Post introduction of 360-degree appraisal method, especially at the AS and above level, the empanelment is seen as more of a rejection than a selection process. This may be just a perception or a reality or both. In the past few years, a section of stakeholders across service, batch and cadre has started believing that besides eligibility and competence; suitability and compatibility have also become important for the establishment to consider one for AS-level empanelment.

In its endeavour to equip its readers with insight and analysis Indianmandarins has taken the task of matching dots and finding out the patterns pertaining to the establishment’s approach towards empanelment, posting including others. While analysing the data for the year 2022 pertaining to Additional Secretary/AS equivalent empanelment several remarkable points emerge. 

The year 2022 witnessed a total of ten rounds of empanelment with equal sets of notifications. The empanelment (AS level) for the year kickstarted on 08.02.2022 with the empanelment of 13 officers from various services except for IAS and concluded with the empanelment of Neeraja Adidam (IFoS: 1990: UP) on 10.12.2022.

As this trend has become a norm now, two batches of IAS were considered for empanelment in 2022.  A total of 24 IAS officers from the 1996 batch and 19 IAS officers from the 1997 batch made it to the list announced on 12.05.2022 and 19.10.2022, respectively. Four separate rounds of orders for IAS were also issued wherein altogether 21 officers from different batches (1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1995) made it to the list.

So, a total of 64 IAS officers made it to the list in 2022 that included 15 at the level of AS Equivalent. In addition to 64 IAS officers 25 officers from other services also made it to the list of which only one officer (IA&AS) was empanelled for AS-equivalent and the rest 24 were empanelled for AS/AS-equivalent posts.       

Out of a total of 99 officers, 64 IAS officers, 04 IPS officers and 03 IFoS made it to the AS list. Looking at the pattern from the All India Service (AIS) perspective out of 99 officers, 71 were from IAS, IPS and IFoS and the rest 28 were from other than IAS. 

In 2022, four IPS officers got empanelled as JS coincidently with identical numbers at AS-level in the same year. For Indian Forest Service (IFoS), the ratio dipped drastically from 25 at the JS level to 03 at the AS level in 2022. The number varies year on year basis and empanelment is not a matter of representation of services at the AS level. What is worth underlining is that in terms of career progression, the prospect of IPS and IFoS (AIS services) suddenly shrinks at the AS level. 

Moving to other services, five officers each from IDAS and IA&AS were empanelled. All five IA&AS officers were empanelled in the single list dated 12.05.2022. In terms of the number of empanelment of IDAS and IA&AS officers, they appeared to have an edge over IPS (04), IFoS (03), IRS (IT) and IRS (C&IT) services. Three IRS IT officers and two IRS C&IT officers made it to the list.

Three officers from IPoS, one from ITS (Trade) and two each from IDES, ICAS and IP&TAFS services made it to the list. From Railways, which comprises eight services, one IRAS and two IRTS officers entered the league. There is a long list of services getting fair numbers at JS level empanelment but coming to AS/AS-Equivalent level, the prospect almost gets dried up.

Another noticeable aspect is that with 13 CSS cadre officers empanelled for the JS level posts in 2022, but none at AS level means that the career progression of CSS Cadre (barring the rarest exception) meets a dead end at the JS level itself.