The Maharashtra Cabinet has approved the merger of two Group C administrative cadres in Zilla Parishads, reducing one stage in the promotion chain for clerical employees and clearing the way for a simpler advancement process.
Under the approved proposal, the Junior Administrative Officer cadre, placed in the S-13 pay scale, and the Assistant Administrative Officer cadre, placed in the S-14 pay scale, will be combined into a single Assistant Administrative Officer cadre with the S-14 pay scale. The decision applies to the administrative service structure of Zilla Parishads in Maharashtra.
The proposal followed recommendations made by a committee established to examine various demands raised by clerical employees. The committee had suggested reducing the number of Group C cadres and removing one stage from the promotion process. The Cabinet subsequently approved the proposal to merge the two cadres.
Employees currently serving in the Junior Administrative Officer cadre will be transferred to the Assistant Administrative Officer cadre after the government issues the necessary order, according to the report by Lokmat – Pune. The decision also provides for pay fixation and pay protection for the affected employees.
The merger will require changes to the Maharashtra Zilla Parishad Services (Recruitment) Rules, 1967. The changes are needed to align the service rules with the revised cadre structure and promotion sequence. The report does not specify when the amendments or the government order will be issued.
The change will alter the existing promotion chain for clerical staff. By combining the two cadres, employees will not have to pass through the earlier Junior Administrative Officer stage as a separate level before reaching the Assistant Administrative Officer position. The resulting structure is expected to reduce an administrative step in the progression system.
The allocation of work within the Assistant Administrative Officer cadre will be handled at the level of the Chief Executive Officer of each Zilla Parishad, according to Indrajit Jadhav, president of the district branch of the Maharashtra State Zilla Parishad Clerical Employees’ Association. The report attributed the information about the proposed work allocation to Jadhav.
Zilla Parishads are responsible for administering a range of rural local-government functions through district-level institutions. Their staffing structures influence how files, programmes and administrative decisions move through the organisation. The Cabinet decision therefore changes not only the promotion route for affected employees but also the framework under which administrative responsibilities will be distributed.
The approved merger is intended to bring greater uniformity to the cadre structure, reduce obstacles in employee promotions and improve administrative coordination, according to the report. The immediate implementation steps are the issuance of the government order, pay-related adjustments for eligible employees and amendments to the 1967 service rules.
