Govt makes it easy for IAS officers to return to Centre

IAS officers being repatriated to their parent cadre for appointment as Chief Secretary will not have to face "extended cooling off" period, making it easy for them to come back to central services.
The extended cooling off period was mandatory for officers who choose to go back to their parent cadre for availing their promotion or called by the state government before completion of their scheduled tenure at the Centre.
According to the rules, a Joint Secretary-level officer has a tenure of five years at the Centre after which he has to remain compulsorily for three years in state which is called as a cooling off period.

Similarly, an officer of the rank of Additional Secretary, having a four-year Central tenure, has to spend two years in the state before being again considered at the Centre.
However, if they went back before the completion of tenure at the Centre, the remaining term at the Centre was added to cooling off period and known as "extended cooling off" period.
According to December 24, 1999 order, the cooling off period of the officers going on premature repatriation was calculated not from the date of actual repatriation from the date he would have completed normal deputation term.
"...It has been decided that in future in case where any officer is being repatriated to his cadre to be appointed as Chief Secretary, the condition of imposition of extended cooling-off period would not be attracted," latest order from the Department of Personnel and Training said.

The order will mean that officers joining state government as Chief Secretaries before completing scheduled central deputation can revert after serving only cooling off period which is three years for Joint Secretary officers and one year for Additional Secretary at the Centre.