DoPT fast tracks requests of IAS couples for same state postings

NEW DELHI: The Centre will ensure that three dozen officers who have tied the nuptial knot recently are not separated by its postings. Since March, the government has fasttracked requests from as many as 18 officers, who recently married an IAS counterpart or batch-mate, and allowed the couples to work in the same state.

DoPT Secretary Sanjay Kothari held meetings on May 13 and to consider such proposals for cadre change and cleared many of them. As per 2004 policy, an All-India Service officer upon marriage to a fellow officer can request for a change of his cadre to that of his spouse. Many cases cleared are of IAS probationers of 2014 and 2013 batches who married batchmates.

Former Cabinet Secretary TSR Subramanian said: “Love usually blooms at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Academy in Mussourie, when officers come for training which lasts nearly a year. After working really hard to clear the civil services examination, the officers feel relaxed at the Academy in Mussourie and the atmosphere is congenial for romance…many officers find a person of their choice there,” Subramanian said. Officers are already allotted different state cadres by then.”

A DoPT official said a special effort has been made to clear all such proposals. Both states — which lose and accept an officer — have to agree and the officer seeking transfer cannot seek transfer to his/her home state. 2014 batch IAS officer Riju Bafna applied for transfer from Chhattisgarh to Madhya Pradesh on grounds of marrying batchmate Avi Prasad (allotted MP cadre) but it was rejected on May 13 as Chhattisgarh did not agree to the transfer. The DoPT Secretary hence advised Prasad to seek a transfer to Chhattisgarh instead. On June 2, DoPT approved Bafna’s transfer to MP as Chhattisgarh did not object to this transfer.