Revised Cadre Allocation Policy for All India Services

All India Services Latest News

• The Union government has notified a revised cadre allocation policy for the IAS, IPS and IFoS, replacing the earlier zonal system with a new grouping structure.

Background of Cadre Allocation in All India Services

• Cadre allocation is a critical administrative process that determines the State or Joint Cadre in which officers of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and Indian Forest Service (IFoS) serve. 
• The system aims to balance two key objectives: 
  • Ensuring national integration through inter-State exposure and 
  • Respecting regional familiarity by allowing limited home-state representation.
• Since 2017, cadre allocation has been governed by a zonal system, where States were grouped into five zones. 
• Candidates were required to rank zones and cadres within them. 
• Over time, several State governments and aspirants raised concerns about uneven cadre distribution, lack of transparency, and rigid allocation outcomes.

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Introduction of the New Grouping Structure

• The revised policy replaces the zonal arrangement with four alphabetical groups of State and Joint Cadres. 
• According to the notification issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), all cadres have been arranged alphabetically and distributed into four groups to simplify and standardise the allocation process.
• New Group Composition
  • Group I: AGMUT, Andhra Pradesh, Assam-Meghalaya, Bihar, Chhattisgarh
  • Group II: Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh
  • Group III: Maharashtra, Manipur, Nagaland, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu
  • Group IV: Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal
• This structure replaces the earlier five-zone model that had geographical clustering, which often resulted in repeated regional concentration of officers.

Objectives of the Revised Policy

• The revised cadre allocation framework seeks to achieve the following objectives:
• Greater Transparency: Alphabetical grouping removes ambiguity associated with zonal preferences.
• Fair Distribution of Officers: States had flagged skewed vacancy allocation under the earlier system.
• Enhanced National Integration: Wider inter-State exposure aligns with the original philosophy of All India Services.
• Administrative Efficiency: A simplified structure enables faster and more predictable allocation outcomes.

Determination of Vacancies

• Under the new policy, cadre-controlling authorities will determine vacancies annually:
  • IAS: Department of Personnel and Training
  • IPS: Ministry of Home Affairs
  • IFoS: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
• Vacancies will be calculated based on the cadre gap as on January 1 of the year following the Civil Services Examination. 
• States must submit their vacancy requisitions by January 31; failing which, late submissions will not be considered. Vacancy details will be publicly notified to ensure transparency.

Insider and Outsider Allocation Rules

• The policy reiterates strict norms for insider and outsider allocation:
  • Insider candidates (home State cadre) will be allocated strictly based on merit rank and vacancy availability.
  • Willingness to serve in the home State is now a mandatory condition for insider eligibility.
  • Vacancies for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) will be treated as part of the unreserved category in cadre rosters.
• This aims to curb discretionary interpretation and ensure merit-based allocation.

Rotational Cycle System

• A key procedural reform is the introduction of a rotational cycle system. 
• Each cycle covers 25 candidates in merit order, corresponding to the total number of State and Joint Cadres.
  • Higher-ranked candidates within a cycle get priority.
  • Remaining candidates move to the next cycle.
  • Outsider allocation follows insider placement, with priority given first to Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD).
• This system is intended to introduce predictability and objectivity into cadre placement.

Significance for Civil Services Administration

• Reduces litigation and grievances related to cadre allocation.
• Strengthens cooperative federalism by addressing State concerns.
• Improves officer exposure to diverse administrative and socio-political environments.
• Aligns recruitment with governance efficiency, an important theme in public administration reforms.

Source : IE