Madhya Pradesh government to resume promotions for staff after 9yrs
What's the story
The Madhya Pradesh government has approved new promotion rules for state employees, ending a nine-year wait. The decision was taken by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav's cabinet on Tuesday. The delay in promotions was due to a legal dispute over reservation policies in promotions, which were introduced in 2002 by the Digvijaya Singh-led Congress government.
Reservation controversy
Legal dispute over reservation policies
The legal dispute began when some employee organizations alleged that general category officials were being overlooked while reserved category employees enjoyed faster promotions. In April 2016, the Madhya Pradesh High Court struck down the Public Service (Promotion) Rules, 2002. The Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led BJP government then appealed to the Supreme Court against this decision. The SC ordered a status quo on promotions, further delaying the process.
Rule approval
New promotion rules approved by MP cabinet
Finally, on Tuesday, the Yadav-led cabinet approved new promotion rules, paving the way for long-pending promotions. The Madhya Pradesh Public Service Promotion Rules, 2025, provide 20% reservation for Scheduled Tribes (ST) and 16% for Scheduled Castes (SC). The government said SC and ST public servants will also be eligible for merit-based promotions. "Following promotion, two lakh posts will be vacant and there will be possibility of fresh recruitment of those posts," an official said.
Committee meetings
Promotion committees to meet for next year's vacancies
Cabinet Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya said promotions were delayed due to legal issues, and consultations with the Law Department have been made to avoid future hurdles. The government statement mentioned that promotion committees will meet this year to prepare selection lists for next year's vacancies. Seniority will be considered, and officials scoring minimum qualifying marks will be eligible for promotion under the new rules.
Workforce impact
New rules to benefit 4 lakh workers
"As per the new rules, promotion posts can be filled on the day they are available, keeping in mind the suitable qualification and representation of reserved categories," the official said. The new rules do away with the rotation system, which is expected to create more promotional posts. The government said this move will create around two lakh new vacancies in the state. Reports suggest that nearly four lakh employees and officials across various departments are likely to benefit.