Commercial employment – negotiations for, while in service

10) Commercial employment – negotiations for, while in service

Instances have come to notice where Government servants enter into negotiations with private firms to secure commercial employment even while they are in service under Government. A Government servant is under an obligation to devote his energies whole-heartedly to the performance of his duties and not to divide his attention and efforts in search of employment elsewhere. It is, moreover, likely that in initiating such negotiations, the Government servant may in some measure utilise his official position or the official position of his friends and colleagues to further his interest in securing commercial employment or at any rate give reason for an impression that he might have done so. It has, therefore, been decided that no Government servant should negotiate for commercial employment without obtaining the prior permission of the Head of Department, or, if he is a Government servant serving in a Ministry of Department of the Government of India or a class I (Group A) Officer serving in an office under its control, of the Ministry or Department administratively concerned. It has been further decided that such permission should not be given unless there are any special reasons for doing so.

[MHA OM No. 29/3/66/Ests.(A), dated 08.02.1966]