Proposed merger/unification of SA, PA (CO/RO)

Sir/Madam,
I am directed to say that this division of Postal Directorate is examining the recommendations of the Cadre Restructuring Committee constituted under the Chairmanship of Shri K. Prakash, then Chief PMG, Karnataka Circle, regarding cadre restructuring of PA/SA, LSG, HSG-II & HSG-I posts of RMS and CO/RO.
In this regard, draft modalities have been prepared for the proposed merger/unification of SA, PA (CO/RO), PA (SBCO) and PA (FPO) cadres with the PA (PO) cadre, including the related supervisory posts. A copy of the draft modalities is enclosed.
It is requested that the Circle may examine the proposal and clearly indicate whether it favours the proposed merger/unification of SA and PA cadres with the PA (PO) cadre, including the related supervisory posts. Any views/comments/suggestions for modification of the proposed modalities, along with justification, may also be indicated.
The views/comments/suggestions may be furnished by 09.11.2026 through email at pe1sectiondte@gmail.com / adgestt1@indiapost.gov.in and must have the specific approval of the HoC. If no response is received within this period, it shall be presumed that there are no views/comments/suggestions to offer on the issue.

Modalities for Merger of Sorting Assistant (SA), Postal Assistant (CO/RO),
Postal Assistant (SBCO) and Postal Assistant (FPO) Cadres with Postal
Assistant (PO) Cadre
(a) SA, PA (CO/RO), PA (SBCO) and PA (FPO) cadre shall be merged with the PA
(PO) cadre. PA (SBCO) and PA (FPO) have already been merged with PA (PO)
vide Directorate letter No. Q-25/11/2022-PE-I dated 16.11.2022; for these two
cadres the provisions of para (j) below shall apply.
(b) An option will be given to existing officials of the SA and PA (CO/RO) cadres for
the following:
(i) They may continue to remain in their present cadre till their promotion in
the respective hierarchy (RMS/CO/RO) or till their retirement.
(ii) They may opt to merge in the PA (PO) cadre.
The option shall be exercised once, in writing, within the timeline prescribed by the
Department, through the Head of the Division/Unit/Office to the Circle Office. The
DPS (HQ) in the Circle Office shall be the Accepting Authority for such requests.
(c) Existing incumbents of the merging cadres opting to switch over to the PA (PO)
cadre shall be allowed to indicate their preferences for Divisions/Units, the number
of which may be prescribed by the Department, preferably up to five
Divisions/Units. Allotment shall be made in accordance with the seniority in the
common Circle Gradation List, subject to availability of vacancies. Officials who
cannot be allotted to any Postal Division/Unit due to non-availability of vacancies
shall continue to remain on the strength of their parent RMS Division/Unit or
CO/RO as PA (PO).
(d) No further recruitment shall be made to the SA and PA (CO/RO) cadres from a
cut-off date to be decided by the Department (eg w.e.f. 01.01.2027). Existing
vacant posts for which the recruitment process has not commenced as on the cut
off date shall be converted into PA (PO) posts.
(e) Officials of the SA and PA (CO/RO) cadres who do not opt for the PA (PO)
cadre shall continue to remain in their present cadre until they are promoted to the
next higher grade in the respective supervisory hierarchy or cease to be in service.
(f) Officials who opt to switch over to the PA (PO) cadre shall not be permitted to
revert to their parent cadre. Their future promotions shall be in the Postal
Operative hierarchy and, on promotion to higher grades such as LSG, HSG-II,
HSG-I, etc., they shall be posted in Postal/RMS/CO/RO/FPO Divisions/Units.
(g) The designation of officials who opt for the PA (PO) cadre shall be changed to
PA (PO). However, even after switching over, such officials may continue to remain
on the strength of their parent RMS Division/Unit or CO/RO until they are allotted
to another Postal Division/Unit.
(h) A common Circle Gradation List of the unified PA (PO) cadre shall be prepared
at Circle Level as on a cut-off date, i.e., 01.01.2027, by integrating the officials
borne on the PA (PO) cadre (including Accountants, PA (FPO) of Chennai, Delhi
and Kolkata, and the officials of PA (SBCO) and PA (FPO), Mumbai who opted
earlier to switch over to PA (PO)) and those officials of the SA and PA (CO/RO)
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cadres who opt to switch over to the PA (PO) cadre. The Accountants shall
continue to remain in the PA (PO) cadre. The term “Accountants” used in these
modalities refers to the Accountants of the Postal Operative side and not to the
Accounts line.
(i) The inter-se seniority in the unified PA (PO) cadre will be determined on the
basis of the year of appointment/recruitment (vacancy year) as per the relevant
selection merit list of the respective cadre. The existing gradation lists (of PA (PO),
including PA (FPO) of Chennai, Delhi and Kolkata whose gradation list is already
maintained along with PA (PO); of the officials of PA (SBCO) and PA (FPO),
Mumbai who opted earlier; and of the SA and PA (CO/RO) officials who opt) shall
be combined into one common gradation list of the unified cadre, prepared
separately for each year of appointment/recruitment year. In each year, the officials
shall be placed in the following sequence of priority, which is based on the
sanctioned strength of the respective cadres:
PA (PO) (including Accountants), SA, PA (SBCO), PA (CO/RO), PA (FPO),
Mumbai.
(i) Officials appointed in an earlier year shall rank senior to those appointed
in a later year, irrespective of the cadre.
(ii) For each year of appointment, the officials of PA (PO) (including
Accountants) of that year shall be placed first, followed by the officials of SA,
PA (SBCO), PA (CO/RO) and PA (FPO), Mumbai of that year, in that order.
This process shall be repeated for each year of appointment.
(iii) The existing inter-se seniority of officials within each cadre, as per the
existing gradation list/merit list of that cadre, shall remain undisturbed.
(iv) Illustrations: – Illustration 1 (officials of different cadres appointed in
the same year): Suppose that for the year of appointment 2015 the officials
are: PA (PO) – A1, A2, A3; SA – B1, B2; PA (SBCO) – C1; PA (CO/RO)
D1, D2; and PA (FPO), Mumbai – E1, E2 (the numbers showing the existing
seniority within the respective cadre). Their combined position for 2015 shall
be: A1, B1, C1, D1, E1, A2, B2, D2, E2, A3. All officials appointed in 2014 or
earlier shall rank above them, and all officials appointed in 2016 or later
shall rank below them.
Illustration 2 (officials appointed in different years): Suppose the
officials are: SA – B1 (appointed 2012); PA (PO) – A1 (2013); PA (SBCO)
C1 (2014); PA (FPO), Mumbai – E1 (2014); PA (PO) – A2 (2015); SA – B2
(2015); PA (CO/RO) – D1 (2015). The year of appointment prevails over the
priority of the cadre, and the cadre priority operates only within the same
year. The Circle Gradation List shall therefore be: B1, A1, C1, E1, A2, B2,
D1.
(j) PA (SBCO) and PA (FPO) cadres were merged with PA (PO) vide Directorate
letter No. Q-25/11/2022-PE-I-DOP dated 16.11.2022 w.e.f. 01.01.2023. Under that
order, the officials of PA (SBCO) and of PA (FPO), Mumbai who switched over to
PA (PO) were placed en bloc below all the officials of the Circle Gradation List of
PA (PO) as on 31.12.2022, while the PA (FPO) cadre of Chennai, Delhi and
Kolkata was straightway merged with the PA (PO) cadre of the Postal Division
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where the FPO is located. Since the common Circle Gradation List of the unified
cadre is now being prepared at Circle level on the year-wise basis given in para (i),
the Circle Gradation Lists of those officials of PA (SBCO) and PA (FPO), Mumbai
who opted earlier to switch over to PA (PO) shall be revised and prepared afresh
on the same basis, in the sequence given in para (i), and the orders issued in 2022
shall stand modified to that extent. The officials of PA (FPO) of Chennai, Delhi and
Kolkata shall continue to be treated as PA (PO) officials as per para (i).
Officials of PA (SBCO) who did not switch over to PA (PO) under the order
dated 16.11.2022 and continue in the SBCO cadre, and officials of PA
(FPO), Mumbai who continue in the FPO cadre, shall continue to be
governed by the provisions of that order, and no fresh option shall be given
to them.
(k) Since the inter-se seniority of the unified PA (PO) cadre shall be determined on
the basis of the year of appointment as per the relevant selection merit list, officials
of the unified PA (PO) cadre may be allowed transfer within the Circle on the lines
of the existing LSG cadre for intra division transfer including RMS Division, in
accordance with the Directorate guidelines issued vide letter No. X-12/6/2021
SPN-II dated 03.02.2023. These transfers will be effected through the online mode
only and, as the seniority is maintained in the common Circle Gradation List at
Circle level, the transferee shall retain his/her seniority in that list. For inter-Circle
transfers, the provisions of Rule 38 of Postal Manual Volume IV shall apply as per
the said guidelines.
(l) The Divisional Head of the Division/Unit to which a PA (PO) official is allotted
shall be the Cadre Controlling Authority for matters relating to transfer within the
Division and other service matters of the unified PA (PO) cadre in accordance with
the extant instructions.
(m) All vacant posts of the SA and PA (CO/RO) cadres as on the crucial date, i.e.,
01.01.2027, as well as the posts held by officials who are permitted to switch over
to the PA (PO) cadre, shall be converted into PA (PO) posts.
(n) Posts falling vacant in future in the SA and PA (CO/RO) cadres due to
retirement, promotion, resignation, death, or any other reason shall also be
converted into PA (PO) posts. Consequently, the entire sanctioned strength of
these cadres shall gradually stand converted into the PA (PO) cadre.
(o) The sanctioned establishment (total number of sanctioned posts) of each RMS
Division/Unit and CO/RO, as determined from time to time, shall remain unchanged
for the purpose of deployment and posting of officials.
(p) A separate record of posts converted into PA (PO) posts in the manner
prescribed above shall be maintained in the establishment register of the
concerned RMS Division/Unit/CO/RO as well as the concerned Postal
Division/Unit.
(q) In cases where a large number of officials of an RMS Division/Unit or CO/RO
opt for the PA (PO) cadre, the number of officials to be accommodated in other
Divisions/Units may be regulated to ensure continuity of RMS/CO/RO operations.
The remaining officials who have opted for the PA (PO) cadre may continue to
work in the same RMS Division/Unit or CO/RO as PA (PO). Where an official of a
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CO/RO is allotted a Division/Unit other than the one where the CO/RO is
geographically located, the post so vacated shall be added to the strength of the
Postal Division in which the CO/RO is located, for recruitment and subsequent
posting in the CO/RO. Vacancies for the recruitment year shall be calculated after
allotment of Divisions/Units to the opting officials.
(r) Promotional posts i.e. LSG, HSG-II, HSG-I of the cadres other than PA (PO)
shall remain only for the officials who opted to remain in their existing cadre, in the
existing cadre ratio of that cadre. All other supervisory posts shall be merged with
the PA (PO) promotional hierarchy and will be offered to unified PA (PO) officials
on their promotion. LSG, HSG-II and HSG-I being Circle cadres for which the
gradation lists are prepared at Circle level, the seniority of officials in these
supervisory grades shall be reckoned from the date of joining in the particular
grade.
(s) The officials of the supervisory cadres (LSG, HSG-II, HSG-I) of RMS, SBCO,
CO/RO and FPO (Mumbai) shall be given an option to merge with the Postal
Operative supervisory cadre on the same lines and on the basis of these
modalities. The number of supervisory posts equal to the number of officials who
opt shall be clubbed with the corresponding PA (PO) supervisory posts, and their
seniority in the respective grade shall be determined on the basis of the date of
joining in that particular grade, as per para (r), and integrated in the Circle
Gradation List of that grade. Where the date of joining in the grade is the same, the
officials shall be placed in the sequence given in para (i).
(t)
The Transfer and Placement Committees (TPCs) for recommending
allotment/transfer/posting of officials of the unified PA (PO) cadre shall be
constituted and shall function in accordance with the Directorate instructions issued
vide letters No. X-12/3/2023-SPN-II-DOP dated 02.09.2025, 21.11.2025 and
12.02.2026.
(i) For the employee opted for the merged cadre and during the rotational
transfer if opted for different unit, the concerned TPC will consider the
transfer request.
(ii) Intra Division or Intra Unit RMS Division will be treated as a unit. RMS
Divisional Head will continue the transfer posting for the SA cadre employee
as being done earlier.
(iii) Posting of PA (PO) officials in COs/ROs and RMS Units shall be made
from Postal Divisions on a tenure basis through the Transfer and Placement
Committee (TPC), in accordance with the aforesaid instructions, so as to
maintain the strength and continuity of operations. A cooling-off period of
two (02) years shall apply between two tenures in a CO/RO, which may be
relaxed by up to one (01) year by the Head of the Circle due to
administrative exigencies.
(u) Necessary amendments in the Recruitment Rules of the concerned cadres
shall be initiated simultaneously. The Department shall prescribe a unified
training/orientation module for the officials switching over to the PA (PO) cadre.