1. Objective of GDS Compassionate Appointment Rules:
The objective of the Scheme is to grant engagement on compassionate grounds to one of the dependent family members of a regularly engaged GDS who dies in harness while in engagement or missing GDS to relieve the family of the deceased GDS from financial destitution and to help it to get over the emergency. Compassionate engagement would not be a matter of right and it will be subject to the fulfilment of all the conditions, including availability of vacancy, laid down for such engagement under the scheme.
Download GDS Compassionate Appointment Rules 2023 in PDF
2. Who can apply for GDS Compassionate Appointment?
A dependent family member of GDS engaged on regular basis who dies while in engagement (including death by suicide): -
"Dependent Family Member means and includes the following:
(a) Spouse;
(b) Son including legally adopted son/married son;
(c) Daughter including legally adopted daughter/divorced daughter/Judicially separated daughter wholly dependent on the GDS,
(d) In the case of death of an unmarried GDS, unmarried brother or sister (unmarried/widow/divorced/judicially separated) wholly dependent on the GDS at the time of his/her death.
(e) Widowed daughter-in-law of the deceased GDS, provided she gives an undertaking that she is not availing the same benefit from her own parenthood,
(f) Widowed daughter of the GDS, provided she gives an undertaking that she is not availing the same benefit from her husband's parenthood.
Note: A widow/divorced daughter or sister engaged on compassionate grounds will be allowed to continue in engagement even after re-marriage.
3. Order of priority: -
(i) First priority will be given to spouse of the deceased GDS. In such cases consent of the spouse will only be taken.
(ii) Second priority will be given to the dependent nominated by spouse. In such cases the consent of the spouse and the nominated dependent will only be taken.
(iii) In case there is no spouse or GDS was unmarried at the time of his/her death, the compassionate engagement may be given to any one of the dependent family members with the consent of all other dependents.
4. Authority competent to make compassionate engagement and periodicity of meeting of CCE: -
(i) Divisional Head/Head of Unit (PS Group B and above) will be competent to make Compassionate engagements on the vacant GDS posts, on the basis of recommendations of the Committee on Compassionate Engagement (CCE) and prior approval of Regional Director or DPS (HQ) as the case may be.
(ii) All cases for compassionate engagement will be considered by a CCE and recommendations of the Committee will be sent for approval of Regional Director or to DPS (HQ) where the Division/Unit report directly to Circle Office.
(iii) The CCE will consist of 3 members for considering compassionate engagement of dependent of deceased GDS as under: -
(a) Head of engaging Division/Unit (PS Group B and above)
(b) Incase of Division:
(1) Dy. SP/ASP/IP posted in Divisional Office who looks after compassionate engagement cases in the Division
(2) Senior most sub divisional head of the Division concerned.
(c) In case of Units, one ASP/IP looking after compassionate engagement cases in the Unit and one senior most ASP/IP working in the Unit. In case of non availability of ASP/IP in the unit, ASP/IP posted at the same station in other units/divisions may be co- opted.
(iv) The Committee will meet quarterly, i.e., in April, July, October and January to consider the cases arising during the previous quarter.
Cases received CCE month
January to March April / May
April to June July / Aug
July to September October / Nov
October to December January / Feb
Note-1: - "Gramin Dak Sevak" for the purpose of these instructions means a GDS engaged on regular basis after undergoing prescribed engagement process or on compassionate grounds. Those engaged on provisional basis or as a substitute or trainee are not covered in the definition of GDS for the purpose of this scheme.
Note-2: - The deceased GDS for whom verification of educational certificates, caste certificates, Police verification etc. were not completed at the time of his/her death, family members of such deceased GDS will not be eligible for engagement on compassionate grounds till successful verification of all relevant/required documents.
5. Posts to Which such engagements can be made: - The compassionate engagement can be made only against the vacant posts of GDS covered under GDS (Conduct & Engagement) Rules, 2020 on regular basis.
6. Eligibility: -
(a) Applicant for compassionate engagement should be eligible as per the criteria prescribed for engagement of GDS in GDS (Conduct & Engagement) Rules, 2020 (revised from time to time) and suitable for the post in all respects as per the conditions prescribed for normal regular selection to the GDS post for which being considered.
(b) Relaxed Criteria: - If a dependent of deceased GDS, willing for compassionate engagement does not possess requisite educational qualification at the time of submission of application on compassionate grounds, he/she may still be considered for engagement to the post of Dak Sevak on provisional basis provided-
(i) He/she will be given upto a maximum of 3 years to acquire minimum required educational qualification for engagement as regular GDS as prescribed under GDS (Conduct & Engagement) Rules, 2020.
(ii) During his/her provisional engagement as Dak Sevak, he/she will be given only the minimum of the TRCA (Level-I) applicable to Dak Sevak and will not be entitled to annual increment till he/she attains the requisite educational qualification.
(iii) Engagement of such Dak Sevak shall be provisional and liable to be terminated, as per provisions under Rule-8 of GDS (Conduct and Engagement) Rules, 2020.
(iv) In the event of not acquiring minimum required educational qualification in the prescribed 3 years time from date of provisional engagement, the provisional engagement of the GDS will stand automatically terminated.
(v) Transfer of such provisionally engaged GDS shall not be considered under Rule 3 of GDS (Conduct & Engagement) Rules, 2020 till completion of one year from regularization of engagement.
Notel: - Age eligibility shall be determined with reference to the date of application and not the date of engagement.
Note2: - Head of Division/Unit will keep a record of GDS engaged under relaxed criteria and will be responsible for ensuring that such GDS are not continued in engagement after 3 years if they fail to acquire the requisite educational qualification.
7. Exemptions: - Compassionate engagements are exempted from regular engagement procedure such as notification by the Department of Posts for engagement of GDS and other processes.
8. Relaxation: - There will be no relaxation in the upper age for the engagement on compassionate grounds. There will, however, be no upper age limit in respect of applicant spouse of the deceased.
9. Posting of the GDS engaged on compassionate ground: -
After having received the requisite approvals, vacant GDS post be offered to the applicant in the following order of priority: -
(i) Post on which deceased GDS was working, if vacant.
(ii) All GDS posts vacant in the sub division in which the post of deceased GDS lies.
(iii) All other posts in the same Division/Unit.
(iv) The vacant posts shall be offered to the applicant in writing and preference obtained in writing from the said applicant. In case, more than one applicant prefers the same vacant GDS post, the elder applicant will be given the preference.
10. Time limits for eligible dependent of deceased GDS for submission of application: -
(i) In case there is eligible candidate in family and wants to apply, he/she has to submit application in all respect to IP/ASP of Sub Division/Unit at the earliest possible opportunity but not later than two years from the date of death of the GDS.
(ii) In case there is no one eligible family member in the family, such member can apply for compassionate engagement within two years of attaining the requisite eligibility criteria.
11. Belated requests: - Any request for engagement on compassionate ground received after two years from the date of death of the GDS or two years of attaining the requisite eligibility criteria (in case non-availability of eligible dependent at the time of death) will be considered as belated request of which no cognizance will be taken by the Department.
12. Where there is any earning member: - An eligible family member will be entitled for compassionate engagement even if other dependent family member of deceased GDS is an earning one and that family member is not supporting the spouse / non-earning members of the deceased GDS’s family.
13. Timelines for processing of applications for compassionate engagements at various levels: - The timelines for considering and processing of applications for compassionate engagement will be strictly followed as under: -
Information along with necessary documents to family of the deceased GDS Submission of Application by the SDI to Divisional Head Application received in quarter Completion of Application in all respect received by Divisional Head CCE Meeting to be conducted and minutes sent to RO/DPS (HQ) for approval by DPS latest by Immediately after the death of GDS within 25 days after the death of GDS
January to March April 15th May
April to June July 15th August
July to September October 15th November
October to December January 15th February
Note: The minutes will be sent to Regional Director/DPS (HQ) for approval within 5 days of CCE meeting. The Regional Director/DPS (HQ) will convey his/her decision within 7 days from receipt of the CCE recommendations.
14. Missing Gramin Dak Sevak: -
Cases of missing Gramin Dak Sevaks are also covered under the scheme for compassionate engagement subject to the following conditions:
(a) A request for grant of compassionate engagement can be considered only after a lapse of at least 2 years from the date from which the GDS has been missing, provided that; -
(i) An FIR to this effect has been lodged with the Police, and;
(ii) The missing person is not traceable and a police report to this effect is available, and
(iii) The competent authority feels that the case is genuine;
(b) This benefit will not be applicable to a GDS: -
(i) who had less than two years for normal discharge from service on the date from which he/she has been missing; or
(ii) who is suspected to have, committed fraud or joined any terrorist organization or gone abroad.
(c) Compassionate engagement in the case of a missing GDS also would not be a matter of right and it will be subject to the fulfilment of all the conditions, including availability of vacancy, laid down for such engagement under the scheme.
(d) While considering such a request, the result of the Police investigation should be taken into account; and
(e) A decision on any such request shall be taken at the level of the Head of Region/Head of Circle only based on the recommendations of CCE.
15. Deceased Gramin Dak Sevaks GDSs who had committed frauds/wrongdoing while in engagement: -
i. The dependent family members of a GDS against whom a disciplinary/judicial proceeding was pending/contemplated at the time of death can be considered for compassionate engagement as the disciplinary proceedings stand abated on the death of the charged GDS.
(ii) In case deceased GDS was involved in moral turpitude/misappropriation of the Government money and was awarded major penalty other than removal/dismissal in the past, the dependent family member will not be eligible for engagement on compassionate grounds.
16. Procedure: - SOP issued from time to time may be followed.
17. Undertaking for maintenance of the family of the deceased GDS: -
A person seeking engagement on compassionate grounds under the scheme will have to give an undertaking in writing at the time of application that he/she will properly maintain the other family members who were dependent on the deceased GDS.
In case it is proved subsequently (at any time) that the family members are being neglected or are not being maintained properly his/her engagement may be terminated forthwith in accordance with GDS (Conduct & Engagement) Rules, 2020.
Note: - This clause will also be incorporated as one of the additional conditions in the offer of engagement applicable only in the case of engagement on compassionate grounds.
18. Request hange in post/Person : -
(i) Any request to change in post/person may be considered by the Competent Authority only before joining of the dependent.
(ii) The Competent Authority to consider the request to change in post is DPS and in case to change person is HOR/HOC.
(iii) Once the dependent family member of the deceased GDS has been offered engagement on compassionate grounds, the circumstances, which led to such engagement, will deem to have ceased to exist. Therefore,
(a) he/she should strive in his/he career like any other GDS for future advancement and any request for engagement to any higher post on consideration of compassion shall be rejected.
(b) an engagement made on compassionate grounds cannot be transferred to any other person and any request for the same shall be rejected.
19. Seniority: -
Seniority of the person engaged as GDS on compassionate ground will be determined on the basis of his/her initial date of joining the GDS post and his/her position in the seniority list of GDS of the unit concerned will be determined accordingly.
20. Termination of engagement: -
The compassionate engagement can be terminated on the ground of non- compliance of any condition mentioned in the offer of engagement or rules and policies as amended from time to time after providing reasonable opportunity to show cause for non-compliance of such condition(s) by the Head of Region/Head of Circle.
21. Representation: - On the grounds like non-completion of requisite documents/process a provision is kept to give an opportunity to dependents to submit their representation against rejection of their engagement on compassionate grounds by the competent authority. HOC will be the Competent Authority for taking final decision on such representations. The applicant/dependent may submit his/her representation against rejection for compassionate engagement to the Circle Head through Divisional Heads. No representation shall be entertained unless it is submitted within a period of three months from the date on which the dependent receives a copy of the order represented against. However, the HOC may entertain the representation even after the expiry of the said period, if it is satisfied that the dependent had sufficient cause for not submitting the representation in time. All such representation would be forwarded through the Division/Unit within 15 days from the receipt of representation along with the attested copies of the following documents and checklist as attached in the annexure: -
(i) Representation given by dependent along with the supported documents.
(ii) Application of dependent along with the documents placed before CCE
(iii) Minutes of Committee for Compassionate Engagement (CCE) vide which the application of dependent was rejected.
(iv) Comments of the Divisional Head on the representation on the grounds cited by the applicant.
The representations shall be finalised within a period of three months from the date of receipt.
