Madhya Pradesh government has officially cleared the path for long-pending promotions of state employees.
The decision, approved by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s cabinet on June 17, 2025, marks a significant policy shift that is expected to benefit nearly four lakh government employees and create two lakh new vacancies across departments.
Background: Legal Disputes and Policy Paralysis
The promotion freeze dates back to 2016, when the Madhya Pradesh High Court struck down the Public Service (Promotion) Rules, 2002, which had introduced reservations in promotions for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST).
The rules were originally enacted by the Digvijaya Singh-led Congress government in 2002.
They were later challenged by employee organizations, who alleged that general category officials were being overlooked in favor of faster promotions for reserved category employees.
Following the High Court’s ruling, the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government appealed to the Supreme Court.
The court then ordered a status quo, which effectively stalled all promotions across state departments for nine years.
New Policy Framework: Madhya Pradesh Public Service Promotions Rules, 2025
The newly approved Madhya Pradesh Public Service Promotion Rules, 2025, aim to resolve the impasse by introducing a structured and merit-based promotion mechanism. Key features include:
- 20% reservation for STs and 16% for SCs in promotional posts.
- Merit-cum-seniority criteria for Class I officers and seniority-based promotions for Class II and lower categories.
- Minimum performance benchmarks, such as four ‘A+’ ratings in the last seven years or one ‘Outstanding’ rating in the last two years.
- Relaxation in Confidential Report (CR) norms, where six months of CR will be treated as a full year.
Administrative Impact: Promotions and Recruitment Surge
The policy is expected to unlock promotions for nearly four lakh employees, many of whom have been waiting for career advancement for years.
According to officials, over 1.5 lakh employees retired during the freeze, including one lakh who were eligible for promotion.
The move will also create approximately two lakh new vacancies across various government departments.
This paves the way for fresh recruitment in areas like school education, police, and urban development.
Promotion committees will begin meeting this year to prepare selection lists for 2026 vacancies.
Political and Legal Safeguards
Cabinet Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya emphasized that the new rules were formulated after extensive consultation with the Law Department.
This was done to avoid future legal hurdles and ensure the policy’s long-term validity.
The policy eliminates the rotation system, which previously complicated the promotion process.
It also empowers Departmental Promotion Committees (DPCs) with greater authority to assess candidate suitability.
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