Ministers can give 7-year foreign posting tenure to babus: Govt

New Delhi: IAS and IPS officers can now stay on foreign posting for seven-years at a stretch from existing five years with due permission from the ministers concerned.

The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has relaxed rules to allow any ministry to further extend the tenure of an officer beyond seven years provided "recruitment rules for such deputation post" are amended accordingly.

The move comes after various ministries approached the DoPT for relaxation of the five-year deputation tenure condition citing exigencies, officials said.

It has now been decided with the approval of the competent authority that if the administrative ministries or departments and other borrowing organisations wish to retain an officer beyond five years, they may extend the tenure of deputation where absolutely necessary in the public interest, upto a period not exceeding seven years at a stretch, the new rules said.

"This shall be done with the approval of the Minister of the borrowing ministry or department concerned and in respect of other organisations with the approval of the Minister of the borrowing ministry or department with which they are administratively concerned, keeping in view the exigencies and subject to fulfilment of all other requirements," it said.

In a directive to all state governments and central government ministries, the DoPT has said that no case of extension shall be referred to it.

"In cases where the necessity to have deputation tenures longer than seven years is felt, the concerned administrative ministries, departments or borrowing organisations may amend the relevant recruitment rules of such deputation post accordingly, after following the requisite procedure.

"No extension of deputation beyond 7 years is to be allowed unless provided in the relevant recruitment rules of such deputation post.  It is reiterated that no case for extension beyond five years shall referred to DoPT," the communique said.

The new rules are applicable to the officers of all India services only--Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service (IFoS).