No. 4 7/MACPS/2019 PCC
Government of India
Ministry of Communications
Department of Posts
Dak Bhawan, Sansad Marg, New Delhi — 110001 Date : 22.12.2021
1. All Chief Postmasters General / Postmasters General.
2. CGM, BD Directorate / Parcel Directorate / PLI Directorate.
3. Director, RAKNPA / GM, CEPT / Directors of All PTCs
4. Addl. Director General, Army Postal Service, R.K.Puram, New Delhi.
5. All General Managers (Finance) / Directors Postal Accounts / DDAP.
Subject: Clarification on assessment of officials by the Screening Committee for grant of financial upgradation under MACP Scheme.
Sir/Madam,
This invites reference to this Directorate OM No. 4 7/(MACPS)/2009 PCC dated 18.09.2009 as amended and clarified from time to time wherein detailed guidelines on Modified Assured Career Progression (MACP) Scheme have been provided.
As per extant instructions/provisions the prescribed bench mark of ACRs/APARs gradings for grant of finaneial upgradation under the MACPS is Very Good’ with effect Tom 25.07.2016 and prior to this, para 17 of Annexure I to the OM dated 18.09.2009 regulates the same. The Scheme provides for a Screening Committee for assessment of entries and gradings in ACBs/APARs with reference to prescribed bench mark for MACPS purpose.
2. Various references from service associations, individuals and administrative units were received seeking modalities / procedure for determining eligibility for grant of financial upgradation under MACP Scheme in the context of assessment of the prescribed bench mark of AGRs/APARs gradings. It has also been requested to allow the employees who had been awarded ’Good’ or below gradings for the reporting year 2016 17, to represent against these gradings by relaxing of APAR rules.
3. The matter was examined in consultation with nodal Department. The
DoP&T vide ID Note No.1462793/21/CR dated 26.11.2021 has observed that:-
i. No separate instructions have been issued for assessment of officials by the Screening Committee for grant of financial upgradation under MAGP Scheme as per DoP&Ps OM No.35034/3/2008 Estt.(D) dated 19.05.2009 and the procedure, as adopted by Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) in promotion matters, are to be observed by the Screening Committee.
ii. General instructions regarding applicability of benchmark of APARs for the purpose of determining eligibility for grant of financial upgradation under MACP Scheme, have been issued by DoP&T from time to time and are available in public domain. These may be followed in regulating individual caes for grant of MACP.
4. In terms of the above following office memorandum mentioned observations of DOP&T, references of the of the nodal department are invited to meet the procedural aspect to be adopted by the Screening Committee while assessing eligibility for MACPS purpose
i. The DoP&T OM No.22011/5/86 Estt.(D) dated 10t* April, 1989 as modified from time to (DPCS) time wherein guidelines on Departmental Promotion Committees have been provided. There guidelines inter-alia provides that
ii. in Departmental Promotion Committees enjoy full discretion to devise their own methods and procedures for objective assessment of the suitability of the candidates who are to be considered by them. It has also been prescribed that in the case of each officer, an overall grading should be given and the grading shall be one among
Outstanding / Very Good / Good etc. These guidelines further provide that "the DPC should not be guided merely by the overall grading, if any, that may be recorded in the AGRs (now APARs) but should alao make its own assessment on the basis of entries in the CRe (now APARS) because it has been noticed that sometimes the overall grading in a ACR (nowAPAR) may be inconsistent with the grades under various parameters or attributes". The recommendations of the DPC are advisory in nature. The DOP&T OM No.22011/5/2013 Estt.(D) dated the May, 2014 reiterates that in discharge of its statutory functions the respective DPCs are required to determine the merits of these being considered with reference to the prescribed bench-mark, by making its own assessment on the basis of the entries and gradings contained in the APARs and other relevant material facts placed before it, and accordingly grade the officers aa ‘fit’ or ’unfit’.
The DoP&T OM No. 22011/7/98 Estt(D) dated 06.10.2000 stipulates that the DPC should assess the suitability of the employees for promotion on the basis of their service records and with particular reference to the ACRs/APARs for five preceding years which became available.
iv. The guidelines on vigilance clearance for MACPS regulate as per the provisions contained in the DoP&T OM No. 22034/4/2012 -Estt. (D) dated 02.11.2012 as amended from time to time. The role of the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) on treatment of effect of penalties stands, inter alia, described vide DoP&T OM No.22011/4/2007-Estt. (D) dated 28.04.2014 as modified from time to time.
5. Further, since in view of the above clarification there might be a need of objective re-assessment of suitability by the Screening Committee in respect of those employees who were not considered fit for grant of financial upgradation under MACP Scheme, the competent authority has also directed to review all such cases in the light of these observations of DoP&T.
6. It is therefore, requested to bring this clarification to the notice of all concerned immediately and ensure strict adherence in true letter and spirit.
