Age Relaxation for Government Servants

Consolidated orders on relaxation in upper age limit allowed

To various categories of government servants

                     The undersigned is directed to invite attention to this Department’s Notification No. 2/101/72-Estt (D) dated 07.03.1974 and to say that since then a number of instructions allowing relaxation in upper age to Central government servants for recruitment to various categories of posts under the Central government have been issued. For the facility of reference and guidance, the content of the important/relevant O.M’s/orders on the subject have been consolidated. The number and date of original O.M.’s have been referred under each category for easy reference to the context

Sl.No	Category of Persons to whom age concession is admissible and O.M./Notification No.	Categories of posts to which the age concession is admissible	Extent of Age Concession
1.	Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Notification No. 2/101/72-Estt(D) dated 07.03.1974	All posts filled by Direct Recruitment	5 years
2.	Other Backward Class O.M. No. 43013/2/95-Estt. (SCT) dated 25.01.1995 O.M. No. 36012/22/93-Estt.(SCT) dated 22.10.1993	All posts filled by Direct Recruitment	3 years
3.	Persons with disabilities No. 43019/28/86-Estt.(D) dated 01.02.1999 read with O.M. No. 36035/3/2004- Estt(Res.) dated 29.12.2005	(i) In case of Direct Recruitment to Group ‘Ç’ and erstwhile Group ‘D’  (now MTS ) posts	10 years
	SC/ST Persons with disabilities	(ii) In case of recruitment to Group Á’ and Group ‘B’ posts through open  competitive examination	15 years
	OBC Persons with disabilities		13 years
	Persons with disabilities O.M. No. 36035/3/2004-Estt(Res.) dated 29.12.2005	In case of direct recruitment to Group ‘A’ and Group ‘B’ where recruitment is made otherwise than through open competitive  examination	5 years
	SC/ST Persons with disabilities		10 years
	OBC Persons with disabilities		8 years
4.	Retrenched Central Government Employee Notification No. 2/101/72-Estt(D) dated 07.03.1974	For posts filled otherwise than through UPSC on the basis of competitive tests, i.e. filled through employment exchange	Period of previous service under the Govt. of India plus three years
5.	Whole Time Cadet Instructors in NCC	For the purpose of appointment to the posts, recruitment to which is made through the Employment exchange	Period of service rendered in NCC plus three years
	(a) who were released from NCC after the expiry of their initial/ extended tenure Notification No. 2/101/72-Estt(D) dated 07.03.1974
	(b) who were released form NCC before the expiry of their initial/extended tenure Notification No. 2/101/72-Estt(D) dated 07.03.1974	- do -	Period of service rendered in NCC, plus three years provided they have served in NCC for a period of not less than six months prior to their release from NCC
6.	Ex-General Reserve Engineer Force Personnel O.M. No. 4/10/64-Estt(D) dated 26.10.1964 Notification No. 2/101/72-Estt(D) dated 07.03.1974	For posts filled otherwise than through UPSC on the basis of competitive tests, i.e. filled through Employment exchange	Period of Service in GREF plus 3 years
7.	Territorial Army Personnel who have service on the permanent staff of Territorial Army Unit or have been embodied for service under T.A. Rule 33 for a continuous period of not less than six months. O.M. No. 4/6/64-Estt(D) dated 11.02.1965 and Notification No. 2/101/1972-Estt(D) dated 7.3.1974	For post filled otherwise than through UPSC on the basis of competitive tests i.e. for posts filled through Employment Exchange	Entire Period of embodied service including broken period in the Territorial Army plus three years
8.	Ex-Servicemen Notification No. 39016/10/1979- Estt. (c) dated 15.12.1979	Group C & erstwhile D posts	Period of Military service plus 3 years
9.	Disabled Defence services personnel O.M. No. 14/42/65-Estt(D) dated 29.03.1966 and O.M. No. 13/35/71- Estt.(C) dated 24.12.1971 O.M. No. 39016/5/1981-Estt.(C) dated 21.02.1981	(a) Group C & erstwhile D posts filled through Employment Exchange	45 years (50 years of SC/ST)
		(b) Group A & B posts filled otherwise than through Competitive Examination by UPSC	45 years (50 years of SC/ST)
		(c) All posts filled by Competitive examination	3 years (8 years for SC/ST) subject to the condition that they would not be allowed to avail of a larger number of chances in respect of recruitment to a service, or group of services, than the maximum number of chances permissible to any general candidate under the age limit.
10.	Ex-personnel of Army Medical Corps (Short Service regular Commissioned Officer) O.M. No. 4/3/55-RPS dated 13.07.1956	All posts requiring Medical qualification	35 years
11.	Ex-servicemen ECO/SSCO O.M. No. 39016/15/79-Estt.( C) dated 07.09.1981 O.M. No. 36034/8/88-Estt.(SCT) dated 19.05.1988	Group A & B Posts Services/posts filled by direct recruitment otherwise than on a result of any open All India competitive  examination held by UPSC subject to the condition that (i) the continuous service rendered in the Armed Forces by an ex-servicemen is not less than six months after attestation (ii) resultant age after deducting his age does not exceed the prescribed age limit by more than three years and (iii) condition prescribed in O.M. No. 39016/10/79- Esst.(C) dated 15.12.1979	Military service plus three years
		For appointment to any vacacny in Group A and Group B Services/posts filled by direct recruitment on the results of an All India Competitive Examination held by UPSC, ex-service and Commissioned Officers including ECOs/SSCOs who have rendered atleast 5 years military service and have been released on completion of assignment (including those whose assignment is due to be completed within 6 months) otherwise than by way of dismissal or discharge on account of physical disability Attributable to military service or on invalidment.	Five years
12.	Departmental Candidates with three years continuous service in Central Government O.M. No. 15012/1/88-Esst.(D) dated 30.01.1980 O.M. No. 15012/1/88-Esst.(D) dated 20.05.1988	For appointment to Group ‘C’ and erstwhile ‘D’ (now MTS posts) by direct recruitment which are in the same line or allied cadres	Up to 40 years of age (45 years for SC/ST)
	O.M. No. 15012/8/87-Estt.(D) dated 15.10.1987 O.M. No. 35014/4/79-Esst.(D) dated 24.10.1985	Group A and Group B posts filled through UPSC (other than those filled on the basis of competitive examination) and posts which are exempted from purview of UPSC (where recruitment is made by organization themselves)	5 years (for posts which are in the same line or allied cadres and where a relationship could be established that the service already rendered in a particular post will be useful for the efficient discharge of the duties of post
13.	Widows, divorced women and women judicially separated from their husbands and who are not re-married O.M. NO. 15012/13/1979-Estt (D) dated 19.01.1980 O.M. No. 15012/1/82-Estt.(D) dated 06.09.1983	Group ‘C’ and erstwhile Group ‘D’ posts under the Central Government filled through Staff Selection Commission and Employment exchange	Up to the age of 35 years (up to 40 years for members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) but no relaxation of educational qualification or method  recruitment
	O.M. No. 15012/1/87-Estt.(D) dated05.10.1990	Group ‘A’ and ‘B’ posts except where recruitment is made through    open competitive examination
14.	Meritorious Sportspersons No. 15012/3/84-Estt.(D) dated 12.11.1987	All Group of Civil posts/Services under the Government of India filled otherwise than through  competitive examinations conducted by UPSC	Up to 5 years (10 years for SC/ST candidates
15.	Persons who had ordinarily been domiciled in the State of Jammu and Kashmir during the period 01.01.1980 to 31.12.1989 GSR 915(E) dated 30.12.2011 GSR 208(E) dated 10th April 1997 GSR 826(E) dated 27th December 1999 GSR 919(E) dated 20th December 2001 GSR 879(E) dated 10th November 2003 GSR 707(E) dated 6th December 2005 GSR 761(E) dated 7th December, 2007 GSR 839(E) dated 23rd November 2009	For recruitment to all Central Civil Services and Posts made through UPSC or SSC or otherwise by Central Government till 31.12.2013	Upper age-limit relax able by five years subject to maximum number of chances permissible under the relevant rules

2. For the purposes of the above mentioned age concessions:

i. “a retrenched Central Government employee” means a person who was employed under the Government of India for a continuous period of not less than six months prior to this retrenchment and was discharged as a result of the recommendation of the Economy Unit or due to normal reduction in establishment;

ii. “a whole-time Cadet instructor in NCC” means a person who was recruited as a whole-time cadet instructor in NCC on or after 01.01.1963;

iii. “Ex-GREF personnel” means a person who was employed in that Force at least a continuous period for not less than six months and who was released from that Force on completion of his tenure of Service.

iv. “Disabled ex-servicemen” means ex-serviceman who while serving in the Armed Forces of the Union was disabled in operations against the enemy or in disturbed areas;

v. “Ex-servicemen” means a person, who has served in any rank (whether as a combatant or an non-combatant), in the Armed Forces of the Union, including the Armed Forces of the former Indian States, but excluding the Assam Rifles, Defence Security Corps, General Reserve Engineering Force, Lok Sahayak Sena and Territorial Army, for a continuous period of not less than six months after attestation, and (i) has been released, otherwise than at his own request or by way of dismissal or discharge on account of misconduct or inefficiency, or has

been transferred to the reserve pending such release, or (iii) has been released at his own request after completing five years service in the Armed Forces of the Union.

3. These instructions are applicable only to Central Government Civilian Employees holding Civil posts and are not applicable to personnel working in autonomous/statutory bodies, Public Sector under taking etc. which are governed by regulations/statute issued by the concerned administrative Ministries/Departments. In certain cases the benefit of age relaxation was allowed to a specified category of personnel for a limited period. The validity of relaxation in such cases will be for the period specified in the original instructions or as amended from time to time.

4. In case of recruitment through the UPSC and the Staff Selection Commission (SSC), the crucial date for determining the age-limit shall be as advertised by UPSC/SSC. The crucial date for determining age for competitive examination held by UPSC/SSC is fixed as per the instructions in this Department’s O.M. No. 42013/1/79-Estt.(D) dated 04.12.1979 and O.M. No. AB.14017/70/87-Esst. (RR) dated 14.07.1988.

5. A government servant is not allowed any relaxation of age for recruitment to Group ‘A’ and Group ‘B’ post on the basis of competitive examination held by the Commission except in cases where it has been specifically provided for in the scheme of the examinations approved in consultation with the Commission (O.M. No. 4/4/74-Estt.(D) dated  09.04.1981).

6. The upper age-limit for recruitment by the method of Direct Open Competitive to the Central Civil Services and civil posts specified in the relevant service/recruitment rules on the date of commencement of the Central Civil Services and Civil posts (Upper Age-limit for Direct Recruitment) Rules 1998, shall be increased by two years (Notification No. 15012/6/98- Estt.(D) dated 21.12.1998). The “Direct Open Competitive Examination” for the purpose of these rules shall mean direct recruitment by Open Competitive Examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission or the Staff Selection Commission or any other authority under the Central Government and it shall not include recruitment through Limited Departmental Examination or through short listing or by absorption or transfer or deputation.

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(Mukta Goel)

Director (E-I)

DoPT, Government of India