National Association of Postal Employees Group-C

DG Post No. 141-141/2013-SPB-II

Dated 31-01-2014

Sub: Circulation of Transfer Policy to regulate transfers of officers/officials other than the Officer of Indian Postal Service, Group ‘A’ of Department of Posts.

I am directed to say that following rules/policies/guidelines have been issued from time to time to regulate the transfers of officers / officials, other than the officer of Indian Postal Service, Group ‘A’ of Department of Posts:

I           Rule 37 of Postal Manual Vol IV

II          Rule 38 of Postal Manual Vol. IV

III         Requests received from Inspectors of Posts, for inter-Circle transfer under Rule

           38 of Postal Volume Vol, IV

IV        Requests for temporary inter-Circle transfer

V.        Policy guidelines for rotational transfers

VI.       Transfer / posting of women employees.

2.         It is observed that some Circles are still following some orders / instructions which re outdated / not in forced. The transfer policy with regard to officers / officials of Group ‘A’ to ‘C’ (other than the officers of IPOs Group ‘A’) has now been prepared after examining all the related issues in detail. Therefore, Transfer Policy’ to regulate transfers of officers/officials, (other than the Officers of India Postal Service, Group ‘A’) of the Department of Posts is enclosed herewith as Annexure* to this letter.

3.         Officers of Indian Postal Service, Group ‘A’ including Junior Time Scale / Senior Time Scale officers, are rotated / transferred as per Transfer Policy Guidelines issued vide directorate’s letter  No. 4-9/2011-SPG dated 04-04-2011 and 02-04-2012.

4.         The transfer policy is issued in supersession of earlier orders / policy guidelines on the subject.

5.         All Postal Circles are requested to follow this Transfer Policy scrupulously.

(N,T, paite)

Director(SPN)

Annexure*

Consolidated Transfer Policy to regulate transfers of Officers / officials off the Department of posts other than the officers of India Postal Service, Group ‘A’.

1.        Rule 37 of Postal Manual Vol. IV

All Officials of the Department are liable to be transferred to any part of India unless it isf expressly ordered otherwise for any particular class or classes of officials.

2.         Rule 38 of Postal Manual Vol. IV – Transfer at one’s own request and related orders / instructions.

(I)         Rule 38 of Postal Manual Vol-IV provides for mutual transfer and transfer of an official at his/her own request under certain conditions which are as under;

(i)         Transfer of officials when desired for their own convenience should not be discouraged if they can be made without injury to the rights off others. However, as a general rule, an official should not be transferred from one unit to another, either within the same Circle, or to another Circle unless he has completed probation period satisfactorily. As it is not possible to accommodate an official borne on one gradation list into another gradation list without injury to the other members in that gradation list such transfers should not ordinarily be allowed except by way of mutual exchange. Transfers by way of mutual exchange, if in themselves inherently unobjectionable, should be allowed. But in order to safeguard the rights of employees borne in the gradation lists of both the offices, the official brought in should take the place, in the new gradation list, that would have been assigned to him had he been originally recruited in that unit or the place vacated by the official with whom he exchanges appointment, whichever is the lower.

(ii)        When an official is transferred at his own request but without arranging for mutual exchange, he will rank junior in the gradation list of the new unit to all officials of that unit on the date on which the transfer order is issued, including also all persons who have been approved for appointment to that grades as on that date.

(iii)       If the old and the new unit form parts of a wider unit for the purpose of promotion to a higher cadre, the transferee (whether by mutual exchange or otherwise) will retain his original seniority in the gradation list of the wider unit.

(iv)       An official transferred from one unit to another will not have any claim to go back to his old unit. A declaration to the effect that he accepts the seniority in the new Unit on transfer under Rule 38 and that, he will not have any claim to go hack to the old unit, should be obtained before an official is transferred under this rule. Any special privilege to which an official may be entitled by virtue of his position in the gradation list of the unit from which he is transferred will, ordinarily, be forfeited on his transfer to a new gradation list.

(v)        Rule 38 transfers may be permitted on the basis of declared vacancy i.e. direct recruit may be transferred against direct recruitment vacancy and promote against a promotion vacancy. Further OC candidate should be transferred against OC vacancy, SC candidate against SC vacancy and ST candidate against ST vacancy.

(vi)       Under Rule 38, inter-Circle and intra-Circle transfer from one distinct cadre to another viz. post Offices to Circle Office, Regional office, SBCO, Postal Assistant to Sorting Assistant etc. or vice versa is not allowed.

(vii)      Only such officials who have put in minimum service of five years in the case of direct recruits in the cadre in question and three years in the case of surplus qualified officials wherever applicable would be eligible for transfer under Rule 38. Any relaxation in thisf regard should be matter of rarest exception. Transfer of officials who have not yet cleared the probation period should be permitted in deserving cases only.

(viii)     Under the existing instructions, Heads of Circles i.e. CPMsG are fully empowered to permit such transfers with the approval of CPMG of the other Circle, where the transfer is sought . In such cases where the prescribed conditions are met the approval of the Directorate’s would not be necessary.

(ix)       As and when the applications are received for such transfers, it should be recorded in the register, which will serve as priority list to be operated as and when vacancy (ies) arise.

(x)        under Rule 38 an official will be allowed to seek transfer only twice during the entire service.

(II)        Request received from inspectors of Posts for inter Circle transfer under Rule 38 of  Postal Vol-IV.

(i) Request for mutual transfers under Rule 38 could be considered between the Inspectors of Posts from one Circle to another Circle provided the process of verification of certificates etc has been completed in respect of Direct Recruit Inspectors of Posts and they have completed this probation period.

(ii)        Transfers of both direct recruits as well as promote Inspectors of Posts may be permitted subject to fulfilling the minimum service limit of five years in the case of direct recruits and three years in the case of promotes. The lady Inspectors of Posts would be eligible for such transfer without provision of minimum service in the grade in deserving cases on merit.

(iii)       The requests of male Inspectors of Posts candidates for transfer under Rule 38 may be considered in special circumstances by relaxing the condition of vice years and three years for direct recruits and promote officers, respectively provided they have completed the probation period.

(iv)       The CPMG of the Circle where the Inspectors of Posts are working would be competent to permit such transfer in consultation with the CPMG of he Circle where the transfer is sought for by he individual. The Chief Postmasters General should take a considerate view in consultation with their counterpart while considering the request of Inspector of Posts candidates for transfer to their Home/ nearby Circle under Rule 38.

(v)        Deficit Circles should consider such requests only under extreme compassionate grounds or compelling reasons after assessing the staff position and needs of their own Circle.

(vi)       Before announcing vacancies for a particular recruitment year whether under direct Recruitment or Departmental examination, the number of Rule 38 transfer requests of Direct Recruits and promote Inspectors of Posts which have been already been approved by the competent authority but could not be given effect to during the recruitment year should first be deducted from the quota of vacancies earmarked for Direct Recruit and Departmental Examination and only the remaining vacancies should be reported to Directorate.

(vii)      In order to maintain the representation of promotes and direct recruits, promote Inspectors of Posts may be allowed to seek transfer in he other Circle against a vacancy meant for promotion to be filled up on the basis of Departmental Examination, which is yet to be reported to the Directorate. Similarly, Inspectors of Posts appointed on the basis of Direct Recruitment may be considered for transfer sought in another Circle against a vacancy meant to be filled up by Direct Recruitment, which is yet to be reported to the Directorate.

(viii)     The  vacancies earmarked for Direct Recruitment Quota and Departmental Quota should not be disturbed/ interchanged and the status of roster points should nbot be disturbed. Transfer of Inspeto9rs of Posts belonging to one category i.e. SC/ST.oC/OBC shall be allowed against the vacant post of same category in the Circle to which transfer has been sought.

(ix)       No transfers may be allowed against the vacancies already reported to Staff Selection Commission.

3.         Requests for temporary Inter-Circle transfer

(a)       Request for temporary inter-Circle transfer should not be entertained unless they are really hard and deserving cases. The guidelines in this regard are as under;    

(i)         The Circles should not entertain inter-Circle transfer on temporary basis received from officials in a routine manner. The requests of officials who seek such transfer may be considered by the Circles in the first instance under Rule 38 of Postal Volume IV and instructions issued by the Directorate from time to time, if they are otherwise eligible. If the case is not being considered under Rule 38, the reasons therefore may be recorded.

(ii)        Such Inter-Circle transfer cases of officials on temporary basis, referred to Directorate, will be considered only when both the CPMsG of the Circles have agreed to in really hard and deserving cases after the genuineness of ground for such transfer stated by the official is established to the utmost satisfaction of CPMG of parent Circle.

(iii)       Inter-Circle transfer on temporary basis is restricted to only those officials, who have completed probation period, whenever applicable, and in other cases on completion of two years of service in the grade.

(iv)       Grant of temporary transfer from one Circle to another will be considered initially, for a period of six months only. Further extension thereon shall be considered by the Directorate on recommendation of the Circles for a period of six months.

(v)        In no  case, temporary transfer will be allowed to an official beyond two years in his/her entire service career.

(vi)       Requests of the officials for extension of temporary transfer should be forwarded by the Circle with due recommendation of both the Circle at least two months in advance before expiry of period of temporary transfer already granted by the Directorate.

(vii)      Inter-Circle transfer on temporary basis from one cadre to another cadre viz. Postal Assistant in Post Offices to Postal Assistant in RMS Offices, Postal Assistant to Sorting Assistant etc. will not be considered by the Directorate. Circles should not forward such requests o the Directorate.

(viii)     If the official is promoted during the period of temporary transfer such official should join in the promoted post within a month, failing which he/she will be debarred for promotion for one year.

(ix)       Requests of temporary transfers and extension thereon already granted to the officials by the Directorate before issue of this letter will be regulated as per these new temporary transfer guidelines.

4.         Rotational Transfers

4.1       Officers of India Postal Service, Group ‘A’ including Junior Time Scale/Senior Time Scale officer, shall be rotated as per Transfer Policy Guidelines issued vide Directorate’s letter No. 4-9/2011-SPG dated 4-4-2011and 05-04-2011.

4.2       Employees of all other cadres including Private Secretaries/Stenographers and Mail Motor Service in the Department of posts, completing prescribed post tenure and station tenure, read in conjunction with the provisions in the Postal manual, unless otherwise specially specified, may be rotated as detailed below subject to following broad principles of rotational transfers;

(a)       Matching of human resource with requirements of posts and placing officials in the choice stations may be considered in the overall context of administrative requirements and austerity measures.

(b)       Inter-station transfers should be restricted to minimum in view of the austerity measures.

I.          All such officials who are due fore rotational transfers on completion of post tenure / station tenure may be asked to give at least three options of the place of posting / station with reasons to enable the authorities to consider the same while effecting transfers. However, it may be made clear to the officials that their request will be considered subject to administrative convenience and availability of the post.

II          The post tenure of Inspectors and Assistant Superintendent of Post Offices and their counterparts in the Railway Mail Service shall be four years and they shall be invariably rotated on completion of their tenures. They shall never be posted back to a particular Sub-Division in which they have already completed one tenure.

III         All other officials should be transferred on completion of their prescribed post-tenure of four years within the same stations to the extent possible. Where, it is not possible to do so without shifting some of them outside heir present stations, they may be posted outside their present stations to the extent administratively feasible.

IV        If officials belonging to various cadres are waiting since long for their posting to particular stations and it has not been found possible to accede to their request for one reason or other, such pending requests for transfer may be acceded to in really deserving cases by transferring out officials having longest stay in such stations in the public interest.

V.        All Sub Post Master / Postal Assistant in a single handed or double handed Post offices must be shifted on completion of their post tenor of four years positively, even if it involves moving out of station of their present postings. Further, as per the instructions, concerning preventive vigilance measure, issued by Investigation Division of the Directorate vide their letters no. 8-4/2005-Inv dated 22-09-2005, 12-01-2012 and 05-12-2012, officials who have been posted as Sub Post Master / Postal Assistant in a single handed or double handed post office irrespective of period of posting / completion of tenure should not be posted back to the same office even after a break. In other words, official of single handed and double handed Post offices can have only one posting in such offices during their service period. However, Divisional heads, subject to following conditions have been vested with the powers to consider an official who had earlier served in the single / double handed office to be posted back to the same office or other single and double handed office in the division.

(i)         The Divisional head will satisfy himself / herself about the antecedents and character of the officials for whom the provision are being relaxed; and note to this effect will be given in the file.

(ii)        No official will be posted back to the same single-handed / double handed post offices on transfer / deputation or otherwise before a break of full tenure period.

(iii)       Information about cases of relaxation so exercised by the Divisional Head will be communicated to the regional Postmaster General / Chief Postmaster General as the case may be in a half yearly statement.

VI.       Rotational Transfer of Savings Bank Control organization staff will be made within the cluster of Divisions. However, in exceptional circumstances, DPS (Hqs.) in consultation with Accounts Officer ICO (SB) may consider movement of SBCO officials outside the cluster.

VII.      All those , other than all Sub Post Masters / Postal

Assistants in a single handed or double handed Post Offices, who are due to retire within one year should not be shifted, unless otherwise specially specified or there are very special reasons to be recorded in writing by the head of he Circle.

VIII.     Extension fo post tenure in respect of all Group ‘C’ staff, other than Sub Post Master / Postal Assistant in a single handed or double handed Post Offices, may be allowed in deserving cases for a period of one year by the Regional Postmasters General / Chief PMG after recording full justification on file. Such extensions to Group “B’ Gazetted as well s non Gazetted Officers shall be granted by the Head of the Circles after due consideration. He authority to extend the Post tenure in respect of the officers of the level of JTS and above will rest with the Directorate.

IX.       The station tenure for Gazetted officers is normally four years which may be extended upto six years in individual cases in public interest. The powers for extending the station tenure beyond four years in respect of Group ‘A’  Gazetted officers will be exercised by the Directorate. Such power in respect of Group ‘B’ Gazetted Officers shall rest with the CPMG.

X.        An official / Officer on his transfer, after joining the station assigned to him, shall not be considered for retransfer for a period o0f two years to the station from which is was transferred. Two year break is; however, only a minimum condition and it will not entitle an officer / official to claim retransfer to the old station in preference to others who have spent longer periods out-side. Retransfer before completion of two years may be considered only in extreme public interest or on extreme compassionate grounds in exceptional cases with the approval of he Heads of the Circle. The retransfer of officials as Sub Post Master / Postal; Assistant in a single handed or double handed Post Offices shall be regulated as per the instructions issued by Investigation Division of the Directorate, in this regard.

XI.       Gazetted and Non-Gazetted Staff will not be transferred from a post before completion of the prescribed tenure. However, an officer/official may be transferred from a post in administrative interest or at his/her own request provided he/she has completed at least one year in the said post. Leave of any kind exceeding 15 days will not be counted while computing this period. Nevertheless, transfer of any officer/official before completion of one year in the post may be done in public interest by the reasons for the same should be recorded.

XII.      The rotational transfer policy guidelines may not be enforced in the cadres of Postman and Multi-tasking Staff (MTS).

XIII.     The provision of Station tenure of six years will normally not be enforced or the cadre of Postal Assistant / Sorting Assistant except when ordered in administrative interest and under exigencies of service.

XIV.     As regards posting/transfer of working couples at the same station, the same should be regulated in terms of extant guidelines issued by Department of Personnel & Training.

4.3       Transfers will be effected sufficiently in advance of the commencement of the academic year. Officials who are due to complete their tenure by 30^th September of he year should be transferred well before the commencement of academic session, but not later than 31^st May of that year. Similarly , where the academic session commences in December of the year the transfer of he officers should be effected well before he commencement of he said academic session.

4.4       In respect of Circle cadres where transfer/postings are done by the Regional postmasters General, Chief Postmasters General must ensure that all re-allotments/transfers in the said cadres to various Regions are finalized and conveyed to the Regional Postmasters General concerned by 15^th march of he financial year so that the officials in such cadres could be considered in he next financial year for rotational transfer.

4.5       Transfers may not be effectd in the middle of the academic session in general save in exceptional circumstances (which will include administrative necessity / public interest).

4.6       While ordering transfers, administrative interest and operational needs of a particular division/office/region should be kept in view.

4.7       New products/services and modern technology re being introduced in the Department of Posts in a big way. Heads of Circles/Regional heads/Divisional Heads / Unity Heads therefore, should build up a pool of trained officials to handle these new products and technology related jobs so that manpower is readily available to replace the officials presently working on completion of tenure and to ensure achievement of desired objectives. Proper succession planning will have to be made by the HOCs / Regional / Divisional / unit Heads well in time. The Department has already taken necessary steps to train its manpower for successful implementation of IP Project. It should not be difficult to replace such officials on completion of tenure. However, toa void dislocation off work, the officials specially trained to handle newly introduced products/services and technologies may not be transferred on completion of their tenure unless trained substitutes are available o replace them. HOCs / Regional PMsG must record, in the concerned files the reason for retaining such officials. Therefore, it is incumbent on the Head of Circle to see that there is a significantly well-trained pool available to rotate the officials.

4.8       The aforesaid instructions may be read in conjunction with the relevant rules contained in the Chapter-II of P&T Man. Vol. IV as amended from time to time.

5.         Posting/transfer of women employees

            It may be ensured that women employees are posted / transferred o an office only after ensuring that basic and essential amenities for women as required are available there.

6.         Bringing of direct or indirect political or other outside influence by any official / officer regarding his posting / transfer would attract the provisions of Rule 20 of CS(Conduct) Rules, 1964, as per which an appropriate disciplinary action may be initiated against him/her.

(N.T. Paite)

Director(SPN)