Himachal lifts ban on transfers of Group-C, Group-D staff till March 31

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], January 13 (ANI): The Himachal Pradesh government on Tuesday lifted the ban on general transfers of Group-C and Group-D employees, excluding teaching cadres of the Education and Technical Education departments, allowing such transfers to be approved till March 31, 2026, according to an official order.
As per the notification issued by the Department of Personnel (Appointment-II), the power to approve transfers during this period has been delegated to the respective ministers in their departments.
The order states that all transfers must strictly adhere to the Comprehensive Guiding Principles (CGP)-2013, as amended from time to time. When approving transfers, the normal three-year tenure at the place of posting will be a key consideration. Ministers-in-charge are authorised to approve transfers only for regular Group-C and Group-D officials who have completed their normal tenure, the notification said.
To prevent large-scale reshuffles, the government has capped transfers at 3% of the department's total cadre strength. Responsibility for ensuring that this ceiling is not breached has been assigned directly to the Heads of Departments, Managing Directors, Chief Executive Officers, and Registrars of the relevant departments, boards, corporations, and universities.
In cases involving relaxation or condonation of short-stay or short-distance norms, prior approval of the Chief Minister, routed through the minister-in-charge, will be mandatory, in line with the provisions of the CGP-2013, the order clarified.
The government has also allowed employees to apply directly for transfers to their respective departments. All administrative secretaries, department heads, divisional commissioners, and deputy commissioners have been directed to ensure strict compliance with these instructions, which have also been uploaded to the department's official website. (ANI)