7 hours Ago By Manash Pratim Gohain
NEW DELHI: Facing a backlash, the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) quickly revised its order holding back salaries of employees who had not completed the mandated Karmayogi training courses on the iGoT platform. The order issued on Monday related to all employees who were identified to be part of the National Learning Week - including contractual workers , such as Multi-Tasking Staff (MTS) and peons - to undertake a minimum of four hours of training. While ministries have tailored specific courses for their staff, the MIB's prescribed courses, including technical modules, adding up to over 2.
15 hours, was criticised for being unrelated to the core functions of the ministry. With many employees not completing the course, the accounts office was asked not to release salaries for Nov, generating furore that went beyond I&B ministry. On Tuesday, the revised directive now requires a status report on course completion instead of withholding salary bills.
Despite this modification, "the initial order has left employees scrambling to complete the courses before the month-end, fearing repercussions," said an official. "Can salary-intended for primary job responsibilities-be withheld over incomplete training sessions?" wondered a MIB staffer. Concerns also arose over the feasibility of junior staff members, such as contractual workers, completing such courses.
According to sources in the ministry, despite murmurs of discontent and the directive being labelled "atrocious," no formal protests have been lodged. Instead, most employees are seeking to quickly secure their certificates to avoid conflict. Interestingly, the initiative has been met with enthusiasm in some quarters, as senior officials recognise top performers and celebrate their experiences with the training.
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