Officers of the three premier services - IAS, IPS and IFoS - will now spend a minimum of two years at each posting and any exception in the form of transfers or new appointments will only be done upon the recommendation of a civil services board, according to new rules aimed at checking political interference.
States have now been mandated to constitute a civil services board, which is to be headed by the chief secretary, to consider questions of transfer of the said civil services officers.
For transfer and postings of Indian Administrative Service officers, the board will have the senior-most Additional Chief Secretary or Chairman, Board of Revenue or Financial Commissioner, or an officer of equivalent rank and status as member, and Principal Secretary or Secretary of the Department of Personnel in the state government, as member secretary.
For the posting and transfer of Indian Police Service officers, the board will have two more members - Principal Secretary or Secretary, Home, and the Director General of Police.
For Indian Forest Service 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 Ministry of Personnel on Tuesday.
A cadre officer, appointed to any cadre post, shall hold the office for at least two years unless he or she is 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," the rules specify.
However, the competent authority may reject the recommendation of the Civil Services Board by recording the reasons for the same.
