Jaipur: The Department of Personnel in Rajasthan has sought approval from the Union government to promote 26 Rajasthan Administrative Service (RAS) officers to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). Once the approval is granted, the officers will be recommended to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for final clearance.
If all proposed promotions receive the green light, Rajasthan will witness the highest number of IAS promotions in the past decade, surpassing last year’s total of just 11 promotions. The majority of the officers in the promotion list are from the 1997 and 1998 batches of the RAS.
According to sources, only officers with a minimum of four years of service remaining at the time of selection are eligible for promotion. Currently, Rajasthan has 20 RAS officers from the 1997 batch and 23 from the 1998 batch, with 32 officers in total vying for promotion.
However, delays in the process and any departmental inquiries could lead to some officers being disqualified from the promotion. Officers facing legal proceedings or inquiries could face dropout, and if the UPSC selection process is delayed, some officers may lose eligibility due to the service tenure requirement.
In December 2024, the court dismissed a petition from the RAS Association that had challenged the promotion process, clearing the way for these officers to be promoted. A provisional list of 20 officers had been prepared in 2022, but with a change in government, the selection process will need to be revisited.
The proposed promotions would mark a significant step in the state’s administrative structure, bolstering the ranks of the Indian Administrative Service in Rajasthan.
