Bhopal, June 17 (IANS) After a nine-year hiatus, the Madhya Pradesh Cabinet on Tuesday approved a long-awaited promotion policy for government employees, which will help generate vacancies.

According to Urban Development Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya, the new policy is expected to generate at least 2,00,000 vacancies across various departments. Approximately four lakh employees stand to benefit from this decision, which marks a significant administrative shift in the state.

The policy introduces a structured promotion mechanism for state service officers. A merit list will be prepared based on seniority, ensuring timely advancement opportunities and eliminating prolonged delays in career progression. The move is expected to boost morale and improve administrative efficiency.

The policy also incorporates reservation provisions, earmarking 20 per cent of promotional posts for Scheduled Tribes and 16 per cent for Scheduled Castes.

These measures aim to ensure equitable representation while maintaining procedural fairness.

Promotions had been suspended for nearly nine years due to a legal dispute over reservation in promotions, which was under consideration by the Supreme Court. During this period, more than 1,50,000 employees retired, including nearly 1,00,000 who were eligible for promotion. On average, around 3,000 employees retire each month in the state.

The government had filed a Special Leave Petition, which effectively stalled the promotion process during the litigation.

Minister Vijayvargiya stated that the legal department thoroughly examined all judicial options before finalising the policy. The Cabinet will now determine the effective date from which promotions will be granted.

The largest concentration of employees is in the school education and police departments, with nearly 5,00,000 personnel classified under the Class-III category.

The new framework seeks to balance the interests of both reserved and unreserved categories.

For Class-1 officers, promotions will be based on a combination of merit and seniority. For Class-2 and lower-level posts, the merit-cum-seniority principle will apply. Eligibility will also depend on performance appraisals. Employees must have received at least four ‘A+’ ratings in the past seven years or one ‘Outstanding’ rating in the last two years.

Those with incomplete records due to their own negligence will be disqualified. The policy will not affect employees who have already been promoted, nor will it apply retroactively to those who have retired, except the government makes any decision.

The new policy will come into force from the date of its official notification.

–IANS

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