Himachal lifts ban on transfers of Group-C, Group-D staff till March 31
Shimla, January 13
The Himachal Pradesh government on Tuesday lifted the ban on general transfers of Group-C and Group-D employees, excluding teaching cadres of the Education and Technical Education departments, allowing such transfers to be approved till March 31, 2026, according to an official order.
As per the notification issued by the Department of Personnel (Appointment-II), the power to approve transfers during this period has been delegated to the respective ministers in their departments.
The order states that all transfers must strictly adhere to the Comprehensive Guiding Principles (CGP)-2013, as amended from time to time. When approving transfers, the normal three-year tenure at the place of posting will be a key consideration. Ministers-in-charge are authorised to approve transfers only for regular Group-C and Group-D officials who have completed their normal tenure, the notification said.
To prevent large-scale reshuffles, the government has capped transfers at 3% of the department's total cadre strength. Responsibility for ensuring that this ceiling is not breached has been assigned directly to the Heads of Departments, Managing Directors, Chief Executive Officers, and Registrars of the relevant departments, boards, corporations, and universities.
In cases involving relaxation or condonation of short-stay or short-distance norms, prior approval of the Chief Minister, routed through the minister-in-charge, will be mandatory, in line with the provisions of the CGP-2013, the order clarified.
The government has also allowed employees to apply directly for transfers to their respective departments. All administrative secretaries, department heads, divisional commissioners, and deputy commissioners have been directed to ensure strict compliance with these instructions, which have also been uploaded to the department's official website.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Good decision, but the real test is implementation. Will ministers really follow the 3-year tenure rule and the 3% cap? Or will it be "sifarish" (recommendation) based transfers as usual? The system needs strict monitoring to be fair.
Finally! My uncle has been trying to get a transfer from Kinnaur to Shimla for his daughter's education for two years. The ban caused so much stress. At least now there is a window till 2026. Fingers crossed the application process is smooth.
While transfers are necessary, I hope this doesn't disrupt essential services in remote areas. If all staff from difficult terrains apply for transfers, who will serve there? The government must also think about incentives for those who choose to stay.
Interesting policy. Delegating power to ministers seems efficient, but concentrating approval power can also lead to bias. The requirement for CM's approval for any relaxation is a good check and balance. Hope it works for the employees' benefit.
The 3% cap is too low, yaar! With thousands of employees, this will create a huge backlog and only a lucky few will get transfers. The government should review this limit based on genuine hardship cases.
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