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Posting of husband and wife at the same station – DoPT Orders dated 3.4.1986

The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) issued an order on April 3, 1986, regarding the posting of married couples at the same station. According to the order, if both the partners are working in the same central government department or office, they can be posted at the same station to avoid any family separation. This order is applicable to all employees working under the government of India and aims to promote work-life balance and employee satisfaction.

Posting of husband and wife at the same station in Central Government Services

No.28034/7/86-Estt.(A)
Government of India
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
Department of Personnel and Training

New Delhi, the 3.4.86

OFFICE MEMORANDUM

Sub: Posting of husband and wife at the same station.

The question of formulation of a policy regarding the posting at the same place of husband and wife who are in Govt. service or in the service of Public Sector Undertakings has been raised in Parliament and other forums on several occasions.

Govt.’s position has been that requests of Govt. servants and employees of public sector undertakings for posting at the same station usually receive sympathetic consideration, and that each case is decided on merits, keeping in view the administrative requirements.

2. The Govt. of India have given the utmost importance to the enhancement of women’s status in all sectors and all walks of life. Strategies and policies are being formulated and implemented by different Ministries of the Central Govt. to achieve their end. It is also considered necessary to have a policy which can enable women employed under the Govt. and the Public Sector Undertaking to discharge their responsibilities as wife/mother on the one hand and productive workers on the other, more effectively.

It is the policy of the Govt. that as far as possible and within the constraints of administrative feasibility, the husband and wife should be posted at the same station to enable them to lead a normal family life and to ensure the education and welfare of their children.

3. In Feb., 1976 the then Department of Social Welfare had issued a circular D.O.letter to all Ministries and Departments requesting them to give serious consideration to the question of posting husband and wife at the same station.

However, representations continue to be received by the Department of Women’s Welfare in the Ministry of Human Resources Development from women seeking the intervention of that Department for a posting at the place where their husbands are posted. It has, therefore, now been decided to lay down a broad statement of policy at least with regard to these employees who are under the purview of the Govt./Public Sector Undertakings.

An attempt has, therefore, been made in the following paragraphs to lay down some guidelines to enable the cadre controlling authorities to consider the requests from the spouses for a posting at the same station. At the outset, it may be clarified that it may not be possible to bring every category of employees within the ambit of this policy as situations of husband/wife employment are varied and manifold. The guidelines given below are, therefore, illustrative and not exhaustive. Govt. desire that in all other cases the cadre controlling authority should consider such requests with utmost sympathy.

4. The classes of cases that may arise, and the guidelines for dealing with each class of case, are given below;-

(i) Where the spouses belong to the same All India Service or two of the All India Service or two of the All India Services namely IAS, IPSA and Indian Forest Service (Group ‘A’):

– The spouse will be posted to the same Cadre by providing for a cadre transfer of one spouse to the Cadre of the other spouse subject to their not being posted by this process to their home cadre. Postings within the cadre will, of course, fall within the purview of the State Govt.

(ii) Where one spouse belongs to one of the All India Services and the other spouse belongs to one of the Central Services:-

– The cadre controlling authority of the Central Service may post the officer to the station or if there is no post in that station, to the State where the other spouse belonging to the All India Service is posted.

(iii) Where the spouse belong to the same Central Service:

– The Cadre controlling authority may post the spouses to the same station.

(iv) Where the spouse belongs to one Central Service and the other spouse belongs to another Central Service:-

– The spouse with the longer service at a station may apply to the appropriate cadre controlling authority and the said authority may post the said officer to the station, or if there is no post in that station to the State where the other spouse belonging to the other Central Service is posted.

(v) Where one spouse belongs to an All India Service and the other spouse belongs to a Public Sector Undertakings:

– The spouse employed under the Public Sector Undertakings may apply to the competent authority and said authority may post the said officer to the station, or if there is no post under the PSU in that station, to the State where the other spouse is posted.

(vi) Where one spouse belongs to a Central Service and the other spouse belongs to PSU:-

– The spouse employed under the PSU may apply to the competent authority and the said authority may post the officer to the station or if there is not post under the PSU in that station, to the State where the other spouse is posted. If, however, the request cannot be granted because the PSU has no post in the said station/State, then the spouse belonging to the Central Service may apply to the appropriate cadre controlling authority and the said authority may post the said officer to the station or if there is no post in that station, to the state where the spouse employed under PSU is posted.

(vii) Where one spouse is employed under the Central Govt. and the other spouse is employed under the State Govt.

– The spouse employed under the Central Govt. may apply to the competent authority and the competent authority may post the said officer to the station or if there is no post in that station to the State where the other spouse is posted.

5. As will be seen from the illustrations given above, they do not cover all possible categories of cases which may arise. In fact it is not possible to anticipate all the categories of cases. Each case, not covered by the above guidelines will have to be dealt with keeping in mind the spirit in which these guidelines have been laid down and the larger objective of ensuring, that a husband and wife are, as far as possible and within the constraints of administrative convenience, posted at the same station.

6. Ministry of Finance etc. are requested to bring the above instructions to the notice of all administrative authorities under their control and ensure compliance.

7. In so far as persons serving in Indian Audit and Accounts Department are concerned, these orders issue in consultation with the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.

8. This issues with the concurrence of the Department of Public Enterprises.

9. Hindi version will follow.

sd/-
(Mrs. Aarti Khosla)
Joint Secretary to the Govt. of India

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