreciation letters. They should only be awarded in truly evaluable cases and at the end of the prescribed reporting period. If appreciation is given too easily, it will lose its significance.

Furthermore, appreciation letters should only be issued by the appointing authority and not by an officer lower than him. Officers below the appointing authority may provide comments regarding the good work done by their subordinates, and these comments should be accurately recorded in the Annual Confidential Report of the respective officer or employee.

The letter also clarifies that, in specific situations like flood relief, locust invasions, or VIP visits, executive officers in the field can continue motivating their subordinates by issuing appreciation letters. It is not the intention of the Government to render this method of motivating subordinates beyond the reach of executive authorities in the field. In such cases, appreciation letters may also be issued by officials below the appointing authority. However, it is emphasised that these letters should be issued sparingly.

The letter outlines the protocol for issuing appreciation letters based on the recommendations of reporting authorities. When there’s a single reporting authority who unequivocally recommends issuing an appreciation letter and specifies the commendable work, an appreciation letter may be issued accordingly.

In cases where multiple reporting authorities are involved, if the first authority explicitly recommends the appreciation letter and the subsequent authority merely agrees with a statement like ‘I agree,’ an appreciation letter can still be issued. This agreement serves as sufficient support for the recommendation of the primary reporting authority.

Similarly, if two reporting authorities recommend a citation and the highest authority doesn’t oppose it but records ‘observed’ or ‘no comment’ or simply signs, an appreciation letter may also be issued. However, if the highest authority overrides the recommendation, no appreciation should be issued.

Likewise, if the two lower reporting authorities don’t recommend a citation but the highest authority does so explicitly, the decision shouldn’t be made directly. Instead, it should be referred to the administrative authority, which is the next highest reporting authority.

The letter also clarifies that if the Administrative Secretary recommends issuing a citation, the decision rests with the minister in charge. Similarly, if the Minister-in-charge recommends appreciation, the decision falls to the Chief Minister. Finally, if the recommendation for a citation comes directly from the Chief Minister, the citation can be issued as recommended.