As the Ministry of Finance etc are aware, a scale has been prescribed in Ministry of Home Affairs O.M. No. 20/l/62-CS (B). dated the 27th June, 1962, for sanctioning posts on the personal staff of Ministers. The posts of First P.A., Assistant Private Secretary and Second P.A. included in the scale, are cadre posts included in Grade 'A', Grade 'B' and Grade 'C' respectively of Central Secretariat Stenographers' Service. Normally, being cadre posts, only approved cadre officers should be appointed against those posts. Ministers have, however, discretion to select persons of their choice and there is nothing to prevent them from selecting even outsiders. In order to protect service interests of members of the Service who would otherwise have been promoted to the cadre posts but for the selection by the Minister of an outsider/unapproved officer, provision has been made in sub-rules (4), (5) and (6) of rule 5 of the Central Secretariat Stenographers' Service Rules, 1969 which enables upgradation of post in the immediately lower grade of the Service, for so long as the cadre posts are held by outsiders/unapproved officers.

2. It has been represented that where a Minister is incharge of more than one Department consisting of different Central Secretariat Service cadres, there should be equitable distribution, between those cadres, of posts of Central Secretariat Stenographer’s Service on his personal staff so that the benefits of promotion either to the included posts or due to upgradation, referred to in para I above, are equally shared by the senior eligible officers in these cadres. This was discussed in the Departmental Council of this Department at its meeting held on the 19^th/28^th January 1978, and it was agreed that the cadres will be requested to ensure as far as possible, equitable distribution of the 'included posts’ of First PA, Assistant Private Secretary and Second PA. in such cases. It is, therefore, requested that the cadres should keep this position in view while creating posts on the personal staff of Ministers.