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New Delhi: The matter of increasing the eligibility service for promotion from Assistant Section Officer to Section Officer in DSS/ASO cadre of Delhi Government from five years to six years has become a cause of dissatisfaction among the employees. Delhi Government Employees Welfare Association, while reviewing this system, has demanded to preserve the eligibility services of previously working employees.

According to Joginder Singh Dabas, Vice President of Delhi Government Employees Welfare Association, the changes made in the recruitment rules issued on May 24, 2022, have affected those employees who were regularly working in the respective feeder grades at the time of amendment in the rules.

He says that there is a provision for protection of the existing eligibility service in the instructions of the Department of Personnel and Training dated 31 December 2010 and 20 September 2022. Despite this, no such clear comment was added in the recruitment rules in case of DSS/ASO cadre.

Concern increased for officers nearing retirement

The union says the change is especially important for the large number of officers set to retire in 2027 and 2028. If promotion is not received on time, some employees may also be deprived of the financial benefits and grade pay benefits that come with promotion. Employees argue that it will be difficult to compensate for this loss after retirement.

Relief to stenographer cadre, then why not to ASO?

Dabas said that in the case of Stenographer cadre, the Service Department of Delhi Government had cleared the way for preservation of pre-eligibility service by adding the necessary note in the recruitment rules on February 18, 2025. After this, promotion order was also issued on 28 June 2025. In such a situation, the question of DSS/ASO cadre employees is that why similar relief is not being given to them in similar circumstances.

The union has demanded from the government that after a high-level review of the entire matter, necessary amendments or comments should be added to the recruitment rules as per the relevant instructions of DoPT. Also, the pre-eligible service of regularly working employees in feeder grade on 24th May 2022 should be preserved. According to Dabas, the demand of the employees is not for any special benefit, but for equality and justice.

He says that the future employees should get the benefit of the change in recruitment rules, but the promotion rights of the employees who were serving regularly before the amendment should not be affected. Now the employees are keeping an eye on the government’s decision whether DSS/ASO cadre also gets relief on the lines of stenographer cadre or not.