CM announces overhaul of performance appraisal system

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has announced a significant overhaul of the Annual Performance Appraisal Report (APAR) system for Himachal Pradesh's class I and II officers, including those in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). The reforms aim to enhance accountability and transparency by linking officer evaluations directly to their work outputs.
He said that from now on, all officers, including Administrative Secretaries and Deputy Commissioners posted in districts, would be evaluated solely on their performance for their APARs. Under the new system, performance appraisals would be directly linked to the work outputs of all officers. The traditional descriptive categories such as "Outstanding," "Very Good," "Good," and "Average" would be replaced with a numerical grading scale and officers would be assessed based on three key indicators: the accomplishment of their annual work plan, other work-related attributes and personal and functional attributes. The reforms also introduce negative marking, with officers potentially losing two points from their overall grade, on a scale of 1-10, for non-compliance of government orders or advisories.
The Chief Minister highlighted the introduction of transparency as a key feature, noting that officers would receive their finalized evaluations which would foster professional development and encouraging improvement in their work performances. The APAR process would now be entirely online, streamlining operations and enforcing a 31st December deadline for submissions.
He said that these changes were designed to ensure a fair and objective evaluation process, particularly for field-level officers, whose performance would be closely tied to meeting quantitative targets. He said that the higher management officers would continue to be assessed on qualitative aspects and personal attributes. 
Chief Minister Sukhu said that these reforms were a crucial step toward strengthening governance and would further enhance the accountability within the state administration.