New Cadre Allocation Framework for All India Services: From Zonal Clusters to Alphabetical Groups

Why in News ?

The Union government has notified a revised cadre allocation policy for the IAS, IPS, and IFoS, replacing the earlier zonal system with a new grouping structure, aimed at improving transparency, fairness, and national integration.

Background of Cadre Allocation in All India Services

Cadre allocation is a crucial administrative process that determines the State or Joint Cadre in which officers of the:

• Indian Administrative Service (IAS),
• Indian Police Service (IPS),
• Indian Forest Service (IFoS),

will serve throughout their careers.

The system seeks to balance two core objectives:

• National integration: Through inter-State exposure and mobility.
• Regional familiarity: By allowing limited home-State representation.

Since 2017, cadre allocation was governed by a zonal system, where:

• States were grouped into five zones,
• Candidates ranked zones and then cadres within those zones.

Over time, several concerns emerged:

• Uneven cadre distribution,
• Lack of transparency,
• Rigid outcomes that limited inter-regional mobility.

These concerns prompted the government to redesign the framework.

Introduction of the New Grouping Structure

The revised policy replaces the zonal arrangement with four alphabetical groups of State and Joint Cadres.

According to the notification issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT):

• All cadres are arranged alphabetically and distributed into four groups,
• The objective is to simplify, standardise, and depoliticise the allocation process.

New Group Composition

Group I

AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh–Goa–Mizoram–Union Territories), Andhra Pradesh, Assam-Meghalaya, Bihar, Chhattisgarh

Group II

Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh

Group III

Maharashtra, Manipur, Nagaland, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu

Group IV

Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal

This replaces the earlier five-zone model that relied on geographical clustering, which often resulted in regional concentration of officers.

Objectives of the Revised Policy

The new framework aims to achieve:

• Greater transparency: Alphabetical grouping removes ambiguity in zone preferences.
• Fairer officer distribution: Addresses State concerns about skewed vacancy patterns.
• Stronger national integration: Promotes wider inter-State exposure.
• Administrative efficiency: A simpler structure enables faster and more predictable outcomes.

Determination of Vacancies

Vacancies will now be determined annually by cadre-controlling authorities:

• IAS: Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT)
• IPS: Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)
• IFoS: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC)

Key procedural changes:

• Vacancies will be calculated based on the cadre gap as on January 1 of the year following the Civil Services Examination.
• States must submit requisitions by January 31.
• Late submissions will not be entertained.
• Vacancy details will be publicly notified, enhancing transparency.

Insider and Outsider Allocation Rules

The revised policy reiterates strict norms:

• Insider allocation (home State cadre):
  • Based strictly on merit rank and vacancy availability.
  • Willingness to serve in the home State is now a mandatory condition.
• EWS category:
  • EWS vacancies will be treated as part of the unreserved category in cadre rosters.

These rules aim to curb discretionary interpretation and strengthen merit-based allocation.

Rotational Cycle System

A major procedural reform is the introduction of a rotational cycle system:

• Each cycle covers 25 candidates, corresponding to the total number of State and Joint Cadres.
• Within each cycle:
  • Higher-ranked candidates get priority.
  • Remaining candidates move to the next cycle.
• Outsider allocation follows insider placement.
• Priority is first given to Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD).

This system introduces predictability, objectivity, and procedural clarity into cadre placement.

Significance for Civil Services Administration

The revised cadre allocation policy is significant because it:

• Reduces litigation and grievances related to cadre postings.
• Strengthens cooperative federalism by addressing long-standing State concerns.
• Improves officer exposure to diverse administrative, cultural, and socio-political environments.
• Aligns recruitment practices with governance efficiency and broader public administration reforms.