Recruitment Rules

Recruitment rules are statutory regulations governing the hiring process for various government positions. These rules specify the qualifications, eligibility and methods of recruitment, ensuring fairness and transparency in the hiring process.

For Group A and B posts, recruitment rules require consultation with relevant authorities viz. Administrative Ministry, Department in consultation with the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT), Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and the Ministry of Law.

Note

The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) is a part of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. The Ministry has a total of three departments:

1. Department of Personnel and Training;
2. Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare; and
3. Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances.

DOPT is concerned with the formulation of policy and the watchdog of the government ensuring that certain accepted standards and norms, as laid down by it, are followed by all ministries or departments in the recruitment, regulation of service conditions and posting transfers and deputation of personnel as well as other related issues.

It solely controls the cadres of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and the Central Secretariat Service (CSS).

Source Wikipedia.

Note

Public Service Commissions for the Union and for the States are constituted under Articles 315 to 323 of the constitution. Subject to the provisions of this article, there shall be a Public Service Commission for the Union and a Public Service Commission for each State. It shall be the duty of the Union and the State Public Service Commissions to conduct examinations for appointments to the services of the Union and the services of the State respectively.

For Group C posts, the Administrative Ministry or the Department are empowered to frame or amend the recruitment rules keeping in view the guidelines or the Model Recruitment Rules issued by the DoPT.

The minimum education qualifications and experience required for the direct recruitment may be indicated as precisely in two parts:

1. essential qualifications; and
2. desirable qualifications.

Note

Recruitment rules are established under Article 309 of the Constitution. Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, Acts of the appropriate legislature may regulate the recruitment and conditions of service of persons appointed, to public services and posts in connection with the affairs of the Union or of any State:

Provided that it shall be competent for the President or such person as he may direct in the case of services and posts in connection with the affairs of the Union and for the Governor of a State or such person as he may direct in the case of services and posts in connection with the affairs of the State, to make rules regulating the recruitment and the conditions of service of persons appointed, to such services and posts until provision in that behalf is made by or under an Act of the appropriate Legislature under this article and any rules so made shall have effect subject to the provisions of any such Act.

Note

See Rule 6 of Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) for understanding the classification of civil posts under the Union.

Methods of Recruitment

The government employs various methods to recruit personnel, each tailored to specific departmental needs:

Direct Recruitment

Direct recruitment is open to all candidates eligible as per the provisions regarding age, educational qualifications, experience etc. as prescribed in the Recruitment Rules.

Promotion

Promotion is the recruitment method from feeder grade post to higher post in the hierarchy as per the provisions of the Recruitment Rules. If promotion is kept as a recruitment method, it is also necessary to lay down the number of years of qualifying service before the persons in the field become eligible for promotion. Only regular and not ad-hoc, periods of service are considered for computing this service.

Deputation

Deputation is a method of recruitment where officers of central government departments or State/UT governments from outside are appointed to post(s) in central government for a limited period, by the end of which they will have to return to their parent cadres. In the case of isolated posts, it is desirable to keep the recruitment method of deputation/short-term contract. Otherwise, the incumbents of such posts, if directly recruited, will not have any avenue of promotion/career progression.

Absorption

Absorption and deputation are not the same. There is a substantial difference between absorption and deputation. The officer, who initially comes on deputation, may be permanently absorbed in the post/grade if recruitment rules prescribe absorption as a recruitment mode. Such absorption can be effected only in the case of officers who are on deputation from the Central or State government.

Re-employment

Armed Forces personnel, including those in the Military, Naval and Air Forces, retire at younger ages compared to other government employees, as their duties are physically demanding. When they retire, usually between the ages of 35 and 54, depending on their rank, most ex-servicemen require assistance for resettlement. They need a second career because they are still young and active and their responsibilities and obligations are at their peak when they are compulsorily retired. Considering their dedicated service to the country’s safety and security, it is a national obligation to provide the necessary facilities for their resettlement. To address this, the central government has introduced the Ex-Servicemen (Re-employment in Central Civil Services and Posts) Rules. The recruitment rules regulating the recruitment of persons to Group C and MTS posts and services under the central government shall be subject to the provisions of these rules and shall be construed accordingly.

See the FAQs for information on ex-serviceman reservations.

Short-term Contract

A short-term contract is also a form of deputation where officers from non-government bodies e.g. universities, research institutions and public sector undertakings for teaching, research, scientific and technical post(s), can come to central government posts.

Ad-Hoc Appointments

All posts are required to be filled in accordance with the prescribed procedure, in terms of the recruitment rules and on a regular basis. However, at times, for reasons beyond the control of the Cadre Controlling Authority or Administrative Ministry or Department, it may not be possible to make regular appointments or promotions in the normal course. While such posts should ideally be kept vacant till they can be filled on regular basis, in exceptional circumstances, where a post cannot be kept vacant for functional reasons or exigencies of work, or where deputation as an alternative method of recruitment has not been prescribed in the RRs, the post may be filled up on ad-hoc basis as the last resort. Thus, ad-hoc appointments or promotions are to be made in rare cases, in order to meet the functional requirement of the organisation while keeping the policy imperative that all posts have to be filled on a regular basis. While making ad-hoc appointment/ promotion, it may be noted that persons appointed on ad-hoc basis to a grade are to be replaced by persons approved for regular appointment by direct recruitment, promotion or deputation, as the case may be, at the earliest opportunity.

The total period for which the appointment/promotion may be made by the respective Ministries or Departments on an ad-hoc basis will be limited to one year only. In case there are compulsions for extending the ad-hoc appointment/promotion beyond one year, the approval of DoPT would be required.

The appointment made on ad-hoc basis, will not bestow upon the official a claim for regular appointment and the service rendered on ad-hoc basis in the grade would not count for the purpose of seniority in that grade or eligibility for promotion to the next higher grade.

See the compilation of related rules for more information.

Compassionate Scheme

The object of the scheme is to grant appointment on compassionate grounds to a dependent family member of a government servant dying in harness or who is retired on medical grounds, thereby leaving his family in penury and without any means of livelihood, to relieve the family of the government servant concerned from financial destitution and to help it get over the emergency.

Applicable to

1. a dependent family member of a

   1. government servant who

      1. dies while in service (including death by suicide);
      2. is retired on medical grounds under Rule 2 of the CCS (Medical Examination) Rules 1957 or the corresponding provision in the Central Civil Service Regulations before attaining the age of 55 years (57 years for erstwhile Group D government servants);
      3. is retired on medical grounds under Rule 39 of the CCS (Pension) Rules, 2021 or the corresponding provision in the Central Civil Service Regulations before attaining the age of 55 years (57 years for erstwhile Group D government servants); or
      4. reprted missing for more than two years, provided that:
         1. an FIR to this effect has been lodged with the Police;
         2. the missing person is not traceable; and
         3. the competent authority feels that the case is genuine.

   2. member of the Armed Forces

      1. who dies during service;
      2. is killed in action; or
      3. is medically boarded out and is unfit for civil employment.

Note

Rule 2 of the CCS (Medical Examination) Rules 1957:

Where the competent authority has reason to believe that a government servant to whom these rules apply is suffering from:

1. contagious disease; or
2. physical or mental disability which in its opinion interferes with the efficient discharge of his duties.

that the authority may direct the government servant to undergo a medical examination within such period not exceeding one month as may be specified by it and may, if it considers it essential to do so, also direct the examination.

Note

Rule 39 of the CCS (Pension) Rules, 2021, details the invalid pension provisions for different provisions of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.

Note

1. A dependent family member is:
   1. spouse;
   2. son (including adopted son);
   3. daughter (including adopted daughter);
   4. brother or sister in the case of unmarried government servant; or
   5. member of the Armed Forces referred above who was wholly dependent on the government servant or member of the Armed Forces at the time of his death in harness or retirement on medical grounds, as the case may be.
2. Government servant for the purpose of these instructions means a government servant appointed on regular basis and not one working on daily wage, casual, apprentice, ad-hoc, contract or reemployment basis.
3. Confirmed work-charged staff will also be covered by the term government servant mentioned above.
4. Service includes extension in service (but not re-employment) after attaining the normal age of retirement in a civil post.
5. Re-employment does not include employment of an ex-serviceman before the normal age of retirement in a civil post.

Eligibility

The family is indigent and deserves immediate assistance for relief from financial destitution; an applicant for compassionate appointment should be eligible and suitable for the post in all respects under the provisions of the relevant Recruitment Rules.

It is not the intention to restrict employment of a family member of the deceased or medically retired (erstwhile) Group D government servant to a erstwhile Group D post only. As such, a family member of such erstwhile Group D government servant can be appointed to a Group C post for which he or she is educationally qualified, provided a vacancy in Group C post exists for this purpose.

The posts in Group C and D are the lowest posts in non-manual and manual categories and hence they alone can be offered on compassionate grounds and no other post i.e. in the Group A or Group B category is expected or required to be given for this purpose as it is legally impermissible.

Exemptions

Compassionate appointments are exempted from observance of the following requirements:

1. recruitment procedure i.e. without the agency of the Staff Selection Commission or the Employment Exchange;
2. clearance from the Surplus Cell of DoPT or Directorate General of Employment and Training; and
3. orders restricting filling up of posts issued by the Ministry of Finance (Department of Expenditure).

Relaxations

Upper age limit could be relaxed wherever found to be necessary. The lower age limit should, however, in no case be relaxed below 18 years of age. Age eligibility shall be determined with reference to the date of application and not the date of appointment;

Authority competent to take a final decision for making a compassionate appointment in a case shall be competent to grant relaxation of upper age limit also for making such appointment.

Reservation

Appointment on compassionate grounds should be made only on a regular basis and that too only if regular vacancies meant for that purpose are available.

Compassionate appointments can be made up to a maximum of 5% of vacancies falling under direct recruitment quota in any Group C post. The appointing authority may hold back up to 5% of vacancies in the aforesaid categories to be filled by direct recruitment through Staff Selection Commission or otherwise so as to fill such vacancies by appointment on compassionate grounds. A person selected for appointment on compassionate grounds should be adjusted in the recruitment roster against the appropriate category viz SC, ST, OBC or General depending upon the category to which he belongs.

See the scheme for compassionate appoitment for more information.

Seniority

A person appointed on compassionate ground in a particular year may be placed at the bottom of all the candidates recruited or appointed through direct recruitment, promotion etc. in that year, irrespective of the date of joining of the candidate on compassionate ground.

Composite Method of Recruitment

This method is employed when the field of promotion or feeder grade consists of only one post, the method of recruitment by deputation (including short-term contract) or promotion, is prescribed so that the eligible departmental officer is considered along with outsiders.

If the departmental candidate is selected for appointment to the post, it is to be treated as having been filled by promotion; otherwise the post is to be filled by deputation or short term contract for the prescribed period.

The field for deputation, short-term contract or absorption should as far as possible consist of officers holding analogous posts on regular basis but may be widened to include officers working in the next lower grade also with the qualifying service on regular basis normally prescribed by promotion.

Consultation with UPSC

Recruitment for many posts, especially within central civil services, requires consultation with UPSC. Exemptions from consultation with UPSC are governed by UPSC (Exemptions from Consultation) Regulations, 1958.

Direct Recruitment to Another Post

Government employees appointed to a new post through direct recruitment are subject to a new probation period, regardless of their status in previous posts.

Probation

A person is appointed on probation to assess their suitability for the job. Probation is not just a formality and does not require a formal declaration. The Appointing Authority can declare successful completion, extend the probation period or terminate the service based on performance evaluation.

Note

An Appointing Authority in relation to a government servant refers to the highest authority in the following contexts:

1. the authority empowered to make appointments to the service of which the government servant is for the time being a member or to the grade of the service in which the government servant is for the time being included;
2. the authority empowered to make appointments to the post which the government servant for the time being holds;
3. the authority which appointed the government servant to such service, grade or post; or
4. where the government servant having been a permanent member of any other service or having substantively held any other permanent post, has been in continuous employment of the government, the authority which appointed him to that service or to any grade in that service or to that post.

Probation is used for direct recruitment, promotion or re-employment before superannuation. During probation, the probationer should work under multiple officers and their performance should be assessed by each one. Separate probation reports, distinct from regular Annual Performance Appraisal Report (APAR) should be used for this purpose.

Note

Superannuation in the central government is a retirement pension given to government employees who retire upon reaching the age of compulsory retirement. In India, the age of superannuation is generally 60 years.

Probation should not be extended for more than a year, except for exceptional reasons and should not exceed double the normal period.

If a probationer is not progressing satisfactorily, they should be informed of their shortcomings and given an opportunity to improve. Written warning should be given and discharge should be considered if there is no substantial improvement.

Probationers may be required to undergo training, exams and instructions. The examination can include Hindi exams if necessary.

The following is the period of probation for different appointment types.

Appointment Type	Probation Period
Promotion from one grade to another but within the same group of posts, e.g. from Group C to Group C	No probation
Promotion from one group to another, e.g. Group B to Group A	The probation period is prescribed for direct recruitment to the higher post. If no period is prescribed, then it should be two years.
Direct recruitment to posts carrying a Grade Pay of ₹7,600 or above or to posts to which the maximum age limit is 35 years or above and where no training is involved	One year
Direct recruitment to posts exempt as mentioned above	Two years
Officers re-employed before the age of superannuation	Two years
Appointment on a contract basis, tenure basis, reemployment after superannuation and absorption	No probation

Mandatory Induction Training

All new recruits are required to undergo mandatory induction training to familiarise themselves with government procedures, responsibilities and the ethical standards expected in their roles.The period of induction training is of at least two weeks.