The challenges of transferring GAOs

All Gewog Administration Officers (GAOs), in a unanimous decision during the last day of the second batch of Gewog Administrative Officers’ symposim on April 17 in Thimphu, came to the resolution that GAOs will not be transferred in dzongkhags, and instead the Department of Local Government (DLG), after consultation with the Dzongdas in the dzongkhags, will identify the vacant gewog posts and accordingly place the GAOs.

Director General, DLG, MoHCA, Dorji Norbu said the department looks carefully into the transfer cases including the marital and health status of the employee as specified in the RCSE rules. DLG suggested the GAOs can try to adjust the transfer cases within themselves when there is a dispute.

Senior Program Officer, DLG, MoHCA, Tsheten Dorji said that transfer case is one of the major challenges that the department faces as vacant posts in the dzongkhags, and not personal preferences, determine where the GAOs are to be placed.

GAO, Gasetsho Gom gewog in Wangduephodrang, Lemo said that will be more effective if DLG can identify the gewogs and place them rather than sending them to the dzongkhags. She pointed out that when they are placed in the dzongkhags, the previous GAOs take the post in the better off gewogs as GAOs are internally transferred from one gewog to another within the dzongkhag.

The three-day symposium reviewed the rationale of personnel management of civil servants by GAOs in gewogs, approving authority for rating GAOs performance evaluation, signing and approving authority of TA/ DA for GAOs and allocation of a separate TA/DA budget for GAOs, non-implementation of provisions of LG Act and regulation uniformly, housing facilities for GAOs, changing of GAOs designation, lack of clearly defined roles between the Gups and GAOs and lack of proper implementation of tendering process in the gewogs, opportunity for senior GAOs to work in ministries and departments, leadership and civic engagement training for community leaders, yearly GAOs symposium and procedure and criteria on GAOs transfer.

The second batch of GAOs from Gasa, Punakha, Wangdue, Tsirang, Bumthang, Samtse, Pemagatshel, Lhuentse, Monggar, and Trashiyangtse participated in the three-day symposium from April 15 -17.