The Punjab Cabinet today gave its nod to reduce the pass percentage from 66.66 to 50 per cent in criminal and revenue law tests that vest powers of executive magistrate, assistant collector or a collector to IAS and PCS officers.
The Cabinet headed by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh approved an amendment in Rule-12 of the Civil Services (Departmental Examination) Punjab Rules, 2014, for the posts of assistant commissioner and extra assistant commissioner, an official release said.
Since Rule-10 is not being amended, officers still need to pass in higher standard that is 66.66 per cent in order to clear their probation or promotion, it said.
Besides this, in order to rationalise the existing Rules, some minor changes are also proposed to be made in rules 4 (3), 4 (6), 10(1) that pertain to exemption and language etc, according to the release.
The changes have been approved in view of the fact that a large number of officers do not score the prescribed 66.66 per cent marks in criminal and revenue law papers in the first or second attempt.
Hence, when such officers are posted as sub-divisional magistrates, they cannot be vested with powers of executive magistrate, assistant collector Grade-I or collector, the release said.
Consequently, they are not able to perform their duties effectively, it said.