Ensuring efficient and fair career progression in the civil services hinges on one critical element: timely performance evaluations. Past delays in completing Annual Performance Appraisal Reports (APARs) have unfortunately stalled promotions and deputations for many officers. To address this, a comprehensive push is underway, reminding all departments of the crucial importance of adhering to established timelines.
Building on existing guidelines, the Ministry is emphasizing strict compliance with detailed instructions and schedules for APAR completion. A key initiative is an online monitoring system developed by NIC, designed to track the submission status of APARs for CSS officers. Nodal officers across ministries and departments have already received training on this system and are now responsible for uploading completion statuses, ensuring data accuracy.
It’s a clear directive: all nodal officers must diligently follow the prescribed instructions and deadlines for the 2010-11 APARs. Additionally, an older yet critical directive reiterates that failing to initiate or review these reports within specified dates can lead to forfeiture of the right to record remarks, with serious administrative consequences for defaulting officers. The system is designed to be robust, with clear dates for every stage, from distributing blank forms to final submission, ensuring that the process is not only timely but also transparent and accountable. Senior officers (US level and above) have a specific deadline for their APARs to be forwarded by October 31, 2011, underscoring the urgency across all levels.
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No.22/15/2010-CS.I(CR)
Government of India
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
(Department of Personnel & Training)
2nd floor, Lok Nayak Bhawan, Khan Market, New Delhi
Dated the 30th March, 2011
OFFICE MEMORANDUM
Sub: Timely preparation of APARs of CSS officers for the year 2010-11.
The year 2010-11 is drawing to a close and the process of completion of APARs for the year is to commence with the issue of blank APAR forms, for which the due date is 31st March, 2011. It has been seen in the past that the process of completion of APARs gets delayed for various reasons. This delay has adverse implications for promotions, deputation to ex-cadre posts etc. of the officer concerned. In this regard this Department’s O.M. No. 21011/02/2009-Estt(A) dated 16th February, 2009 (copy enclosed) contains instructions and time frame for completion of APARs. These instructions also indicate steps to be taken with respect to laxity on the part of reporting and reviewing officers in performing their public duty of writing of APARs.
- In order to ensure completion of APARs in time, as per directions of Cabinet Secretary, DOP&T has taken up the monitoring of completion of the APAR of CSS officers. Accordingly NIC had developed an online system to capture the various details required for monitoring the status of submission of APARs of CSS officers. The necessary training on operating the system was also provided to all the nodal officers during the workshop held in DOP&T in Feb/March, 2010.
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All the nodal officers of Ministries/Departments are requested to take necessary action for strict implementation/compliance of the instructions and time schedule for completion of APARs for 2010-11. While forwarding the APARs for self-appraisal, they may also annex a copy of the time schedule as enclosed.
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Nodal officers are also requested to upload the status of completion in the online monitoring of APAR software (http/css.nic.in) For any difficulty in feeding data in the APAR software, the nodal officers may contact Shri Y.V.Ramana, Scientist ‘D’, NIC, DOPT, Ph 23092776 (email address: yvramana@nic.in). In case of any training requirement, the same may also be intimated to this Department.
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It may also be ensured that APARs for 2010-11 of US and above level officers of CSS are forwarded to CS-I Division latest by 31.10.2011.
Encl:- As above
(Monica Bhatia)
Director (CS-I)
Tel.24629411
All Ministries/Departments,
(Shri/Ms)
New Delhi.No. 21011/02/2009-Estt.(A)
Government of India
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
Department of Personnel and Training
New Delhi, dated the 16th February, 2009
OFFICE MEMORANDUM
Subject: Timely preparation and proper maintenance of ACRs.
The undersigned is directed to say that this Department has been emphasizing from time to time the need to complete the Annual Confidential Reports of all classes of employees in time for smooth consideration of cases pertaining to confirmation, promotion, deputation to ex-cadre posts, etc. A time schedule was prescribed for various stages in the matter of writing of Confidential Reports in this Department’s O.M. No. 35014/4/83-Estt.(A) dated 23.9.1985. The writing of ACR is a public trust and responsibility. All Ministries/Departments are again requested to ensure that the time schedule for preparation of Confidential Reports and other instructions as laid down in this Department’s O.M. dated 23.9.1985 are followed to ensure that ACRs are completed in time.
- As cases continue to occur where confirmation, regular promotion, appointment to sensitive posts, etc., could not be considered in time because of non-availability of ACRs for the relevant period, the matter of timely completion of ACRs was further reviewed in this Department and it has been found necessary to prescribe a time limit after which the Reporting/Reviewing Officer shall forfeit his right to record the ACR. It has been decided that while the time-limits prescribed in the aforesaid O.M. dated 23.9.1985 should be adhered to as far as possible, in case the ACR is not initiated by the Reporting Officer for any reason beyond 30th June of the year in which the financial year ended, he shall forfeit his right to enter any remarks in the ACR of the officer to be reported upon and he shall submit all ACRs held by him for reporting to the Reviewing Officer on the next working day. Similarly, the Reviewing Officer shall also forfeit his right to enter any remarks in the ACR beyond 31st August of the year in which the financial year ended. The Section entrusted with maintaining the ACRs shall, while forwarding the ACRs for self-appraisal with copy to the Reporting/Reviewing Officers, also annex the schedule of dates as enclosed herewith. It shall also bring to the notice of the Secretary concerned in the case of Ministry/Department and the Head of the organization in the case of attached and subordinate offices, the names of those Group A and B Reporting Officers and Group A Reviewing Officers in the month of October after receiving the completed CRs who have failed to initiate/review the ACRs even by 30th June or 31st August as the case may be. The Secretary in the Department/Head of the organization in the case of attached/subordinate offices may direct to call for the explanation of the concerned officers for not having performed the public duty of writing the ACRs within the due date and in the absence of proper justification direct that a written warning for delay in completing the ACR be placed in the ACR folder of the defaulting officer concerned.
Contd 2/-3. In case the remarks of the Reporting officer or Reviewing Officer as the case may be have not been entered in the ACR due to the concerned officer forfeiting his right to make any entry as per the provision in para 2 above, a certificate to this effect shall be added in his ACR for the relevant period. In case both the Reporting officer and Reviewing officer had forfeited their rights to enter any remarks, the CR format with the self appraisal given by the officer to be reported upon will be placed in his ACR dossier.
4. All the Ministries/Departments are requested to kindly bring to the notice of all concerned the above instructions for future preparation and maintenance of ACRs. These instructions shall be applicable for the ACRs for the period 2008-09 onwards. In case any CR for the past period is pending completion, the concerned Head of the Organisation in the case of attached/subordinate offices and the Joint Secretary concerned in the Ministries/Departments may take appropriate measures to ensure that the CR dossier is complete within the next 6 months either with the relevant CR or the required ‘No Report Certificate” for valid reasons.
5. Hindi version will follow.
(C.A. Subramanian)
Director
To
All Ministries/Departments of Govt. of India
Copy to:
1) Comptroller \& Auditor General of India, New Delhi
2) Union Public Service Commission
3) Central Vigilance Commission, New Delhi
4) Central Bureau of Investigation, New Delhi
5) Lok Sabha/Rajya Sabha Secretariat
6) All attached and subordinate offices of the Ministry of Personnel, PG and Pensions
7) All officers and sections in the Ministry of Personnel, PG and Pension
8) NIC (DoP\&T) for placing this Office Memorandum on the web-site of DoP\&T
9) Hindi Section for Hindi version of the O.M.| S.No. | Nature of Action | Date by which to be completed |
| :–: | :–: | :–: |
| 1. | Distribution of blank CR forms to all concerned (i.e., to officer to be reported upon where self-appraisal has to be given and to reporting officers where self-appraisal is not to be given) | $31^{\text {st }}$ March.
(This may be completed even a week earlier). |
| 2. | Submission of self-appraisal to reporting officer by officer to be reported upon (where applicable). | $15^{\text {th }}$ April. |
| 3. | Submission of report by reporting officer to reviewing officer
– Where self-appraisal by officer reported upon is prescribed.
– Where self-appraisal by officer reported upon is not prescribed.
– Where officer reported upon is himself a reporting officer for subordinates under him. | $7^{\text {th }}$ May.
$21^{\text {st }}$ April.
$22^{\text {nd }}$ May. |
| 4. | Report to be completed by Reviewing Officer and sent to Administration or CR Section/Cell. | – $23^{\text {rd }}$ May where the due date for the reporting officer is $7^{\text {th }}$ May.
– $7^{\text {th }}$ May where the due date for the reporting officer is $21^{\text {st }}$ April.
– $5^{\text {th }}$ June where the due date for the reporting officer is $22^{\text {nd }}$ May |
Important notice:
(i) The Reporting Officer is requested to complete the ACRs as per the schedule above. The Reporting Officer shall have no right to enter any remarks in the CRs after $30^{\text {th }}$ June following the annual reporting period.
(ii) Reviewing Officer is also requested to complete the review of the ACRs as per the schedule above. The Reviewing Officer shall have no right to enter any remarks in the CRs after $31^{\text {st }}$ August following the annual reporting period.