Ans:  The guidelines pertaining to appointment of CVOs issued by the Department of Personnel & Training have been consolidated in O.M. NO 372/8/99-AVD III dated 18.1.02.

Ans: The vacant posts of CVOs are generally circulated by the Department of Personnel and Training to various cadre controlling authorities of Group `A' services and the State Governments towards the end of every calendar year inviting names for consideration of officers in the offer list for the next calendar year.  

 Letter for Controlling Authority :    Secretaries (Central Govt.)
                                                       Cadre Controlling Authority
                                                       Chief Secretaries (State Govt.)

Ans: The officers sponsored for Joint Secretary level posts should be in the suppertime or SAG scale or pay (Rs. 18,400 – 22,400. Officers to be sponsored for the post of Director should be such who have completed 14 years of service and have been granted the Non Functional Selection Grade in the cadre. For the Deputy Secretary Level posts, only such officers should be sponsored who have completed 9 years of service in the in the pay scale of Rs. 10,000-15,200.

Ans: The eligible officers should apply along with their bio-data (in duplicate) to their respective cadre controlling authorities that would make their recommendations to the Department of Personnel and Training and furnish up-to-date CR dossiers along with vigilance clearance in respect of the officers concerned.

   Letter for Controlling Authority :  Secretaries (Central Govt.)
                                                       Cadre Controlling Authority
                                                       Chief Secretaries (State Govt.)
    

Ans: A panel of officers cleared by the Central Vigilance Commission is` suggested to the administrative Ministry/Department concerned with the approval of the Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Personnel & Training. The administrative Ministry is required to select an officer out of the panel with the approval of its Minister-in-charge and communicate the same to the Department of Personnel and Training for obtaining the approval of the Competent Authority.

Ans: Once an officer has been found suitable for consideration as appointment of a CVO, his name is retained in the offer list for the period of one calendar year only.

Ans: The Central PSUs have been categorized into select   and non select organisations. For non select organisations a panel of names is suggested once the general clearance of the CVC has been obtained after it has assessed the suitability for appointment. For non select organisations, the panel of name is not forwarded to the CVC. However, for the select organisations, a panel of names is sent for the specific approval of the CVC.

Ans: The posts of Chief Vigilance Officers (CVOs) in the Central Public Sector Undertakings are treated as Central Staffing Scheme posts as those filled as per the procedure followed under the Central Staffing Scheme for posts in the Central Government. However, in order to attract officers for manning the posts of CVOs in various Public Sector Undertakings certain special dispensations which are applicable to non-Central Staffing Scheme posts have been made. For instance, if a request is received from an officer occupying a post under the Central Staffing Scheme on deputation, duly recommended by the Ministry/Department in which he is posted, with the approval of the Minister-in-Charge, for being considered for appointment as CVO, at least one year before the expiry of his tenure on the Central Staffing Scheme Post, such an officer, if selected for appointment as CVO may be allowed a tenure of 3 years as CVO subject to a maximum of 7 years' combined tenure on the Central Staffing Scheme post and the post of CVO. No relaxations are granted if the person applying has less than one year tenure left.

Ans: The proforma has to be filled up and forwarded to the parent department for onward transmission to the Department of Personnel & Training.

Ans: The posts of Chief Vigilance Officers are to be treated as Central Staffing Scheme Posts and except where specific provisions have been made in respect of CVOs, the provisions contained in this Department’s OM No. 36/77/94-EO (SM.I) dated 5.1.1996 shall be applicable.

Ans: The CVOs would be eligible for an initial deputation tenure of three years in PSUs which is extendable upto a further period of two years in the same PSU (total 5 years) with the prior clearance of the CVC or upto a further period of three years on transfer to another PSU on completion of initial tenure of three years in the previous PSU.

Ans: Since the posts of CVOs are treated as Central Staffing Scheme posts, therefore a cooling off of 3 years between 2 Central Deputations is required. Therefore only such officers should be sponsored by the Parent Department who have completed the “cooling off” in their parent cadres. There is a partial cooling off relaxation for non-metros (see Q.15).

Ans: If an officer does not join within one month of issue of his appointment order, his appointment would be treated as cancelled and the officer concerned would stand debarred from Central deputation for a period of five years from the date of issuing orders of his debarment. Further, the officer would also be debarred from being considered for any foreign training as also from being given cadre clearance for being deputed on foreign assignments/consultancies abroad during the period of debarment.

Ans: All India Service Officers would only be entitled for their Grade Pay on the post of CVO on deputation and as per the Pay Rules of the All India Service Officers. The officers of Central Services deputed as CVOs to Public Sector Undertakings may draw pay as per the scale prescribed for the posts or their grade pay as is permissible under the rules. It is clarified that for the fixation/regulation of pay for All India Service Officers and officers of Group “A” services on deputation as CVOs to PSUs, this Department has issued detailed instructions vide letter No. 11030/17/93-AIS II, dated 11th April, 2001 and O.M. No. 2/8/97-Estt (Pay II) dated 9th April, 2001 respectively.

Ans: Choice for posting as CVO can only be location specific and not PSU specific. It will be the prerogative of the Department of Personnel and Training to place officers in respective panels.

Ans: The Terms and conditions are to be finalised by the borrowing and the lending authority and only in cases of deviation should they be referred to the DOPT for clarification and that too after the approval of the Integrated Finance Wing has been obtained and seen by an officer not lower than the rank of Joint Secretary.

Ans: Any city with over 1 million population is categorized as a metropolitan city.

Ans:

. The officers appointed in the rank of Joint Secretary and subsequently picking up promotions in their respective parent cadres to the rank of Additional Secretary should be governed by the instructions issued by the Department of Personnel and Training in its O.M.No 2/29/91-Estt. (Pay.II) dated 5th January, 1994. Accordingly, such officers will either have the option to continue in the rank of Joint Secretary (without availing of proforma promotion) for the rest of the term or revert to their parent cadre within a period of six months as prescribed in the above Office Memorandum;
. In the case of officers initially appointed as CVOs either in the rank of Deputy Secretary or Director, and later on receiving offer of promotion to higher ranks in their parent cadres as Director/Joint Secretary, a proposal, if received from the concerned Administrative Ministry/Department, for allowing them to pick up the grade pay in the higher scale(Director or Joint Secretary as the case may be), can be agreed to by the Department of Personnel and Training with the approval of Secretary (Personnel)/ Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, without further reference to ACC, provided that in the case of Joint Secretary’s grade, an officer of his batch in the service to which the officer (CVO) belongs, has been empanelled to hold Joint Secretary/equivalent level post at the Centre.
. It is further clarified that officers who have received proforma promotion in their cadres to the rank of Joint Secretary or equivalent, and whose batch has not been empanelled for Joint Secretary at the Centre, their pay will be fixed at Rs 18,300/- on the post of CVO.
. This Department has issued detailed instructions vide letter No. 11030/17/93-AIS II, dated 11th April, 2001 and O.M. No. 2/8/97-Estt (Pay II) dated 9th April, 2001 respectively regarding proforma promotion and pay fixation for officers on deputation.

Ans: Though it is not obligatory for the Department of Personnel & Training to offer an alternative posting as CVO to another PSU, efforts are made to place such CVOs( whose PSU is disinvested) in a panel for another PSU so that they can be appointed as CVO again. Till such time the CVO is placed on compulsory wait in the Department where he was posted as CVO initially subject to the approval of that Department. A decision has been taken that if an alternative posting does not materialize within six months, the CVO will then be repatriated to his parent cadre with the approval of the competent authority.

Ans: The officers on their appointment as Chief Vigilance Officers in Central Public Sector Undertakings are not entitled to General Pool accommodation but are to be provided with accommodation by the Public Sector Undertakings concerned, as per the guidelines issued by the Department of Public Enterprises, from time to time.
      The government officers who are mandatorily posted to Public Sector Undertakings/Statutory bodies/eligible organisations may be permitted to apply/retain General Pool accommodation in their occupation on payment of special license fee by the organisation till their superannuation or reversion to an eligible office, provided the Establishment Officer, DOPT, certifies that the said posting was mandatory and in exigency of Public service.

Ans: As per the extant policy laid down by the ACC, and conveyed by DOP&T vide its OM No. 5/2/94-EO(MM II) dt. 24.12.99 premature repatriation on own seeking by the officer results into application of “extended cooling off” which means that she will be required to “cool off” for the prescribed period of 3 years not from the date of her actual repatriation but from the date of completion of her originally approved tenure. However for this purpose a no objection has to be secured from the officer for reckoning the “cooling off” in relation to the date he/she would have finished his/her normal deputation tenure.