The central government has revised the cadre allocation policy for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service (IFoS). The new framework replaces the earlier zonal arrangement with an alphabetical grouping system for allocating cadres to successful civil services candidates. The policy has been issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) after consultations with state governments.
New Cadre Grouping System
The earlier five-zone model has been replaced by four groups of states and joint cadres. Candidates will now indicate preferences among these groups. The grouping is designed to make allocation more transparent and uniform.
- Group I – AGMUT, 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.
Vacancy Determination And Reservation
Under the revised rules, cadre-controlling authorities will determine vacancies annually. DoPT will handle IAS, the Ministry of Home Affairs will handle IPS, and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change will handle IFoS. Vacancies will be divided across categories such as Unreserved, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. The determination will be based on the cadre gap as of 1 January of the year after the Civil Services Examination. States must send vacancy requisitions by 31 January. Requests received after the deadline will not be considered. EWS vacancies will be treated within the Unreserved category for roster purposes.
Insider, Outsider And Merit Rules
The policy retains the insider quota for candidates who opt for their home state cadre. Such candidates must express willingness to serve in their home state. Allocation will follow merit order and vacancy availability. A rotational cycle system will now be used for cadre allocation across the 25 states and joint cadres. Each cycle will cover 25 candidates in merit order. If more than one candidate falls in the same cycle, the higher-ranked candidate will get priority.
Objective Of The Reform
The government has said the revised system aims to improve fairness, transparency and administrative efficiency. It is also intended to maintain national integration while giving officers wider inter-state exposure during their service careers.
Last Modified: April 27, 2026