The government of Jammu and Kashmir has ordered that all gazetted officials submit their APRs “online mode only, strictly in accordance with the rules notified by it (government) from time to time.”
They have also requested that all Administrative Secretaries make sure that all APRs for gazetted officials “should not be processed manually and are filed in electronic mode only, on the designated SPARROW portal.”
Authorities issued the directive because they regard rule breaking by the gazetted personnel very seriously.
According to the administration, submitting APRs electronically using the convenient and accessible Smart Performance Appraisal Report Recording Online Window (SPARROW) portal is possible at any time and from any location. In addition to simplifying the APR life cycle by making it easier to record and transfer e-APR forms, this has also made monitoring APRs faster and more convenient thanks to built-in alarm systems. They say, “This technology intervention is an attempt to increase openness.
SPARROW was first implemented in 2020 for JKAS officers, and it has since been expanded to include all Gazetted Officers in the UT of J&K.
Smart Performance Appraisal Report Recording Online Window (SPARROW), accessible at https://jaksparrow.jk.gov.in, “went live on September 15, 2022 in order to streamline the processing of Annual Performance Reports (APRs) in respect of Gazetted officers of the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir. Today, GAD Commissioner Secretary Sanjeev Verma issued a circular explaining why the department decided to switch from a paper-based system to an electronic one for submitting annual performance reviews. Among the stated goals of the switch were “ensuring ready access to the Annual Performance Report by the authorised users, preventing loss of APRs in transition, enhanced transparency, better monitoring, and timely completion of performance appraisals,” all of which were achieved.
According to him, comprehensive instructions were released on how to record Gazetted Officers’ Annual Performance Appraisal Reports on JAK-SPARROW for the Financial Year 2022-23 through Circular No. 12-JK(GAD) of 2023 on March 28.
However, “it has been observed that despite repeated instructions, some Gazetted officers are still getting their APRs processed in the offline mode,” which defeats the purpose of both the electronic SPARROW window and the detailed instructions and rules that were previously communicated on the topic. The authorities take this matter very seriously,” he stated as he ordered all gazetted personnel to keep their annual performance reviews (APRs) exclusively in electronic format.
