Aizawl: The Mizoram government has directed all government employees who illegally hired proxies or substitutes to resume their duties within a month.
An office memorandum issued on Wednesday by the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DP&AR) states that all employees who hired proxy staffers on their behalf must report to their designated posting locations within one month from the date of the order.
The memorandum warns that employees who fail to return to their designated posts will be considered as on “unauthorized absence” and disciplinary action will be taken against them.
The DP&AR also instructed all concerned departments to take steps to ensure compliance and submit a report within 45 days of the order’s issuance.
The memorandum offers special consideration for those who are sick or have a serious illness, provided they produce a “medical certificate of incapacity” from a medical board. Employees who are unwilling or unable to resume their duties can apply for voluntary retirement, invalid pension, or compulsory retirement under the CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972.
Officials estimate there are approximately 3,365 employees who have illegally hired substitutes to work in their place.
Some of these employees have already passed away, according to officials.
In January, the Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) government directed all employees who hired proxies to report themselves and explain their actions.
School education leads the list of departments affected by proxy employees, with 1,115 reported cases.
The health and family welfare department follows with 624, and the power and electricity department has 253.
Among those who hired substitutes, 2,070 government employees cited health reasons, while 703 cited domestic problems.
Other reasons included lack of residential quarters, inaccessibility of assigned villages, and language difficulties.
Mizoram has approximately 50,000 state government employees.