Master Circular on
Probation /Confirmation in
Central Services - DoPT Orders
dt.2.7.2018
DoPT
No.28020/3/2018-Estt.(C)
Government of India
Ministry of Personnel, Public
Grievances & Pensions
(Department of Personnel &
Training)
North Block, New
Delhi
Dated 02nd July, 2018
OFFICE
MEMORANDUM
Subject:
Master Circular
on Probation /Confirmation in
Central Services-
reg.
The
undersigned is directed to
refer to this Department's OM
No.
28020/1/2010 dated 21.07.2014 on
the above subject and to say
that
guidelines/instructions
regarding Probation and
Confirmation have been
issued from time to time. It is
now proposed to further
consolidate
these instructions to provide
clarity and ease of
reference.
2.
Before the Master Circular is
finalized, it is requested to
furnish
comments/views in this regard,
if any, by 16.07.2018 to the
undersigned
at the e-mail address
jha.sn@nic.in
sd/-
(Surya Narayan Jha)
Under Secretary to the
Government of India
MASTER CIRCULAR ON
PROBATION AND CONFIRMATION IN
CENTRAL
SERVICES P
ROBATION
1.
A person is appointed on
probation in order to assess his
suitability
for absorption in the service to
which he has been appointed.
Probation
should not, therefore, be
treated as a mere formality. No
formal
declaration shall be necessary
in respect of appointment on
probation.
The appointing authority may
declare successful completion,
extend the
period of probation or terminate
the services of a temporary
employee on
probation, on the basis of
evaluation of performance.
2.
Probation is prescribed when
there is direct recruitment,
promotion from
one Group to another or for
officers re-employed before the
age of
superannuation. The probation
shall stand successfully
completed on
issue of orders in writing. It
is, however, not desirable that
a
Government servant should be
kept on probation for long
periods.
3.
Instead of treating probation
as a formality, the existing
powers to
discharge probationers should be
systematically and vigorously
used so
that the necessity of dispensing
with the services of employees
at later
stages may arise only
rarely.
4. Concentration of attention on
the probationer's ability to
pass the probationary or the
departmental
examination, if applicable, is
essential part of the
qualification for
confirmation but not the most
important part. There should be
a very
careful assessment of the
outlook, character and aptitude
for the kind
of work that has to be done in
the service before a probationer
is
confirmed.
5. A probationer should be given
an opportunity to work
under more than one officer
during this period and reports
of his work
obtained from each one of those
officers. The probation reports
for the
whole period may then be
considered is fit to be
confirmed in service.
For this purpose, separate forms
of report on the probationers
should be
used, which are distinct from
the usual Annual Performance
Appraisal
Report (APAR) forms. The
probation reports, unlike APAR,
are written to
help the supervising officer to
concentrate on the special needs
of
probation and to decide whether
the work and conduct of the
officer
during the period of probation
or the extend period of
probation are
satisfactory enough to warrant
his further retention in service
or post.
The probation reports thus do
not serve the purpose for which
the APARs
are written and vice versa.
Therefore, in the case of all
probationers
or officers on probation,
separate probation reports
should be written
in addition to the usual APARs
for the period of probation.
6.
Save for exceptional reasons,
probation should not be extended
for more
than a year and in no
circumstance an employee should
be kept on
probation for more than double
the normal period.
7. A
probationer, who is not making
satisfactory progress, should be
informed
of his shortcomings well before
the expiry of the original
probationary
period so that he can make
special efforts at self-
improvement. This
can be done by giving him a
written warning to the effect
that his
general performance has not been
such as to justify his
confirmation and
that, unless he showed
substantial improvement within a
specified
period, the question of
discharging him would have to be
considered.
Even though this is not required
by the rules, discharge from the
service being a server, final
and irrevocable step, the
probationer
should be given an opportunity
before taking the drastic step
of
discharge.
8. During the period of
probation, or any extension
thereof, candidates may be
required by Government to
undergo such
courses of training and
instructions and to pass
examinations, and tests
(including examination In
Hindi) as Government may deem
fit, as a
condition to satisfactory
completion of the probation.
MANDATORY INDUCTION
TRAINING
9.
In all cases of direct
recruitment there should be a
mandatory
induction training of at lest
two weeks duration. Successful
completion
of the training may be made a
pre-requisite for completion of
probation.
The syllabus for the training
may be prescribed by the Cadre
authorities and the Training
Division of DOPT can be
consulted, if
required. The recruitment rules
for all posts, wherever such a
provision
does not already exist, may be
amended to provide for such
mandatory
training. Till such time as the
Recruitment Rules are amended, a
clause
on the above lines may be
included in the offer of
appointment.
PERIOD OF
PROBATION
The period of probation is
prescribed for different
posts/services in Central
Government on the following
lines:
| S.No | Method of
appointment | Period of
probation |
| Promotion</
strong> |
| 1. | Promotion from one
grade to another but within the
same group of posts e.g. from
Group 'C' to Group 'C'. | No
probation. |
| 2. | Promotion from one
Group to another e.g. Group 'B'
to Group 'A' | 2 years or the
period
of probation
prescribed for the direct
recruitment to the post, if
any. |
| DIRECT
RECRUITMENT |
| 3. | (I) For direct
recruitment to posts except
clause (ii) below
(ii) For direct recruitment to
posts *carrying a Grade Pay of
Rs. 7600
or above or to the posts to
which the maximum age limit is
35 years or
above and where no training is
involved,
Note: Training
includes on the job or
'Institution training' | 2
years
1 year |
| 4. | Officers re-
employed before the age of
superannuation | 2
years |
| 5. | Appointment on
contract basis, tenure basis,
re-employment after
superannuation and
absorption | No
probation |
(A
) DIRECT
RECRUITMENT
If
a Government servant is
appointed to another post by
direct recruitment
either in the same department
or a different department, it
may be
necessary to consider him for
confirmation in the new post in
which he
has been appointed by direct
recruitment irrespective of the
fact that
the officer was holding the
earlier post on a substantive
basis. Further
confirmation in the new entry
grade becomes necessary because
the new
post may not be in the same line
or discipline as the old post in
which
he has been confirmed and the
fact that he was considered
suitable for
continuance in the old post
(which was the basis for his
confirmation in
that post) would not
automatically make him suitable
for continuance in
the new post the Job
requirements of which may be
quite different from
those of the old post.
(B)
PROMOTION
(i)
Persons who are inducted into a
new service through promotion
shall also
be placed on probation but
there shall be no probation on
promotion
from one grade to another but
within the same group of posts,
except
when the promotion involves a
change in the Group of posts in
the same
service, e.g. promotion from
Group 'B' to Group 'A' in which
case the
probation would be for the
prescribed period.
(ii) If the
recruitment rules do not
prescribe any probation, an
officer appointed
on regular basis (after
following the prescribed DPC
procedure, etc.)
will have all the benefits that
a person confirmed in that grade
would
have.
(C) APPOINTMENT ON
CONTRACT BASIS, TENURE BASIS,
RE-EMPLOYMENT AFTER
SUPERANNUATION AND
ABSORPTION
There shall be no probation in
the cases for appointment on
contract
basis, tenure basis, re-
employment after superannuation
and absorption.
LEAVE TO PROBATIONER, A
PERSON ON PROBATION
1. A person appointed to a post
on probation shall be entitled
to leave
under the rules as a temporary
or a permanent Government
servant
according as his appointment is
against a temporary or a
permanent post.
Where such person already holds
a lien on a permanent post
before such
appointment, he shall be
entitled to leave as a permanent
Government
servant.
2. The
period of joining time availed
of by a
probationer on return from leave
should be counted towards the
prescribed period of probation
if but for the leave, he would
have
continued to officiate in the
post to which he was
appointed.
3.
If, for any reason, it is
proposed to terminate the
services of a
probationer, any leave which may
be granted to him shall not
extend
(i) Beyond the date on which the
probation period as already
sanctioned or extended expires,
or
(ii) Beyond any
earlier date on which his
services are terminated by the
orders of an authority competent
to appoint him.
EXTENSION OF PROBATION
PERIOD
4. If during the period of
probation, a probationer has not
undergone
the requisite training course or
passed the requisite
departmental
examinations prescribed
[proficiency in Hindi, etc.), if
any, the period
of probation may be extended by
such period or periods as may be
necessary, subject to the
condition that the total period
of probation
does not exceed double the
prescribed period of
probation.
5. The
Appointing Authority may, if it
so thinks fit, extend the period
of
probation of a Government
servant by a specified period
but the total
period of probation does not
exceed double the normal period.
In such
cases, periodic reviews should
be done and extension should not
be done
for a long period at one
time.
6. Where a probationer who has
completed the period of
probation to the satisfaction of
the Central
Government is required to be
confirmed, he shall be confirmed
in the
Service/Post at the end of his
period of probation, having been
completed satisfactorily.
7. Some employees are not able
to
complete the probation on
account of availing leave for
long duration
during probation period. In such
cases if an employee does not
complete
75% of the total duration
prescribed for probation on
account of
availing any kind of leave as
permissible to a probationer
under the
Rules, his/her probation period
may be extended by the length of
the
Leave availed, but not exceeding
double the prescribed period of
probation.
TERMINATION OF
PROBATION
8. The
decision whether an employee
should be confirmed or his
probation
extended should be taken soon
after the expiry of the initial
probationary period, that is
within six to eight weeks, and
communicated
to the employee together with
the reasons in case of
extension. A
probationer who is not making
satisfactory progress or who
shows himself
to be inadequate for the
service in any way should be
informed of his
shortcomings well before the
expiry of the original
probationary period
so that he can make special
efforts at self-improvement
9. On the expiry of the period
of probation, steps should be
taken to obtain the assessment
reports on the probationer to:-
i.
Confirm the probationer/issue
orders regarding satisfactory
termination
of probation, as the case may
be, if the probation has been
completed
to the satisfaction of the
competent authority; or
ii. Extend
the period of probation or
discharge the probationer or
terminate the
services of the probationer as
the case may be, in accordance
with the
relevant rules and orders, if
the probationer has not
completed the
period of probation
satisfactorily.
10. In order to
ensure that delays do not occur
in confirmation, timely action
must be
initiated in advance so that the
time limit is adherred to.
11. If
it appears to the Appointing
Authority, at any time, during
or at the
end of the period of probation
that a Government servant has
not made
sufficient use of his
opportunities or is not making
satisfactory
progress, the Appointing
Authority may revert him to the
post held
substantively by him immediately
preceding his appointment,
provided he
holds a lien thereon or in other
cases may discharge or terminate
him
from service.
12. A Probationer reverted or
discharged from
service during or at the end of
the period of probation shall
not be
entitled to any compensation.
CONFIRMATION
13.
If, during the period of a
probation or any extension
thereof, as the
case may be Government is of the
opinion that an officer is not
fit for
permanent appointment,
Government may discharge or
revert the officer to
the post held by him prior to
his appointment in the service,
as the
case may be.
14. Confirmation will be made
only once in the
service of an official which
will be in the entry grade
post/service/cadre provided
further confirmation shall be
necessary when
there is fresh entry
subsequently in any other
post/service/cadre by
way of direct recruitment or
otherwise. Confirmation is de
linked from
the availability of permanent
vacancy in the grade. In other
words, an
officer who has successfully
completed the probation, as
prescribed
under relevant rules, may be
considered for confirmation. A
specific
order of confirmation will be
issued when the case is cleared
from all
angels.
15. On satisfactory completion
of the period of probation
or extension thereof, the
Government may confirm a
temporary Government
servant to his appointment from
the date of completion of the
period of
his probation or extension
thereof.
16. The date from which
confirmation should be given
effect to is the date following
the date of
satisfactory completion of the
prescribed period of probation
or the
extended period of probation, as
the case may be. The decision to
confirm the probationer or to
extend the period of probation
as the case
may be should be communicated
to the probationer normally
within 6 to 8
weeks. Confirmation of the
probationer after completion of
the period
of probation is not automatic
but is to be followed by formal
orders. As
long as no specific orders of
confirmation or satisfactory
completion
of probation are issued to a
probationer, such a probationer
shall be
deemed to have continued on
probation.
17. Some employees are not
able to complete the probation
on account of availing leave for
long
duration during probation
period. In such cases if an
employee does not
complete 75% of the total
duration prescribed for
probation on account
of availing any kind of leave as
permissible to a probationer
under the
Rules, his/her probation period
may be extended by the length of
the
Leave availed, but not exceeding
double the prescribed period of
probation.
TERMINATION OF
PROBATION
18.
The decision whether an employee
should be confirmed or his
probation
extended should be taken soon
after the expiry of the initial
probationary period, that is
within six to eight weeks, and
communicated
to the employee together with
the reasons in case of
extension. A
probationer who is not making
satisfactory progress or who
shows himself
to be inadequate for the
service in any way should be
informed of his
shortcomings well before the
expiry of the original
probationary period
so that he can make special
efforts at self-improvement
19. On the expiry of the period
of probation, steps should be
taken to obtain the assessment
reports on the probationer to:-
i.
Confirm the probationer/issue
orders regarding satisfactory
termination
of probation, as the case may
be, if the probation has been
completed
to the satisfaction of the
competent authority; or
ii. Extend
the period of probation or
discharge the probationer or
terminate the
services of the probationer as
the case may be, in accordance
with the
relevant rules and orders, if
the probationer has not
completed the
period of probation
satisfactorily.
20. In order to
ensure that delays do not occur
in confirmation, timely action
must be
initiated in advance so that the
time limit is adherred to.
21. If
it appears to the Appointing
Authority, at any time, during
or at the
end of the period of probation
that a Government servant has
not made
sufficient use of his
opportunities or is not making
satisfactory
progress, the Appointing
Authority may revert him to the
post held
substantively by him immediately
preceding his appointment,
provided he
holds a lien thereon or in other
cases may discharge or terminate
him
from service.
22. A Probationer reverted or
discharged from
service during or at the end of
the period of probation shall
not be
entitled to any compensation.
CONFIRMATION
23. If, during the period of a
probation or any extension
thereof, as
the case may be Government is of
the opinion that an officer is
not fit
for permanent appointment,
Government may discharge or
revert the
officer to the post held by him
prior to his appointment in the
service,
as the case may be
24. Confirmation will be made
only once in the
service of an official which
will be in the entry grade
post/service/cadre provided
further confirmation shall be
necessary when
there is fresh entry
subsequently in any other
post/service/cadre by
way of direct recruitment or
otherwise. Confirmation is de
linked from
the availability of permanent
vacancy in the grade. In other
words, an
officer who has successfully
completed the probation, as
prescribed
under relevant rules, may be
considered for confirmation. A
specific
order of confirmation will be
issued when the case is cleared
from all
angels.
25. On satisfactory completion
of the period of probation
or extension thereof, the
Government may confirm a
temporary Government
servant to his appointment from
the date of completion of the
period of
his probation or extension
thereof.
26. The date from which
confirmation should be given
effect to is the date following
the date of
satisfactory completion of the
prescribed period of probation
or the
extended period of probation, as
the case may be. The decision to
confirm the probationer or to
extend the period of probation
as the case
may be should be communicated
to the probationer normally
within 6 to 8
weeks. Confirmation of the
probationer after completion of
the period
of probation is not automatic
but is to be followed by formal
orders. As
long as no specific orders of
confirmation or satisfactory
completion
of probation are issued to a
probationer, such a probationer
shall be
deemed to have contined on
probation.
28. Where probation on
promotion is prescribed, the
appointing authority will on
completion of
the prescribed period of
probation assess the work and
conduct of the
officer himself and in case the
conclusion is that the officer
is fit to
hold the higher grade, he will
pass on order declaring that the
person
concerned has successfully
completed the probation. If the
appointing
authority considers that the
work of the officer has not been
satisfactory or needs to be
watched for some more time he
may revert him
to the post/service/cadre from
which he was promoted, or extend
the
period of probation, as the case
may be.
29. Since there will be
no confirmation on promotion
before an official is declared
to have
completed the probation
satisfactorily, rigorous
screening of his
performance should be made and
there should be no hesitation to
revert a
person to the post or grade
from which he was promoted if
the work of
the officer during probation has
not been satisfactory.
30. A
Government servant appointed by
transfer would duly have been
confirmed
in the earlier post. In such a
case further confirmation in the
new post
would not be necessary and he
could be treated as permanent in
the new
post. Where, however, a
Government servant who has not
already been
confirmed in the old post is
appointed by transfer, it would
be
necessary to confirm him in the
new post. In such case, he may
be
considered for confirmation
after watching him for two
years. Within
that period of two years, the
officer would earn two reports
in the new
grade and the DPC may consider
his case for confirmation on the
basis of
these APARs.
Source:
https://dopt.gov.in/
