Mandatory completion of Rural or Rural/Semi-Urban stint by Officers in Scale I or II, as the case may be as a pre-requisite for promotion to Scale II & III, as the case may be - Clarifications thereto

Central Office vide their circular Number :CO:HRD:IRP:2012-13:8                                         Date : 18^th May, 2012 clarified the following points

Points raised	Clarifications
1. If an Officer in Scale I has earlier completed less than 2 years of rural service (say 18 months) and was posted in Rural Branch before the date of issuance of said circular and has completed 2 years as on/before date of circular   by service remaining tenure (say 6 months) whether it is construed that an officer has completed the rural stint of 2 years ?	If an Officer has already completed 2 years of rural service hitherto (even in piecemeal with minimum stretch of 6 months), as per the pre-revised norms, such an officer is deemed to have completed 2 years of rural service. This benefit is extended as he/she has already completed such stint in pre-revised norms, prior to the issuance of Circular dated 23.04.2012.

2. If an Officer in Scale I has completed less than 2 years of rural service and again posted to rural branch to complete the remaining required rural service and presently undergoing such stint. Whether such an officer has to undergo continuous rural service of 2 years or it will be suffice to complete the remaining period of rural service ?	In this case, the Officer shall not be transferred from existing rural branch till he/she completes 2 years continuous service thereat, since as on the date of said Circular, he/she has not completed the 2 years of rural service as per the erstwhile norms.
3. Whether an Officer in Scale I, who had hitherto undergone rural service lesser than 2 years & presently working in other than rural branch should be posted to rural branches for the full stint of 2 years or for the remaining broken period ?	Such Officer shall be posted to rural branch for the full stint of 2 years as, in terms of revised Govt. guidelines; an Officer concerned has to undergo continuous rural service of 2 years. This point has been amply clarified in Para No.7.1 of our Circular dated 23.04.2012.
4. Is it necessary that the Scale II Officer should have completed 3 years rural/semi-urban service as an Officer continuously or even in phases/piecemeal?	As per the revised Govt. guidelines, officers in Scale II who complete 3 years rural/semi-urban service as an Officer shall be allowed to participate in the promotion processes. Hence, 3 years rural/semi-urban stint need not necessary be on continuous basis. Nonetheless, in all future cases, the Officers would be  completing 2 years continuous rural service when he/she was in Scale I as per the revised norms and in such cases the remaining one year rural/semi-urban service will be sufficient to reckon under this provision.