State babus get chance at IAS elevation at 56 yrs now

OFFICERS SELECTED THROUGH THE

ANNUAL CIVIL SERVICES EXAMINATION MAKE UP FOR TWO-THIRDS OF THE TOTAL STRENGTH OF THE SANCTIONED POSTS

NEW DELHI: The Modi government on Tuesday raised the maximum age limit by two years for state officials seeking promotion to the All India civil services, a move likely to put more ageing officers in charge of a young country.

The Centre had so far shut the doors on deputy collectorrank officers in the states from joining the three All India Services (AIS) — the Indian Adminstrative Service, the Indian Police Service and the Indian Foreign Service — once they turned 54 but notifications by the department of personnel and training have now raised the limit to 56.

The hike was a long standing demand by the states.

Half of all IAS officers are past 50 years of age, a stark contrast to the country that is home to the world’s largest population of young people, with a third of the nation below 35.

The move also means promoted officers will serve only four years before they retire at 60 and the Centre was likely to scrap the mandatory training required before elevation due to the short duration before retirement of these personnel, a government official said.

“The age relaxation meets a long-pending demand from the state civil servants after the Vajpayee government raised the retirement age from 58 to 60,” an official told HT.

The last time the age limit was raised was in the mideighties when it was increased from 52 to 54 years.

One-third of all AIS posts are reserved for state bureaucrats with officers selected through the annual civil services examination making up the rest.

The government had earlier proposed to make aspiring state civil servants appear for a written test, and an interview, but seemed to have given up on the proposed change.