No.11025/2/2003-ISS

Government of India

Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation

 

Sardar Patel Bhavan, Sansad Marg,

New Delhi, Dated: 15 .2.2005.

 

OFFICE MEMORANDUM

 

 

Subject: Indian Statistical Service (ISS) Cadre Planning, Placement and Management

…

         

Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation as the Cadre Controlling Authority of Indian Statistical Service (ISS) after detailed discussion in various fora have formulated Cadre Planning, Placement and Management Policy for the officers of the Service.  A copy of the guidelines is enclosed.  The guidelines are framed keeping in view of the recommendation of the National Statistical Commission, headed by Dr C. Rangarajan in its report on the career management of ISS officer and the extant guidelines in the subject.

 

2.                 All concerned Ministries in which ISS posts are located are requested to extend full cooperation in implementation of the said policy.

 

 

(A.K. Saxena)

Joint Secretary to the Govt. of India

Encl. As above.

 

Distribution:

 

1.  All participating Ministries/Departments/Organizations

 

Copy forwarded for information to –

 

1.                 PS to MOS (IC)

2.                 PS to Cabinet Secretary

3.                 PS to Secretary (S &PI)

4.                 PS to DG/AS/JS

5.                 Secretary, ISSA, New Delhi

6.                 Secretary, ISSA, Eastern chapter, Kolkata.

7.                 Master Set, 2005

8.                 Website of the Ministry

9.                 Notice Board.

 

Indian Statistical Service (ISS) Cadre Planning, Placement and Management

 

1.          Background

         

1.1     A transfer policy was formulated and circulated during April 1999 for the officers of Indian Statistical Service (ISS) to all the participating Ministries and Departments as well as individual ISS officers.  These guidelines primarily covered officers upto the level of JAG only.  The guidelines could not be operationalised.

 

1.2             The National Statistical Commission (NSC) headed by Dr. C.Rangarajan in its Report has recommended on the career management of ISS officers.  NSC has recommended that during the first 15 years of the career, every ISS officer should work in about four of the following areas:- Applied Statistics (Sampling design, time series analysis and forecasting, statistical modeling and inference, classificatory techniques, etc.), Computer linked areas (Systems analysis and software development, survey data processing, data bank and data warehouse management, desk top publication, computer management, etc.), National Accounts, Agricultural Statistics, Industrial and Commercial Statistics, Population and Socio-economic Statistics, and Field Operations.  Further, NSC recommended that gradually, during the next 5 years or so, he or she should be required to narrow down the area of specialisation to only one or two of these areas.  The role of the cadre management should be to help harmonise the choice of specialisation by the officer with the goals of the organisation.  All transfers and training of an officer should be consistent with the goals of specialisation.

 

1.3     In the above background, with the approval of the Competent Authority it has been decided to review the extant guidelines and redesign the guidelines in a practical and comprehensive manner.  A draft policy was formulated after discussing with the senior officers of the Ministry and circulated to all including ISS Associations for comments.  It was also placed in the website of the Ministry for comments.  Accordingly, a placement policy for ISS officers has been formulated.  

 

2.          Operational guidelines for placement of ISS officers:-

 

2.1     An ISS officer’s career from the date he joins service is categorized into two phases – (1) General Phase i.e. first 15 years of the service and (2) Specialisation Phase i.e. after 15 years till retirement. 

    

I.          General Phase -

         

2.1.1            Direct recruits after completion of probation period will be posted into the following divisions of this Ministry/participating Ministries in the same order as far as possible for a period indicated below:-

 

(i)          Initial posting of direct recruits to JTS level of ISS (General Phase)

 

(a)   Probation period  - 2 years

(b)   Field Operations Division of NSSO   -  4 years

(c)   Economic Sector Ministries – Agriculture, Commerce,  Small Scale Industries, Finance and Company Affairs  -  3 years

(d)   Social Sector Ministries – Health & F.W., Tourism, Culture, Rural Development, Defence, Water Resources, Labour and Planning Commission  -  3 years.

(e)   Central Statistical Organization, SDRD, DPD  -  3   years.

 

          The direct recruits on completion of probation, will pass through the above groups in the order mentioned (as far as possible) with a residency period indicated against each group for 13 years before moving to the specialization phase.

 

(ii)          Posting of promotees from SSS to JTS level of ISS

 

          All officers of SSS when inducted into ISS at JTS level will be requested to opt with regard to their choice of posting and will be posted to any of the categories in (b),(c),(d) and (e) at (i) above on the basis of experience and suitability.

 

II.          Specialisation Phase

 

2.1.2            After completion of 15 years of service the posting of officers of ISS will be as per the specialization. Tenure of officers of this category will be of maximum 6 years.  A list of 14 specializations as per job requirement required by the ISS officers in this Ministry and the participating Ministries has been enclosed. The above list of specialization was further grouped into five broad categories namely;

 

(i)     Economic Statistics

(ii)    Social and Environment Statistics

(iii)  Employment, Prices, Poverty

(iv)  Infrastructure

(v)   Sample Surveys and others

 

List of specialisation, will be circulated among all ISS officers who are about to enter 15 years of service with a request to give four choices of specialization from among the specialization with proper justification.  Each officer will be screened for suitability for a specialization category by a Screening Committee comprising of DG, CSO and DG&CEO, NSSO.  The Screening Committee will meet during January of every year.  The officers above 15 years of service in ISS, and have completed their tenure will be interviewed personally or through video conference regarding their option, suitability and specialization.  Requests from all the officers who have completed 15 years of service and are covered by specialization policy for transfer will be invited. These requests will be categorized as (i) request transfer – change of location and (ii) by specialization.  The request transfer will be ‘own cost’ transfer.  The committee will consider all those officers for lateral transfers depending on the specialization. 

 

3.          General guidelines:-  

 

The following general conditions will be kept in view for career management of ISS officers:-

 

3.1              If spouse is working in the Government, they may be posted at the same station wherever possible as per the general guidelines of DOPT.

3.2              Request transfers of officers who have less than two years to superannuate may be considered. 

3.3              Physically handicapped officers may be posted to their choice of station wherever possible.

3.4              The preference of officers will be considered for filling up the outstation postings.  In case, no willing officer is available, the post will be filled up based on higher Residency Index (Residency Index is the proportion of service period spent at a place of posting to the total service period of an officer).

3.5              Request transfers will be entertained if the reasons are verified personally by the supervisory officer of the persons who is seeking transfer. 

3.6              Mutual transfers between two officers of the same grade may be entertained if tenure/specialisation conditions are satisfied.

3.7              Transfers shall be announced by the end of March every year.  However, it will come into force during April – June of that year.

3.8              Notwithstanding any provisions of these guidelines, an officer may be transferred to any Ministry/Department/Organization, and to any station on administrative grounds with the approval of the Cadre Controlling Authority.