In a high-level meeting of Administrative Heads and Department Heads held at the Secretariat Conference Hall, Chief Secretary Dr J Alam, IAS called for stricter enforcement of office attendance, implementation of premature retirement rules, installation of prepaid electricity meters, and the mandatory setting up of Internal Complaints Committees (ICC) across all government departments.
The meeting opened with a presentation from the Department of Information Technology & Communication on Secretariat office attendance. Dr Alam acknowledged a “marked improvement” since the recent attendance order but stressed that “there is further room for improvement.” He directed all AHoDs and HoDs to “strictly monitor attendance in their respective offices personally” to ensure compliance.
Three key Office Memoranda (OMs) issued by the Personnel & Administrative Reform (P&AR) Department were reviewed. The first OM concerned the periodic review of government servants for premature retirement under Rule 56(j) of the Fundamental Rules. The second outlined the policy on short-term workers, while the third mandated the formation of Internal Complaints Committees (ICC) under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.
Chief Secretary Alam urged all departmental heads to “base their actions in accordance with the OMs” and encouraged senior officers to “seek clarifications from the P&AR Department if needed.”
On the ICC issue, he instructed all HoDs and AHoDs to “nominate a nodal officer for She-Box,” the online platform for reporting complaints.
Reiterating procedural discipline, Dr Alam emphasized adherence to the Nagaland Rules of Executive Business, 2020, and stressed the importance of attending official state functions honoring visiting dignitaries.
Further, the Additional Chief Secretary and Finance Commissioner recommended that government offices “install prepaid electricity meters” promptly and cautioned against any delays in seeking financial sanctions for budgeted expenditures.