23,000 Promotions Across Central Secretariat, Career Progression Still A Question Mark

These figures point to a large-scale promotion exercise.

But do they really translate into career progression? More importantly, how long does the career ladder remain open to employees after promotions?

These are among the pertinent questions raised before Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh by the Central Secretariat Group-C Employees’ Association. The association represents more than 8,000 Group-C employees working across 135 Ministries, Departments, and Organisations.

The issue, however, concerns a specific segment of the Central Secretariat workforce — Group-C employees, including Multi-Tasking Staff (MTS) and Central Secretariat Clerical Service (CSCS) personnel — whose progression depends on the availability of vacancies and the structure of their respective cadres.

Cadre Review: Early Action Sought

The association raised concerns about the prolonged promotional stagnation among MTS and CSCS cadre employees. The association has urged the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) to expedite the publication and implementation of the CSCS Cadre Review Report, for which a committee was constituted in November 2022. According to the association, many MTS employees have been waiting for their first promotion even after 20–25 years of service.

Speaking to The Secretariat, association president Sarvoday Kumar said, “This is not merely an issue of promotion, but of a fair, transparent, and predictable career progression for employees who have served for years.”

The employees have raised key demands ranging from cadre review to promotional avenues. Changes to the existing cadre structure, career progression, service conditions, and competitive departmental examination are the other major demands reiterated by the employees.

The cadre review issue is not merely an internal matter of a particular cadre; it is also linked to how career progression works across different grades and cadres within the Central Secretariat. For Group-C employees in particular, the balance between promotion channels, cadre restructuring and the availability of higher posts could be important for long-term career progression.

Ad-Hoc Promotion Sought

Vice-president of the association Rakesh Kumar told The Secretariat, “Until the cadre review is finalised and implemented, eligible MTS employees should be considered for ad-hoc promotion to provide immediate relief to those facing prolonged stagnation.” The association has also sought necessary cadre restructuring and adequate promotional opportunities, particularly for MTS employees moving to JSA [Junior Secretariat Assistant]. It has urged the DoPT to take timely action on the cadre review and address the long-pending promotional concerns of Group-C employees.

Even though the government states that timely career progression is important not only for employees’ professional growth but also for keeping the wider administrative system motivated and effective, employees point to broader issues within the administrative structure — how many promotional posts are available, how responsive the cadre structure is, and how career progression can be ensured over the long term have now emerged as key issues.