Babus may get 7-year foreign posting

In a good news for bureaucrats, the Centre has decided to relax norms to allow officers to stay on foreign posting and central deputation for a maximum period of seven years from the existing five-year duration.

Further, the departments will be empowered to form rules to have deputation tenures longer than seven years by amending the relevant recruitment rules of such deputation post accordingly.

The move comes after various ministries and organisations approached the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), demanding relaxation of the five-year deputation tenure condition "citing exigencies".

It has been decided that if the administrative ministries or departments and other borrowing organisations wish to retain an officer beyond five years, they may extend tenure of deputation, where absolutely necessary in public interest, up to a period not exceeding seven years at a stretch, as per the draft rules formed by the DoPT.

This shall be done with the approval of the minister of the borrowing ministry concerned and in respect of other organisations with the approval of the minister of the borrowing ministry with which they are administratively concerned, keeping in view the exigencies, it said.