Setting the ground for infusing fresh talent into State government service through lateral entry, the Kerala Administrative Service (KAS) would come into being soon.
A three-tier recruitment system has been cleared for constituting the KAS with four categories of officers and also by making adequate safeguards to protect the promotion and career prospects of serving employees.
As per the special rules cleared by the Cabinet, the KAS would have officers in junior and senior time scales as well as selection grade and super-time grade scales. A fresher would join the service in the junior time scale. The posts in the service would be distributed among the four scales in a fixed ratio.
The Public Service Commission would recruit young talent at the entry level and direct recruitment would be made from permanent employees too. A fixed quota would be filled through transfer and promotion from the employees in various departments.
The age limit for direct recruitment at the entry level has been fixed between 21 and 32 years, for direct appointment from serving employees between 21 and 40 years and for transfer and promotions, the upper age limit has been fixed at 50 years.
A preliminary objective type examination, a descriptive type personality test and interview form the selection process. The main examination and interview would have 80% and 20% weightage.
The service would be implemented in 29 departments including the Administrative Secretariat, Finance Secretariat Commissioner of Entrance Examinations and treasuries.
The government would reserve the right to prescribe the total cadre strength of the service by creating additional posts and also by including or dropping any department in the schedule from time to time. The cadre strength would be reviewed once in five years, but the government would hold the right to review it at will.
The quinquennial cadre strength would be reviewed by a panel headed by the senior-most Additional Chief Secretary as chairman and comprising the Secretaries of Home, Finance, Law and General Administration and Personnel and Administrative Reforms Secretary as convener. The committee, which has powers to summon any officer or call any documents, should complete the review in three months on initiating the process.
Promotions would be subject to the cadre strength fixed by the government and also on completion of the specified number of years of service. Every fresher would have to undergo an 18-month training conducted by the Institute of Management in Government and would then be placed on probation.
The new cadre is expected to provide opportunities for the growth and development of bright, talented committed officers in civil service.
