Cabinet nod for reconstitution of Dept Promotion Committee

BHUBANESWAR:  The State Government has decided to reconstitute Departmental Promotion Committee for the Odisha Police Service and Odisha Armed Police Service officials.A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the State Cabinet presided over by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here on Saturday. The reconstitution has been done to expedite the process for promotion of officials.

The Cabinet approved the proposal for amendment to the Odisha Police Service (Method of Recruitment and Conditions of service) Rules 2013 and Odisha Armed Police Service (Method of Recruitment and Conditions of service) Rules 2013 for reconstitution of the promotion committee.

A proposal to reduce the service experience criteria for Odisha Secretariat Service officials to higher posts was approved to fill up vacancies in promotional posts. The experience criteria for promotion from assistant section officer to section officer was reduced from 12 years continuous service to eight years.

Similarly, for promotion to the post of Deputy Secretary and Joint Secretary, the service experience in the feeder post of Under Secretary and Deputy Secretary has been reduced to three and one year respectively. However, there will be no service experience criteria for promotion from the post of Joint Secretary to Additional Secretary. Promotion to the post of Additional Secretary will be considered by the Promotion Committee from amongst the eligible officers in the feeder grade of Joint Secretary as per merit with due regard to seniority.

Besides, the Cabinet approved a proposal for creation of one post of head driver in government departments, Heads of Department, district and subordinate offices where the establishments will have four posts of driver and senior driver put together. The relevant provisions of Odisha Government Drivers (Light Motor Vehicle) Group C (Method of Recruitment and Conditions of Service) Rules, 2013 will be amended for the purpose.

As per provisions contained under Rule 3 (1) of the Service Rules of the government drivers, each department and other offices have one post each of driver and senior driver. The decision to amend the service rules was taken to provide additional promotional avenues to the drivers.
The Council of Ministers which met after the Cabinet meeting approved the vote-on-account for the first four months of the 2019-20 financial year.