IAS, IPS, IFoS, all India services officers banned from accepting awards from private organisations

NEW DELHI: The Centre has made it mandatory for the IAS, IPS and all India services officers to seek prior permission to receive awards instituted by private organisations. But they will not be permitted to receive the ward if a monetary component is attached to the award.

In the latest order dated June 22, 2023, the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances, and Pensions said that awards given by private bodies may be accepted with prior approval by competent authorities such as the state government for the officers serving in states. For those serving in the Centre, the secretary of the ministry concerned and a cabinet secretary in case of secretaries to the government would be the competent authority.

The action in the light of some of the all-India services such as the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and Indian Forest Service (IFoS) were found to accepting awards by private bodies, unmindful of the existing orders.

The new order stated that the competent authority might grant approval subject to the condition that it had no cash of facilities component.

Seeking strict adherence to the latest order, the Centre said that the awards given by private organisations need to be discouraged, inter alia, because there are various methods open to the government to recognise their merit and service, and it would not be appropriate to accept an award from a private body.

“In exceptional circumstances like rewarding the merit of an officer for work done outside the purview of his functions in government or where government otherwise thinks that an individual officer deserves a particular award, it was left to the discretion of the competent authority to decide reasonably and judiciously, based on the main criterion that such an award should not have a monetary component,” the orders quoting a letter dated October 20, 19193 said.