Resume long-stalled promotions in Central Secretariat Service immediately: Officers' body to DoPT

New Delhi, Jan 30 (PTI) Citing a recent Supreme Court judgment, an organisation of government officers urged Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Sunday to immediately resume long-stalled promotions in Central Secretariat Service (CSS).

In a letter to DoPT Secretary P K Tripathi, organisation urged him to direct wing concerned to update its records so that promotion orders of CSS officers are issued without furr delay as many of m are retiring every month without getting ir due career benefits.

letter assumes significance as re are over 1,800 vacant posts at levels of section officer, undersecretary, deputy secretary, director and joint secretary against ir sanctioned strength of 6,210, a member of CSS Forum -- an association of all CSS officers -- said.

In dition to over 1,800 existing vacancies, re are more than 2,700 officials working on -hoc promotions, he said.

" Central Secretariat Service is one of earliest organised services of government of India. Despite this, CSS officers, who are considered to be backbone of government of India's functioning, are distressed over ir long-delayed promotions by ir cre-controlling authority, DoPT, apparently due to a pending case in Supreme Court," officer said.

In his letter to DoPT secretary, CSS Forum general secretary Manmohan Verma said apex court on Friday clarified all points on which matter was under contention.

"Subsequent to this judgment, re remains no rationale to hold promotions," he said.

So far as Central Secretariat Service is concerned, data for all cres within CSS is alrey available with CS-I division and thus, re is no hindrance in complying with Supreme Court judgment, Verma said.

"refore, CSS Forum requests you to direct CS division to make all data up to date so that promotion orders of CSS officers may be issued without furr delay as many CSS officers are superannuating every month without promotions," he said in letter.

Supreme Court on Friday refused to "lay down any yardstick" for granting reservation in promotion to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in government jobs, saying determination of ir inequate representation is discretion of State.

forum also wrote to Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh recently, seeking promotions and on or matters related to CSS.

Verma said DoPT h, in June 2018, issued instructions to all departments and ministries to carry out promotions, subject to outcome of apex court judgment in matter of reservation in promotions.

Accordingly, all departments and ministries have been continuously issuing regular promotion orders of all central government employees, but only CS division under DoPT has not issued any such order for regular promotions in CSS for more than six years on pretext of pending court cases, he ded.

For last eight months, Verma said, DoPT has even stopped giving -hoc promotions.

"It is ironical that in different departments and ministries, CSS officers are issuing regular promotion orders of or cre officers, however, y are being denied even -hoc promotion, even after more than 1,800 vacancies in different gres. This has severely impacted functioning of central secretariat as CSS officers are highly frustrated and feeling much de-motivated," he said. PTI AKV RC