Directorate Common Cadre Service to be formed in state, huge announcement by Nabanna regarding promotion and transfer of government employees

Directorate Common Cadre: Significant news has emerged for thousands of employees working in various departments of the West Bengal government right at the beginning of the new year. Following the model of employees working at the state secretariat, the West Bengal government has decided on a major administrative overhaul for the staff of Directorates and Regional Offices. A recent notification issued by the Personnel and Administrative Reforms (P&AR) Department has announced the creation of a unified cadre, termed the ‘Directorate Common Cadre Service’. After extensive review, the Governor has given his approval to this new policy.

What is the Directorate Common Cadre Service?

For a long time, a ‘Common Cadre’ system has been in place for employees of the Secretariat. Now, an initiative has been taken to bring the employees of Directorates and Regional Offices under a similar unified umbrella. The notification clearly states that the ‘Directorate Common Cadre Service’ will be constituted comprising posts ranging from Lower Division Assistant (LDA)/LDC to Head Assistant (HA)/HC. The most significant aspect is that the administrative control of this entire cadre will lie directly with the Department of Personnel & Administrative Reforms. This is expected to bring more transparency and speed in matters of transfer and recruitment.

Major Changes in Performance Appraisal (SAR)

Not just the formation of a cadre, but major changes have also been introduced in the evaluation of employees’ performance. Until now, the submission of a ‘Self Appraisal Report’ (SAR) was customary mainly for higher-ranking officials. According to the new guidelines, the SAR mode is now initiated for staff under the West Bengal General Service (WBGS) ranging from the rank of LDA to Head Assistant (HA). This means that from now on, general clerical staff will also have to submit their annual performance appraisal reports. However, the existing SAR system for Section Officers (SO) and WBSS officers will continue as usual.

Rules Regarding Promotion

Promotion is a very sensitive issue for employees. The notification also provides clear instructions regarding promotions within the West Bengal Secretariat Service (WBSS):

• Basis of Seniority: Decisions regarding promotion to the posts of Assistant Secretary, OSD, Special Officer, or Registrar will now be considered based on the seniority list or ‘Gradation List’ of Lower Division Assistants (LDAs).
• In-situ Promotion: For promotions from the post of OSD, Special Officer, or Registrar to the level of Deputy Secretary, the policy of ‘In-situ’ promotion will be effective.

Next Steps

This notification has been issued with the concurrence of the Finance Department and the approval of the State Cabinet. It further states that respective departments shall issue detailed orders in consultation with the Finance Department to ensure the smooth implementation of these recommendations. The existing process regarding the training of officers and staff remains unchanged for the time being. This administrative move is expected to address long-standing demands of Directorate-level employees and bring more discipline to administrative work.