INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAINTENANCE OF SERVICE BOOK
(Based on Para 118 to 122 of the General Financial Rules read with Fundamental and Supplementary Rules 197 to 205 and Articles 188 and 189 of the Audit Code)
PARTI
1. A Service Book must be opened for every Government servant on his first entry into Government service, as to maintain a complete and authentic record of his/ her service career.
2. The Service Book should be maintained in duplicate and kept in the custody of the Head of the Office in which the Government servant is serving and transferred with him from office to office. For the sake of reference, the original Service Book should be made use of and the duplicate copy should be kept up to‐date in reserve and taken out only when it may be absolutely necessary to do so, such as for making entries corresponding to those made in the original Serviced Book or in the event of loss or misplacement of the original Service Book.
3. It is the duty of the Head of the Office that all entries in the Service Book are promptly made and duly attested by the authorized Attesting Officer. It is the duty of the Government servant also to see that his Service Book is being properly maintained in accordance with the rules. The Head of the Office should afford every facility to the Government Servant to examine and satisfy about the correctness of the entries made in his Service Book. In token of his scrutiny and acceptance of the entries made in the Service Book the Government Servant should sign his name in the column provided and his / her endorsed as evidence by the Attesting Officer.
4. No erasure or overwriting of an entry once made is allowed. In case of any entry occurring incorrectly it should be scored with a red line and correct neat entry made underneath it which should be duly attested (full sign and date).
PART‐ II
5. Bio data of Government servant, the entries regarding date of birth and domicile should be made in accordance with the relevant rules and orders of Government. All entries in this Part excepting finger prints should be renewed and re‐attested at least after every five years and the signatures of the Government servant and the Attesting Officer should be dated.
6. Personal certificates of character must not, unless the Head of the Department so directs, be enter in the Service Book AnnexB
7. Every event in the Government servant’s official life must be recorded in Part‐III of the Service Book and each entry must be signed dated by the Government Servant as well as attested by the Head of the Officer or the duly authorized Attesting Officer.
8. Every Period of suspension from employment and every other interruption of Service must with promptly noted full details of its duration in Part‐III of the Service Book and attested by the Authorized Attesting Officer.
9. If a Government servant is reduced in rank to a lower substantive post, the reason of eduction must be briefly recorded under the relevant column in Part‐III.
10. The Service Book should be taken up for verification soon after the close of the financial year and the Authorized Attesting Officer after satisfying himself should sign the verification certificate in Part‐ IV of the Service Book.
11. At the time of transfer of the Government servant from one office to another, the Head of the Office or the Attesting Officer under whom he/she was originally working should record the certificate of verification of his/her service in Part‐IV, for the whole period during which he/ she remained employed under him. After that the service book should be forwarded to the office where the Government servant is transferred.
12. If the Government servant is transferred to Foreign Service, the Head of his Office or
department must send his Service Book to the Audit Officer concerned. The Audit Officer will return it after noting under his signatures, the order sanctioning the transfer, the effect of the transfer in regard to leave admissible during Foreign Service and any other particulars which he may consider to be necessary. On the Government servants transfer to Government service, his service book must again be sent to the Audit Officer who then notes in, it over his signatures, all the necessary particulars connected with the Foreign Service may be attested by any authority other than the Audit Officer.
13. Detailed instructions for filling in the various parts of the Service Book are given at the
beginning of each part.
14. The entries regarding particulars of Government servant on page 4 of the service book
should be renewed or re‐attested at least after every five years & the signature against item 11 & 12 should be dated.
DOCUMENTS (GENERALLY) REQUIRED FOR SERVICE BOOK VERIFICATION WITH EVENTS
1. FOR ALL CASES /EVENTS OF VERIFICATION
a. Basic Information Form (Annex‐A)
b. Attested Copy of CNIC
c. Attested copy of Authority letter for nomination of ‘Authorized Attestation
Officer’ to sign the Service books along with specimen signatures dated
d. Attested copy of LATEST Pay Slip
e. CNIC/ Personnel Number should be written on Service Book
2. FOR FIRST –EVER VERIFICATION (after new appointment)
a. Attested copy of Offer/ appointment Letter
b. Attested copy of Medical Fitness Certificate
c. Attested copy of Joining Report
3. REGULARIZATION OF SERVICE
a. Attested copy of Regularization Orders
b. Attested copy of all orders relating to appointment on contract basis, extensions,
Minutes of the Selection / cabinet committee,ETC.
c. Approval of the competent authority for Pay Protection
4. UPGRADATION / PROMOTION OF THE POST
a. Attested copy of office orders for the up‐gradation / Promotion
b. Attested copy of the office orders for the promotion
c. Attested copy of the Joining Report on the promoted(new) post
d. Attested copy of the Option(s), if any, for pay fixation benefits
5. ADVANCE INCREMENTS ON QUALIFICATION (Discontinued w.e.f. 01.12.2001)
a. Attested copy of the testimonials (degrees/ certificates)
b. Attested copy of the office orders of the approval by the head of department /
office
MOST COMMON ERRORS NOTICED
1. The Particulars of the Government Servant neither updated nor verified by the Authorized Attestation Officer. It usually happens when the second book is started, on completion of the original one;
2. The entries are pasted instead of handwritten on the Service Book;
3. Relevant Office Orders are not attached with the service book;
4. Errors and corrections are not attested with sign and date;
5. White papers are attached without binding; only the printed format of the service book can be added with the Service Books;
6. The pages of the service book are pasted with gum;
7. Dates of attestation are not added with signatures;
8. Sequence of the events is not maintained ;
9. The observations of the AGPR office are not responded properly at appropriate level; usually, the messenger writes “Needful done”.
10. Fetching and retention of Service Books by the irrelevant and irresponsible persons.
EXPERIENCE BASED INSTRUCTIONS OF THE AUTHOR ITSELF/ADMN
Although as a principal, it is compulsory to maintain 2-copies of the service book of government employees, one to be kept under safe custody and official SAFE/Chest and the other may be utilized for common practices, but no one take headache in this regard. It is stated that now service book completely can be preserved by scanning or photo copied. However, to maintain fresh service book, medical certificate copy is must. It is not necessary that the duplicate copy of
the service book may be got signed from the officers incharge of that time, but the competent authority concerned on chair can sign the service book after consulting the record. As per AG/District Accounts Office, they will verify such service book under proper letter from the competent /inchage of the office. However, during verification by AG they will clearly note that no arrears will be allowed if due to the concerned employee. It is not necessary that the service book be signed from concerned officers of that time, but it can be signed by the present officer after consulting & verification of record. It is also necessary that an inquiry must be conducted about the misplacement of the service book and must be part and parcel of the record.