Lagatar24 Desk
Ranchi: Jharkhand Finance Minister Radha Krishna Kishore has written to the Chief Secretary criticising Personnel Secretary Praveen Toppo’s attitude over opening the HRMS portal, saying governance and administration run on sensitivity and not on stubbornness.
Minister Asks Chief Secretary to Review and Order Portal Opening
In the letter, dated October 14, the minister asked the Chief Secretary to personally review whether opening the Human Resource Management System (HRMS) portal would have any adverse administrative impact, and if not, to order that it be opened. The letter says he had spoken to the Personnel Secretary about giving 300 Jharkhand Police personnel a chance to file their asset details on the portal, and that the Secretary’s responses during the conversation were not appropriate.
Exchange Described in the Letter
According to the letter, the minister called the Personnel Secretary to his office and asked what legal difficulty could arise if a government officer wants to submit his asset details on the portal. The Secretary reportedly replied that there is no provision to open the portal in the middle of the year, and that doing so would create a habit among officers, forcing the portal to remain open all year. When the minister asked whether keeping it open year-round would cause any administrative loss, the Secretary reportedly said he would not open the portal.
Police Association’s Appeals Went Unheard
The Jharkhand Police Association approached several quarters for the personnel to get a chance to declare their assets, but the Personnel Department reportedly did not listen, and the portal was not opened even at the request of the minister and the Home Secretary.
Why the Personnel Are Affected
Police personnel and government officials must submit asset details on the online portal every year in January and February. Some personnel who were on campaigns or other essential duty could not do so on time. When the portal opens in January-February 2027, they will be able to declare 2026 assets but not those of 2025, which would cost them the benefit of promotion and ACP.
