The West Bengal government has reiterated that the Chief Minister’s approval is mandatory for the promotion of senior state government officials to posts at Level-22 or above in the pay matrix. Nabanna, the state secretariat, has issued a directive to all state government departments, instructing them to strictly adhere to the existing rules governing such promotions. The Personnel and Administrative Reforms (P&AR) Department has made it clear that there can be no relaxation of the prescribed procedure.

According to the notification, under the West Bengal Services (Revision of Pay and Allowance) Rules, 2019 (ROPA 2019), all files concerning promotions to posts at Level-22 or higher must be placed before the Chief Minister for approval through the P&AR Department.

These posts correspond to the unrevised Scale 20, which carried a Pay Band-5 salary range of Rs 37,400–Rs 60,000, along with a Grade Pay of Rs 8,900.
The government has cited notifications issued on July 7, 2014, and February 7, 2020, while reiterating that the existing provisions must be followed strictly and cannot be relaxed.

Departments asked to submit details within seven days

As part of the latest directive, Additional Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries and Secretaries of all state government departments have been asked to submit, within seven days, a list of posts under their respective departments that fall under Level-22 or above.

The departments have also been directed to provide the P&AR Department with details of when promotions to these posts were last made and whether the Chief Minister’s approval was obtained at that time.

Move aimed at ensuring uniformity

The latest directive is expected to bring greater scrutiny to the promotion of senior bureaucratic officials and ensure that the prescribed procedure is followed uniformly across different departments of the state administration.
By seeking details of earlier promotions as well as the approvals obtained for them, the government is also seeking to establish greater clarity over compliance with the existing rules governing appointments and promotions to the highest levels of the state bureaucracy.

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