Kolkata, February 17 The West Bengal Cabinet on Tuesday approved major changes in promotion rules across state government cadres to address long-standing stagnation and increase the number of experienced officers at senior levels, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said.
Announcing the decision after a Cabinet meeting, Banerjee said amendments have been introduced in the promotion and probation rules of the West Bengal Civil Service (WBCS) cadre to streamline career progression and ensure better coordination among different state services.
Under the new system, WBCS officers will undergo a two-year probation period, followed by three years of service as Block Development Officers (BDOs), after which they will be eligible for direct promotion to the post of Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO).
"After five years of service, a WBCS officer will get the opportunity to become an SDO. We have taken this decision to increase the number of experienced officers at the higher levels and to bring parity among various state services," the chief minister said.
She said the move was taken after reviewing promotion-related records of multiple departments.
According to government sources, data from as many as 46 departments were examined before arriving at the decision.
Banerjee said the Cabinet has also taken a policy decision to create 20 per cent additional posts in other state-constituted services to ease promotional bottlenecks.
"Not only in WBCS, but in other state services too, 20 per cent additional posts will be created in phases. This will reduce stagnation in promotions and maintain balance among different cadres," she said.
Sources said similar measures are being considered for the police and other services as well.
Officials in the administrative circles expressed hope that the decision would significantly ease long-standing promotion-related issues across departments.