Govt may appoint non-IAS officers as secretaries

The posts of secretaries and additional secretaries to Union ministries maybe soon held even by officers who do not belong to the Indian Administrative Service.

Union Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar has formulated new guidelines to appoint non-IAS officers to the position of secretaries to the Government of India.

Chandrasekhar has reportedly directed his colleagues to send in nominations of non-IAS officers by October 31 for the posts of additional secretaries and secretaries to Government of India.

In a letter written recently, the cabinet secretary has directed his colleagues to draw lists of Group A officers belonging to various central government services other than the IAS for the posts.

The eligibility for the secretary level empanelment is: Minimum of 30 years service in Group A and minimum of 2 years service in a post carrying a minimum basic pay of Rs 22,000.

The eligibility for the additional secretary level empanelment is minimum of 25 years in Service Group A and minimum of seven years service in a post carrying a scale of pay Rs 18,400 in the parent cadre.

The letter says that the nominated officers must have passed their examinations in or before 1974 (i.e. the 1975 batch) for secretary level and 1977 (the 1978 batch) for additional secretary level. The officers must have at least one year's residual service as on January 1, 2011, and an experience of at least three years in secretraiat posts under the Central Staffing Scheme at the level of deputy secretary and above.

The reference date of determining the eligibility has been set at January 1, 2011.