Govt Officers Entitled to Mobile, Laptop Costing Up to Rs 1.3 Lakh; Can Retain After 4 Years

Central government officers are entitled to mobile, laptop or similar devices costing up to Rs 1.3 lakh, which can be kept by them for personal use after 4 years.

The Expenditure Department of the Ministry of Finance, in a desk note, has included guidelines for the issuance of handheld devices, laptop computer, tablet computer, phablet, notebook, notebook, superbook, netbook, or devices of similar categories to eligible officers for official work.

According to the guidelines, all central government officers of the rank of deputy secretary and above are entitled to these electronic devices.

In the case of departmental officers and undersecretaries, 50 percent of the sanctioned strength may be issued such devices.

Regarding the cost of the device, the office note said it could be Rs 1 plus taxes. However, for devices with more than 40 percent Made-in-India component, the price cap will be Rs 1.30 plus taxes.

The note said: “No new device shall be punished on an officer who has already been assigned a device, in a ministry/department, for up to 4 years except in the case of reform, which has been declared ‘not subject to economic reforms.

She added that after four years of use have been completed, the officer must keep the device.

“The concerned ministry/department must ensure that the data in the device is completely erased (data sterilization) before handing over the device to the officer for safekeeping,” the memo states.

The Memorandum dated 21st July 2023 supersedes the previous Memorandum issued on 27th March 2020, under which the cost of these devices was set at Rs 80,000 and there was no provision for retaining the devices for personal use.

(This story was not edited by the News18 staff and was published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)