New Delhi (28.01.2024): The last DPC meeting UPSC had conducted for DANICS Cadre officers on December 12, 2019 and in January 2020, a total 19 officers got their dues with being promoted as IAS. Four years have passed since the time when DANICS cadre saw the last DPC. In the last four years, approximately twenty vacancies have been accumulated against sanctioned IAS posts for DANICS based on promotion. Career progression of over thirty officers have come to a halt leaving some of them hopeless. For example, T Phillip (1995) will go home next month without getting his lawful dues in career despite fulfilling all eligibility criteria and requisite clearances for promotion to IAS. Sources say that issues like APAR deficiency, vigilance and disciplinary issues of some officers have created obstructions. Further, procedural delay relating to J K Jain (1995), Raj Kumar (1995) and O P Mishra (1995) have apparently marred the career prospects of 1995 and successive batches. DANICS officers feel dismayed as junior batches of DANIPS Cadre (up to 2002-2003) have already got promotion to IPS. A few contentious cases in 1995 batch of DANICS, as stated earlier, have been giving nightmares to successive batches. A section of officers attributes inordinate delays to the lack of administrative will. In recent past pending court cases delayed the empanelment and promotion of Cadres including IRS, CSS etc and even Cadre controlling authorities were said to have advocated for keeping contentious cases in abeyance till final outcome to avoid logjams and avert career stagnation. It is the irony of administration and personnel management that DANICS officers are eligible for promotion to IAS after completing eight years of continuous service, it has actually been taking on an average 27-28 years for promotion. In states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Punjab, etc, the cadre of state civil service have managed to get promoted to IAS within a span of 8 to 10 years.

(By Rakesh Ranjan)