Jammu: J&K government has directed all the gazetted officers to record their Annual Performance Reports (APRs) through “online mode only, strictly in accordance with the rules notified by it (government) from time to time.”
It has also asked all Administrative Secretaries to ensure that APRs in case of gazetted officers “should not be processed manually and they are filed in electronic mode only, on the designated SPARROW portal.”
The direction has been issued after the authorities have taken serious view of deviation of rules by the gazetted officers on this account.
Officials maintain that Smart Performance Appraisal Report Recording Online Window (SPARROW) portal facilitates filing of Annual Performance Reports (APRs) in electronic mode through a user-friendly interface- anywhere, anytime. “This has made recording and movement of e-APR forms seamless, quick and convenient monitoring of APRs is possible due to inbuilt alert mechanisms thereby streamlining the APR life cycle. This technological intervention aims at bringing more transparency,” they point out.
In the first phase, SPARROW was rolled out for JKAS officers in 2020 and recently, the system has been extended to Gazetted Officers of all the departments in the UT of J&K.
“In order to streamline the processing of Annual Performance Reports (APRs) in respect of Gazetted officers of the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, Smart Performance Appraisal Report Recording Online Window (SPARROW) was made live from September 15, 2022, which can be accessed on https://jaksparrow.jk.gov.in. The intent of switching over of Annual Performance-Appraisal Reports from manual mode to online system was to ensure ready access of the Annual Performance Report by the authorized users, preventing loss of APRs in transition, enhanced transparency, better monitoring and timely completion of performance appraisals,” noted GAD Commissioner Secretary Sanjeev Verma in a circular issued today.
He stated that for recording of Annual Performance Appraisal Reports on JAK-SPARROW in respect of Gazetted Officers for the Financial year 2022-23, detailed instructions were issued vide Circular No. 12-JK(GAD) of 2023 dated March 28, 2023.
“However, it has been observed that despite repeated instructions, some Gazetted officers are still getting their APRs processed in the offline mode, which stifles the very purpose of an elaborate set of instructions or guidelines notified on the subject and the electronic SPARROW window. This deviation has been viewed seriously by the authorities,” he said while issuing directions to all the gazetted officers, to record their APRs through online mode only.