Bengal govt restricts employees from media participation, ‘leaking’ information
Kolkata: The West Bengal government has issued a set of restrictions for its employees at all levels, from making media statements, participating in media debates, making government documents public and even leaking crucial state government information, among others.
In the notification issued by the state personnel administrative reforms department on Wednesday night, and signed by the Chief Secretary, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, a copy of which is available with IANS, it has been clarified that such restrictions are imposed under already existing provisions of All India Service (AIS) Conduct Rules, 1968, West Bengal Service (Duties, Rights and Obligations of the Government Employees) Rules 1980 and West Bengal Government Servants Conduct Rules, 1959.
The said restrictions will be applicable for all Indian Administrative Service (IAS), West Bengal Civil Service (WBCS), West Bengal Police Service (WBPS) officers attached to the state government, as well as other state government employees, correctional services employees, state-aided educational institutions, state-run boards, municipalities and municipal corporations, and autonomous bodies under the state government.
The notification orders complete prohibition on the participation or association of any member of the services in any sponsored or privately produced media programme or any media event sponsored by the Government of India but produced by an outside agency, except with prior sanction
It had also imposed a complete prohibition without any government order on any direct or indirect communication of any document or information with the media by members of the services.
The other restrictions include complete prohibition, without prior sanction of the government, on any contribution in editing or managing any newspaper, periodical or any other publication and on any participation in any radio broadcast or writing of any article or letter for any newspaper or periodical by any member of the services.
It also prohibits members of the services from indulging in any adverse criticism of any policy or decision of the Central or state government, by any publication, interaction, utterance, broadcast, or contribution in any media.
The final restriction is a complete prohibition on any publication, interaction, or utterance, broadcast, contribution in any media, which can lead to straining of the relations of the state government with the Central government or any other state government, or between the Central government and the government of any foreign state.