Bengal govt bars staff from sharing information with media without sanction

The West Bengal government has issued a circular reiterating existing conduct rules for its employees, which prohibit them from sharing official documents or information with the media without sanction and publicly criticising state and central policies.

A circular issued by the office of the chief secretary said the existing conduct rules governing members of the All India Services, West Bengal Civil Service, West Bengal Police Service and other state government employees would be strictly enforced.

"The idea is to remind employees of the provisions already laid down in the conduct rules regarding interaction with the media and dissemination of information," an official told PTI.

 

The circular referred to provisions of the AIS Conduct Rules, 1968, and the West Bengal Government Servants' Conduct Rules, 1959.

Government employees have been prohibited from directly or indirectly sharing any document or information with the media without approval, the official said.

It also bars employees from participating in privately produced or sponsored media programmes without prior sanction and from contributing articles, broadcasts or publications without clearance from the government.

The circular also stated that employees would not be allowed to make any public criticism of policies or decisions of either the state or central government through "publication, interaction, utterance, broadcast or contribution in any media".

Public communication that could strain relations between the state and central governments, between states, or with foreign governments is also disallowed, it said.

The circular only enumerates "existing service conduct norms", the official said.

The directive applies to employees of autonomous bodies, boards, corporations, undertakings and educational institutions substantially funded by the state government as well.