Central Staffing Scheme
Topic: Civil Services: Role, Accountability and Reforms · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Central Staffing Scheme is how the Union government fills senior posts in its ministries. Officers from the All India Services and Group A central services serve at the Centre at Deputy Secretary level and above for fixed tenures (set periods of time). Joint Secretary posts and above also require empanelment, which means being approved and placed on a list of officers eligible for those posts. The scheme brings field experience from across the services into policy-making at the Centre.
Example
An IAS officer from a state cadre may be picked under the scheme to serve as a Deputy Secretary in a Union ministry for a fixed term. To become a Joint Secretary later, the officer must first be empanelled. The 360-degree appraisal has been used for this kind of senior empanelment since the mid-2010s.
Don't confuse with
- Central deputation: this is the release of an AIS officer by the state to the Centre under Rule 6(1) of the cadre rules. The Central Staffing Scheme is the system for filling central posts, and it is open to Group A central service officers as well.
Related concepts
- All India Services
- Indian Administrative Service
- Indian Police Service
- Indian Forest Service
- Central deputation