28-04-2025
Punjab Govt Orders State Employees To Stay Available On Phones 24/7
The Punjab government's latest mandate aims to ensure that state employees are reachable even on holidays to ensure urgent administrative work is not disrupted
In a recent directive, the Punjab government has mandated that all state employees must remain reachable on their phones 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including after office hours and on public holidays.
This order, issued by the Punjab Government, aims to ensure that urgent administrative work is not disrupted. Government workers have been instructed to keep their mobile phones on at all times, including during Sundays, holidays, and at night.
According to the directive signed by the Special Secretary (Personnel), officers of the rank of secretary and above are required to ensure that no employee under their supervision switches off their phone. The order emphasises that the availability of officers is crucial for the timely completion of essential administrative work and the provision of public services.
'It has been noticed that many officials are not available on their mobile phones after office hours. Their phones are switched off, in flight mode, out of coverage area, or on call divert," the order stated. 'Some work related to administration requires immediate approval from the government. Therefore, the availability of officers related to these works is necessary," it added.
'All Special Chief Secretaries, Additional Chief Secretaries, Financial Commissioners, Principal Secretaries and Secretaries are directed to ensure that all officers of your department are available on cell phones after office hours and on holidays to complete essential office administrative work so that these works can be completed in a timely manner," it added.
This is not the first time such a directive has been issued. Former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had passed a similar order in 2017, during his first year in office, ensuring that employees' phone bills would be covered or refunded to ensure availability 24 hours a day.
Historically, the issue of phone allowances has been a point of contention between the government and its employees. The previous Akali Dal-BJP government introduced a phone allowance for government employees in 2012.
However, in 2020, the Amarinder Singh government decided to rationalise spending by halving the mobile allowance of its employees, saving the state approximately Rs 40 crore annually. The allowance for Group A employees was reduced from Rs 500 to Rs 250 per month, Group B from Rs 300 to Rs 175, and Group C and D from Rs 250 to Rs 150 per month.
First Published:
April 28, 2025, 17:52 IST
