Survey of India (Group ‘A’) Service Rules, 2024 – Notification No. G.S.R. 370(E) dated 05.07.2024

Survey of India (Group ‘A’) Service Rules, 2024 – Notification No. G.S.R. 370(E) dated 05.07.2024

MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(Department of Science and Technology)
NOTIFICATION
New Delhi, the 5th July, 2024

G.S.R. 370(E).—In exercise of the powers conferred by the proviso to article 309 of the Constitution and in supersession of the Survey of India (Group ‘A’) Service Rules, 1989, except as respects things done or omitted to be done before such supersession, the President hereby makes the following rules regulating the method of recruitment and the conditions of service to the posts of the Survey of India Group ‘A’ Service, namely: —

1. Short title and commencement. – (1) These rules may be called the Survey of India (Group ‘A’) Service Rules, 2024.

(2) They shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.

2. Definition. – In these rules, unless the context otherwise requires,-

a) “Cadre Controlling Authority” means the Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology,Government of India;
b) “Commission” means the Union Public Service Commission;
c) “Departmental Confirmation Committee” in relation to any grade, means a committee constituted to consider confirmation in any grade as indicated in Schedule – IV to these rules;
d) “Departmental Promotion Committee” in relation to any grade, means a committee constituted to consider promotion in any grade as indicated in Schedule – IV to these rules;
e) “Departmental Screening Committee” means a committee constituted to consider placement in Senior Time Scale (Non-Functional Second Grade) and for grant of Non-Functional Up-gradation for various posts in Survey of India Group ‘A’ Service, as indicated in Schedule – IV to these rules;
f) “duty post” means any post included in Schedule – I;
g) “examination” means the Engineering Services Examination conducted by the Commission;
h) “Government” means the Government of India;
i) “grade” means any of the grades specified in column (2) of Schedule-I;
j) “regular service” in relation to any grade, means the period of service in that grade rendered after selection and regular appointment to that grade under the rules and includes any period or periods:-

(i) taken into account for the purpose of seniority in the case of those already in service at the time of notification of these rules;
(ii) during which an officer would have held that grade but for his being on leave or otherwise not being available to hold such posts.

k) “Schedule” means a Schedule annexed to these rules;
l) “Service” means the Survey of India Group ‘A’ Service constituted under rule 3 of these rules;
m) The expressions ‘Schedule Castes’, ‘Scheduled Tribes’, ‘Other backward Classes’, ‘Economically Weaker Sections’ and ‘Persons with disabilities’ shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them in the Constitution of India or Acts of Parliament or the Government Orders.

3. Constitution of Service. – (1) The Survey of India Group ‘A’ Service shall consist of the persons appointed to the Service under rules 6 and 7.

(2) All the posts included in the Service shall be classified as Group ‘A’ posts.

4. Grades, authorised strength and its review. – (1) The duty posts included in the various grades, their number and the level in the pay matrix on the date of commencement of these rules shall be as specified in Schedule – I.

(2) The authorised strength of the duty posts in the various grades of the service shall be reviewed from time to time and determined by the Central Government through the established procedure as laid down by the Department of Personnel and Training and /or Department of Expenditure from time to time.

(3) The Cadre Controlling Authority may, from time to time make such alteration in the sanctioned strength of the duty posts in various grades as it thinks necessary, through the established procedure as laid down by the Department of Personnel and Training and /or Department of Expenditure from time to time.

(4) The Cadre Controlling Authority may, in consultation with the Commission and the Central Government [Ministry of Science and Technology, Department of Expenditure (wherever applicable) and Department of Personnel and Training], include in the Service such posts as may be equivalent to the posts included in the Service in status, grade, level in pay matrix and professional content, other than those included in Schedule-I, or exclude from the Service a post included in the said Schedule.

(5) The Cadre Controlling Authority may, in consultation with the Commission, appoint an officer whose post is included in the Service under sub-rule (4) to the appropriate grade in a temporary capacity or in a substantive capacity as it may deem fit, and fix his seniority in such a grade in accordance with the general orders and instructions issued by the Government from time to time.

5. Members of Service. – (1) The following persons shall be the members of the Service, namely: —

(a) A person deemed to have been appointed to duty post under rule 6; and
(b) A person appointed to duty post under rule 7.

(2) A person appointed under clause (a) of sub-rule (1) shall be deemed to be a member of the service in the appropriate grade applicable to him from the date of initial constitution of the service.

(3) A person appointed under clause (b) of sub-rule (1) shall be a member of the Service in the appropriate grade applicable to him, as specified in Schedule-I, from the date of such appointment.

6. Initial Constitution of Service. – The officers of the civilian stream of the Survey of India Group ‘A’ Service holding duty posts in various grades of that Service, as per the Survey of India (Group ‘A’) Service Rules, 1989, on regular basis or holding lien on such posts, on the date of commencement of these rules shall be deemed to have been appointed to the appropriate duty posts and grades in the Service in a substantive or officiating capacity, as the case may be.

7. Future maintenance of Service. – The vacancies in any of the grades shall be filled in the manner as hereinafter provided:-

(a) Fifty per cent of the vacancies in the grade of Junior Time Scale shall be filled by direct recruitment on the basis of Engineering Services Examination conducted by the Commission in accordance with rules made by the Government from time to time, on the basis of the educational qualifications and age-limit specified in Schedule-II.

(b) Fifty per cent of the vacancies in the grade of Junior Time Scale shall be filled by promotion of Officer Surveyors, in accordance with the provisions specified in Schedule–III in consultation with the Commission on the basis of the recommendations of the Departmental Promotion Committee constituted in accordance with Schedule–IV.

(c) Appointments in the Service to the posts of Senior Time Scale and above, except to the Senior Time Scale (Non-Functional Second Grade), shall be made in accordance with the provisions of Schedule–III, by ‘selection’ on the basis of the recommendations of the Departmental Promotion Committee constituted in accordance with Schedule–IV:
Provided that the post of Surveyor General of India in the Higher Administrative Grade may also be filled by deputation in accordance with the provisions of Schedule–III, in consultation with Commission.

(d) Placement to the Senior Time Scale (Non-Functional Second Grade) shall be made in accordance with the provisions of Schedule–III on the basis of seniority subject to suitability on the basis of the recommendations of the Departmental Screening Committee constituted in accordance with Schedule–IV.

8. Seniority. – (1) The relative seniority of the members of the Service on commencement of these rules shall be the relative seniority in their respective grades as determined before the date of commencement of these rules:

Provided that if the seniority of any member of the Service has not been determined before the commencement of these rules, it shall be determined by the Government in accordance with the general instructions issued by the Government from time to time.

(2) The seniority of the persons recruited to the Service after the initial constitution shall be determined in accordance with the general instructions issued by the Government from time to time in this regard.

9. Probation. – (1) Candidates appointed to the Service either by direct recruitment under clause (a) of rule 7 or by promotion under clause (b) of rule 7 shall be on probation for a period of two years:

Provided that the Cadre Controlling Authority may extend the period of probation in accordance with the instructions issued by the Government from time to time:

Provided further that any decision for extension of a probation period shall be taken ordinarily within eight weeks after the expiry of the previous probationary period and communicated in writing to the officer concerned together with the reasons for doing so within the said period.

(2) On completion of the probation or any extension thereof, officers shall, if, considered fit for permanent appointment, be retained in their appointments on regular basis and be confirmed in due course, as the case may be.

(3) If, during the period of probation or any extension thereof, as the case may be, Government is of the opinion that an officer is not fit for permanent appointment, Government may discharge or revert the officer to the post held by him prior to his appointment in the Service, as the case may be.

(4) During the period of probation or any extension thereof, candidate may be required by the Government to undergo such courses of training and instructions and to pass examination and tests (including examination in Hindi) as Government may deem fit, as a condition to satisfactory completion of the probation.

(5) As regards other matters relating to probation, the members of the Service shall be governed by the instructions issued by the Government in this regard from time to time.

10. Non-Functional Upgradation. – (1) Non-functional upgradation shall be granted to the eligible officers in various grades (upto Higher Administrative Grade) of the Service on the recommendations of the Departmental Screening Committee, as specified in Schedule IV, whenever an Indian Administrative Service officer of the State or Joint Cadre is posted at the Centre to a particular grade carrying pay in a specific level in the pay matrix, the officers belonging to batches of the Service that are senior by two years or more and have not so far been promoted to that particular grade would be granted the same grade on non-functional basis from the date of posting of the Indian Administrative Service Officer in that particular grade at the centre, in terms of provisions of Annexure-I to the Department of Personnel and Training Office Memorandum No. AB.14017/64/2008- Estt.(RR), dated the 24th April, 2009, as amended from time to time.

(2) As prescribed in the orders and instructions issued in the matter by the Government, all the terms and conditions, including prescribed eligibility criteria and promotional norms such as ‘benchmark’ for promotion to a particular grade of the Service, etc. shall have to be met at the time of screening for grant of higher pay-scale.

(3) The ‘Batch’ of the officers of the Service for determining their eligibility for grant of Non-functional upgradation shall be decided in the manner as hereinafter provided: –

(a) In respect of directly recruited officers in the entry grade (Junior Time Scale), the ‘Batch’ year shall be the year following the year in which competitive examination was held through which they were selected. The batch of the officer promoted to subsequent grades of the Service would remain the same for the purpose of grant of non-functional upgradation in different pay levels, provided the officer is not superseded due to any reason. In case an officer is superseded, the officer shall be considered along with the ‘Batch’ with which his seniority is fixed.

(b) In respect of the officers inducted into the Service through promotion in the entry grade (Junior Time Scale), the batch year shall be the ‘Batch’ of the directly recruited officers, with whom their seniority is clubbed in the Service. The batch of the officer promoted to subsequent grades of the Service shall remain the same for grant of non-functional upgradation in different pay levels, provided the officer is not superseded due to any reason. In case an officer is superseded, the officer shall be considered along with the ‘Batch’ with which his seniority is fixed.

11. Appointment to Service. – All appointments to the Service shall be made by the Government for all duty posts in various grades of the Service.

12. Liability for service in any part of India and other conditions of Service. – (1) An officer appointed to the Service shall be liable to serve anywhere in India or abroad.

(2) The conditions of service of the members of the Service in respect of matters, for which no provision has been made under these rules, shall be the same as are applicable to the officers of Central Civil Services, from time to time.

13. Disqualifications. – No person, –

(a) who has entered into or contracted a marriage with a person having a spouse living; or

(b) who having a spouse living, has entered into or contracted a marriage with any person, shall be eligible for appointment to the Service.

Provided that the Government may, if satisfied that such marriage is permissible under the personal law applicable to such person and the other party to the marriage and that there are other grounds for doing so, exempt any person from the operation of this rule.

14. Power to relax. – Where the Government is of the opinion that it is necessary or expedient so to do, it may, by order for reasons to be recorded in writing, and in consultation with the Commission, relax any of the provisions of these rules with respect to any class or category of persons.

15. Savings. –Nothing in these rules shall affect reservations, relaxation of age-limit and other concessions required to be provided to the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes, the Other Backward Classes, the Economically Weaker Sections, Persons with disabilities, Ex-Servicemen and other special categories of persons in accordance with the orders or instructions issued by the Government from time to time in this regard.

16. Interpretation. – If any question arises relating to the interpretation of these rules, it shall be decided by the Government.

SCHEDULE – I
[See rules 2(f), 2(i), 4(1), 4(4) and 5(3)]

Grade, designation, level in pay matrix and authorised strength of duty posts in Service:

* Maximum 30% of the Senior Duty Posts (i.e. posts in the Senior Time Scale and above), provided that the total strength, including that in the Senior Time Scale, shall not exceed the authorised strength of the Senior Trime Scale. Non-Functional Second grade shall be operated in terms of provisions of the Department of Personnel and Training OM No. 1671777510047, dated 21.12.2022, as amended from time to time.

SCHEDULE – II
[See rule 7(a)]

The direct recruitment to the post of Deputy Superintending Surveyor in the Junior Time Scale of the Survey of India Group ‘A’ Service shall be on the basis of Engineering Services Examination conducted by the Commission. The minimum educational qualifications and age-limits for direct recruitment shall be as under: –

Educational Qualification. – (a) obtained a degree in Engineering from a University incorporated by an Act of Parliament or State Legislature in India or other Educational Institutions established by an Act of Parliament or declared to be deemed as Universities under section 3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956; or

(b) passed Sections A and B of the institution Examinations of the Institution of Engineers (India); or

(c) obtained a degree or diploma in Engineering, from such foreign University or College or Institution and under such conditions as may be recognised by the Government for the purpose from time to time and such other qualifications as prescribed by the Union Public Service Commission for Engineering Services Examination.

Age-limit. –Candidates shall have attained the age of twenty one years, but shall not exceed the age of thirty years on the crucial date for determining the age-limit as advertised by the Commission at the time of recruitment.

SCHEDULE – III
[See rules 7(b), 7(c) and 7(d)]

Method of recruitment, field of promotion and minimum qualifying service in the next lower grade for appointment of officers on promotion to duty posts included in the various grades of the Survey of India Group ‘A’ Service:

Note: Where juniors who have completed their qualifying or eligibility service are being considered for promotion, their seniors would also be considered, provided they are not short of the requisite qualifying or eligibility service by more than half of such qualifying or eligibility service or two years, whichever is less, and have successfully completed probation period for promotion to the next higher grade along with their juniors who have already completed such qualifying or eligibility service.

SCHEDULE-IV
[See rules 2 (c), 2 (d), 2 (e), 7(b), 7(c), 7(d) and 10(1)]

Composition of Departmental Promotion Committee, Departmental Confirmation Committee and Departmental Screening Committee for considering cases of promotion, confirmation, and placement to Senior Time Scale (Non-Functional Second Grade) and grant of Non-Functional Upgradation for various posts in the Survey of India Group ‘A’ Service.

[F. No. SM/01/03/2024]
SUNIL KUMAR, Addl. Secy.