In what could be good news for civil servants fighting political interference, the government has issued new rules ensuring a minimum tenure of two years in the posting of officers of three premier services – Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service (IFoS).

However, the cadre amendment rules of 2014 specified that transfers and postings prior to the completion of two years can only be done by a Civil Services Board constituted by states. The new rules in this regard has been notified by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).

A cadre officer, appointed to any cadre post, shall hold the office for at least two years unless he or she has been promoted, retired or sent on deputation outside the state or for training exceeding two months, the rules said.

The Centre or the state government may transfer a cadre officer before the minimum specified period on the recommendation of the Civil Services Board. However, a competent authority may reject the recommendation of the Civil Services Board by recording the reasons therefrom.

The rules stipulate that every state government should set up a Civil Services Board for IAS officers which shall consist of chief secretary as chairman, senior most additional chief secretary, or chairman of Board of Revenue, or Financial Commissioner, or an officer of equivalent rank and status, and Principal Secretary, or Secretary or Department of Personnel in the state government.

For the posting and transfer of IPS officers, the board will have two more members — Principal Secretary or Secretary, Home, and the Director General of Police.

For IFoS officers as well, the board is to have two additional members — principal secretary or secretary, forest, and the state’s principal chief conservator of forest.
“All appointments of cadre officers shall be made on the recommendation of the Civil Services Board,” state the rules, which were notified by the DoPT on Tuesday.

The IAS Officers’ Association welcomed the government’s order for providing a two-year fixed tenure for bureaucrats.