The central government has overhauled the cadre allocation system for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and Indian Forest Service (IFoS), placing Nagaland in Group III alongside Maharashtra, Manipur, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, and Tamil Nadu. The reform replaces the earlier zonal system.
The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), after consultations with state governments, has divided all State and Joint Cadres into four alphabetical groups:
• Group I : AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram, and Union Territories), Andhra Pradesh, Assam-Meghalaya, Bihar, and Chhattisgarh
• Group II: Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, and Madhya Pradesh
• Group III: Maharashtra, Manipur, Nagaland, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, and Tamil Nadu
• Group IV: Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal
Candidates will now express preferences among four alphabetically arranged groups rather than the older zones.
The revised policy introduces a rotational cycle system, where allocation proceeds in cycles of 25 candidates in merit order. “Priority is given to higher-ranked candidates within the same cycle. Insider candidates – those opting for their home state – will be allocated strictly based on merit and vacancy availability,” a DoPT official explained.
Allocation for outsiders follows a two-stage roster system, first for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) and then for others. The policy also clarifies category-wise reservation, including Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), with EWS vacancies treated as part of the Unreserved category.
“This reform brings greater objectivity and consistency to the cadre allocation process, which has long been a sensitive issue for aspirants and state governments alike,” the official said.
Nagaland, previously part of Zone-IV under the 2017 system, now joins Group III, marking a significant change in how civil service postings will be managed for the state.
(With Indian Express inputs)