The Cooling-off period for retired Bureaucrats
- May 7, 2022
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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The Cooling-off period for retired Bureaucrats
Subject: Polity
Section: Civil service
Context: Archana Goyal Gulati, an 1989-batch official of the Indian Posts and Telecommunication Accounts and Finance Service (Indian P&TAFS), has joined Google as Chief of Public Policy after taking voluntary retirement from the civil service. As she completed the one-year cooling period that is necessary before taking up the post-retirement job.
What is the cooling-off period?
- Post-retirement commercial employment for the three All India Services (IAS, Indian Police Service, and Indian Forest Service) is covered under the AIS Death-cum-Benefits Rules, and for the Central Civil Services under the CCS (Pension) Rules.
- Rule 9 of the CCS (Pension) Rules states that “if a pensioner who, immediately before his retirement was a member of Central Service Group ‘A’ wishes to accept any commercial employment before the expiry of one year from the date of his retirement, he shall obtain the previous sanction of the Government to such acceptance”.
- Non-compliance with these rules can lead to the government declaring that the employee “shall not be entitled to the whole or such part of the pension and for such period as may be specified”.
- Post-retirement commercial employment include
- Employment in any capacity including that of an agent, under a company, co-operative society, firm or individual engaged in trading or business (this does not include employment under a body corporate, wholly or substantially owned or controlled by the Central Government or a State Government)
- Setting up practice, either independently or as a partner of a firm, as adviser or consultant in certain matters specified under the rules, including matters that are relatable to the pensioner’s official knowledge or experience.
What about government servants joining politics after retirement?
- While in service, the Conduct Rules bar government servants from being associated with any political party or organization, and from taking part in or assisting any political activity.
- There is no rule, however, to stop government servants from joining politics after retirement.