Policy on fixing an upper limit on the number of years for personal staff of Ministers

ORDER FROM DOPT

MOST IMMEDIATE

No.31/11/2010-EO (MM-I)
Government of India
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
(Department of Personnel and Training)
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New Delhi , dated the 13^thMay, 2010

OFFICE MEMORANDUM

Subject:Policy on fixing an upper limit on the number of years for which officers can work in the personal staff of Ministers in their entire careers.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has laid out a policy for fixing an upper limit on the number of years for which officers / officials can work in the personal staff of Ministers. This was conveyed by DOP&T’s O.M.No. 31/65/2009-EO (MM-I) dated 04.03.2010.

2. Ministries have raised certain queries regarding the applicability of these instructions.
They are:

(i) Whether these instructions are applicable only to serving officers or also to those from the open market, retired and officers of PSU / Autonomous bodies etc.

(ii) Whether these instructions will apply from retrospective or prospective effect and whether they are applicable to new cases of appointments only or to officials working at present in the personal staff of Ministers too.

3. In clarification, the ACC has approved that:

(i) The 10 years limit would be applicable to all appointments in the personal staff of Ministers even for retired or private persons.

(ii) The ACC directions would be applicable with prospective effect and not with retrospective effect as these instructions are clearly for processing ‘future’ appointments. It would not be practical to open cases of all appointments with Ministers at all levels and recalculate their tenure or cancel their appointments as the case may be. These instructions would be effective from the date of issue of the 0.M mentioned in para 1 above. No future appointments will be made which are not in accordance with these instructions.

(Trishaljit Sethi)
Director