Maharashtra govt vacates stay on Civil Services Board

The Maharashtra government has vacated a stay on the Civil Services Board set up during Congress-NCP rule, to oversee transfers as well as postings of government officers, an official said here today.
The decision to set up the board was taken by the Prithviraj Chavan-led Congress-NCP government in January 31, 2014.
However, since some ministers were unwilling to give up their powers to transfer as well as take decisions on postings of government bureaucrats, Chavan had to put the decision on hold in May 2014.
"The Maharashtra state government has vacated the stay on the Civil Services Board," the official said, adding that the Board would decide transfers and posting of government officers of all categories.

"It is now binding on every department to set up such a board as per the government's order," the official said.
In accordance with the Supreme Court order, the Chavan government had decided to constitute four Civil Service Boards (CSBs) to decide matters of transfers as well as postings of government officers of Grade A, Grade B and Grade C, on January 31, 2014.

According to the Government Resolution (GR) issued then, there were to be four separate CSBs to decide on transfers and postings of government officers of various categories.
The first board was for all gazetted officers of Grade A and B, the second board was for all non-gazetted officers of Grade B and Grade C, the third board was for all of Mantralaya's (Maharashtra state secretariat) gazetted officers of Grade A and Grade B, while the last board was for all non-gazetted officers of the Mantralaya of Grade B and Grade C.

A few ministers had opposed the move saying that the decision to form CSBs has affected the "rights of elected representatives" and this had to be stopped.