Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | Polity & Governance
Why in news?
The Centre has asked States to nominate women, SC/ST officers for appointment in key posts on Central deputation for CSS.
Introduced in –1996.
CSS – It is used to fill senior posts in Ministries and Departments of the Government of India.
Aim – To improve administration, give officers national policy exposure, and balance state–centre experience through rotation.
Administered by –Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.
Key Features
Posts Covered –It arranges for officers from IAS, IPS, IFoS, and some Central Services to work in the GoI as Deputy Secretary, Director, Joint Secretary, Additional Secretary, and Secretary.
Officer Pool –Officers are drawn from State Governments and various Group-A services (covering technical, economic, medical, legal, trade, engineering, etc).
Cadre Clearance –Officers must obtain clearance from their parent cadre before being considered for deputation.
Empanelment – Officers are empanelled at different levels (e.g., Joint Secretary) based on their Annual Confidential Reports (ACRs/APARs), performance, and seniority.
Tenure –Deputation is generally for a fixed tenure (commonly 3–5 years), after which officers return to their parent cadre.
Age limit –Officers must have at least 4 years of service left before retirement.
Eligibility – Officers must meet service length requirements and performance benchmarks to be considered for empanelment.
Minimum Service requirement– Generally 9 years as of July 1st of the relevant year.
Selection Process –
Annual Circular – DoPT asked State Chief Secretaries and Group‑A service authorities to nominate willing officers for deputation.
Offer List – Each year, an offer list is made from the nominations, and CSS appointments are chosen from it.
Relaxations – Special provisions exist for SC/ST, women, NE states, and underrepresented cadres get relaxed criteria to ensure representation.
Up to 15% of empanelled officers may be selected under relaxed norms.
Benefits –Two-way benefit – Centre gets skilled officers, officers get exposure, and their parent cadres benefit from their central experience.
