Nagaland revises promotion policy, ending service relaxation for regular promotions and making DPC route mandatory
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KOHIMA — Nagaland government has revised its promotion policy, removing the provision for relaxation of qualifying years of service in regular promotions and making the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) the sole mechanism for such promotions.
The revised policy, issued through an Office Memorandum of the Personnel and Administrative Reforms (P&AR) department on May 26, was approved by the state Cabinet and framed on the basis of the recommendations of a committee headed by IAS officer Sushil Kumar Patel.
Under the new policy, all regular promotions will be effected only through the DPC in accordance with the relevant Recruitment Rules and Service Rules. No relaxation of the prescribed qualifying service will be allowed for regular promotions.
However, the government has retained limited relaxation provisions for officiating promotions in specific cases.
According to the memorandum, government employees who have been confirmed in service, completed at least 20 years of cumulative service and served a minimum of one year in the immediate lower rank may be considered for officiating promotion. Such cases will require prior clearance from the P&AR department.
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The memorandum stated that these officiating promotions can be regularised only after the officers fulfil the qualifying service prescribed under the relevant rules.
The revised policy also provides for relaxation in appointments to the post of head of department (HoD). In such cases, officers may be considered after completing six months in the immediate lower rank, provided they have completed 25 years of cumulative service.
Similar provisions have been made for departments headed by cadre officers holding the rank of principal director or engineer-in-chief.
The government has further allowed relaxation of qualifying service for promotion to the highest posts in cadres such as the Nagaland Civil Service (NCS), Nagaland Police Service (NPS), Nagaland Secretariat Service (NSS), Nagaland State Forest Service and Ministerial Service, subject to the officer having served at least six months in the immediate lower rank.
All such relaxations will require prior clearance from the P&AR department, the memorandum stated.
The government has also laid down enforcement measures to ensure compliance with the revised policy.
It warned that officiating promotions made without prior clearance from the P&AR department will not be recognised. In such cases, pay slips will not be issued by the competent authorities, proposals for regularisation will not be considered by the DPC, and disciplinary action may be initiated against the administrative head of department or head of department concerned.
Departments have also been directed to obtain ex-post facto clearance for earlier officiating promotions and place such cases before the DPC for regularisation. The memorandum warned that failure to comply may result in withholding of pay slips.
The order further clarified that relaxation of qualifying service will not be available for entry-level or direct recruitment posts, stating that incumbents are required to acquire adequate experience before becoming eligible for promotion.
According to the memorandum, the revised policy came into force with effect from May 26, 2026, and supersedes all previous office memorandums and instructions issued by the state government on the subject.