In a good news for state cadre officers, age limit for induction in all-India services like the IAS and IPS has been increased from 54 to 56.
The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has notified new rules for three all-India services -- Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service (IFS) -- in this regard.
As per rules, a Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) committee is responsible for making selection to IAS, IPS and IFS from state services.
"The Committee shall not consider the cases of the members of the state civil service, who have attained the age of fifty-six years on the first day of January of the year for which the select list is prepared," as per the notified rules for the three services.
Same amendment has been made for selection in IPS and IFS from state police and forest services respectively, as per the DoPT notification.
Earlier, the maximum age limit for consideration of officers from states services into IAS, IPS and IFS was 54 years, as on January 1 of the year for which the select list is prepared.
As per the new rules, a member of the state civil, police and forest services who has attained the age of 56 years on the first day of January of the year for which the select list is prepared shall be considered for induction, if he could not be considered earlier as no meeting of the committee could be held.
The DoPT has also asked the states not to recommend names of officers for selection who are over 56 years of age.
The move to increase the age limit had come following representation from some state services officers to Supreme Court challenging the maximum age bar of 54 years. They had contended that the maximum age bar should be increased as retirement age in the central government was increased from 58 years to 60 years.
Following which the Centre had sought views from state governments, cadre controlling authorities i.E. Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate, state civil service, non-state civil service, state police and forests services officers and their associations on the issue.
The increase in age limit is likely to help Centre filling the vacancies in the three all-India services, DoPT officials said.
There are 4,619 IAS, 3,798 IPS and 2,668 IFS officers working against the sanctioned strength of 6,270, 4,728 and 3,131, as per the latest government data.
