**Executive Summary**
This document, dated February 20, 2025, outlines revised guidelines for the Transfer Policy in Regional Rural Banks (RRBs). It aims to promote greater transparency and uniformity in transfer policies while respecting the administrative freedom of RRB management. RRBs are directed to implement a Board-approved transfer policy incorporating these guidelines and to submit a copy of the modified policy to the department at the earliest.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Administrative Structure and Tenure**
* Administrative layers within the bank must be clearly and uniformly defined.
* Maximum and minimum tenures at each layer must be defined and aligned with GOI/CVC instructions.
* **Transfer Timelines and Tenure Norms**
* Transfer timelines should be clearly defined and strictly adhered to.
* Transfer exercises should be completed before June each year, minimizing mid-year transfers.
* Officers are to be transferred every 3 years, and Office Assistants/Attendants every 5 years, subject to administrative exigencies.
* **Transparency and Automation**
* Transfer exercises must be transparent, with annual publication of seniority lists and vacancy information.
* Rotational transfers should be based on seniority, with exceptions properly documented.
* Sensitive posts must be identified and staff rotated every three years, per CVC instructions.
* Banks should automate the transfer process with an online platform offering location preference options and relevant transfer policy information.
* **Special Considerations**
* Banks should designate 'Difficult Centres', and employees posted there will be given transfer preference after 2 years.
* Grievances related to transfer policies should be addressed considerately, with documented responses.
* Appeals on transfers should be reviewed by a committee and resolved within 15 days.
* Transfer protection for association/union office bearers should be clearly defined and strictly adhered to, excluding protection upon promotion.
* After two tenures (6 years for officers, 10 years for assistants) in one region, transfers to other regions are allowed.
* Employees may be considered for home region postings three years before superannuation.
* Employees above 55 may be exempt from postings to remote and difficult locations.
* Requests from employees with disabilities should be considered case-by-case per GOI guidelines.
* Officers should be transferred to other regions upon promotion.
* Officers with special qualifications (Law, IT, Treasury) should have a tenure of 5 years.
* All employees should be posted in rural/semi-urban areas for at least three years.
* Female employees should be posted near husbands/parents or safety and basic amenities should be ensured, if posted to far-away/remote locations.
* Preference in postings should be given to employees with spouses in Central/State Governments/PSUs.
* Medical/Maternity/Child Care/Remote Postings should be suitably incorporated in the Transfer Policy
* **State-Specific Issues (Bifurcation of State)**
* HR aspects and transfer requests related to spouse grounds during RRB bifurcation should consider special circumstances.
* Employees of APGVB and TGB in Telangana, whose spouses work for State/Central Govt. on non-transferrable jobs beyond state boundaries, may get one-time opportunity to request transfers to preferred states.
**Impact Analysis**
**Regional Rural Banks (RRBs)**
* **Impact:** RRBs need to revise their existing transfer policies to align with the new guidelines to ensure transparency and uniformity.
* **Action Required:** RRBs must develop and implement a Board-approved transfer policy incorporating the new guidelines. A copy of this revised policy must be submitted to the Department of Financial Services at the earliest.
**NABARD**
* **Impact:** NABARD needs to be aware of the revised guidelines and assist RRBs in implementing them effectively.
* **Action Required:** Ensure RRBs comply with the revised guidelines in their transfer policies.
**Employees of RRBs**
* **Impact:** Employees will experience changes in transfer policies, potentially affecting tenure, location, and the transfer process.
* **Action Required:** Understand the updated transfer policies and be aware of new timelines, procedures, and considerations for special cases.
Key Entities Referenced
Regional Rural Banks: The primary subject of the document; the transfer policy guidelines apply to these banks.
NABARD: The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development; plays a role in overseeing and consulting on the transfer policy.
Regional Rural Bank Act, 1976: The legislation that grants managerial autonomy to Regional Rural Banks, especially in matters of Human Resources.
F.No.8/1/2025-RRB
Govemment of lndia
Ministry of Finance
Department of Financial Services
Jeevan Deep Building, 3rd Floor,
Sansad Marg, New Delhi
Dated 20th Febru ary, 2025
To
Chairpersons,
Regional Rural Banks.
Subjech
Review of Transfer Policy in Regional Rural Banks - reg
Madam/Sir,
The Regional Rural Banks have managerial autonomy under the Regional Rural
Bank Ac! 1976 1^ matters related to Human Resources (HR) for the efficient
performance of their functions. NABARD, in consultation with the Govemment, had
communicated broad guidelines vide their circular No. 213 / IDD-12/ 2015 dated
09.10.2015, to the RRBs for framing a 'Transfer Poliry' with approval by their Board of
Directors.
2.
With a view to promoting greater transparency and ensuring formulation of a
uniform and non-discretionary 'Transfer Policy' in RRBs, without compromising on
the administrative freedom of the RRB management, the Government, in consultation
with NABARD, has revisited the above said guidelines. The revised guidelines are
prescribed as follows:
(0 Various administrative layers in the Bank such as Head Office / Regional
Ofhce / Branch Office / Training Cell / Central Processing Centres (CPC)
be clearly and uniformly defined. Similarly, maximum and minimum
tenures at each layer be also clearly defined with the approval of the Board,
and should conform to the extant GOI / CVC instructions as applicable to
the RRBs.
(ii) 'Transfer timelines' be clearly defined and strictly adhered to. Transfer
exercises may be completed before June, every year. Mid-year transfers may
be avoided as far as possible. The following norms be kept in view for
tenures, subject to administrative exigencies: -
o
All Officers be transferred every 3 years.
o
All Office Assistants /Attendants be transferred every 5 years.
Page 1 of 4(iii) Transfer exercise be made transparent with annual publication of seniority
list and for existing / expected vacancies at different locatioru/scales.
Rotational transfers should be on seniority basis and exceptions, if any,
should be properly recorded / documented. As per the CVC instructions,
sensitive posts should be identified and staff working in these posts must
be strictly rotated after every three years or the tenure approved by the
Board to avoid developing vested interests.
(iv) Banks to automate the transfer process and to develop an online plafform
for the same with the facilities of giving location preference options to its
employees in case of transfers. The online portal may also include Bank's
Transfer policy, guidelines and related circulars, scale wise seniority list,
details of vacancies scale wise / location wise, and other relevant details in
order to bring efficienry and hansparency in hansfer process.
(") Banks will designate certain centres/ locations, if any, as 'Difficult Centres' .
The employee posted there be given preference for transfer after
completion of the tenure of 2 years.
("i) Grievances received from employees citing violation of transfer policies be
dealt in a considerate marurer and suitably responded to, by duly recording
the reasons thereof.
("ii) With respect to the appeals received on transfers from the employees, a
comnrittee be set up to look into the issues and dispose the appeals within
a time period of 15 days.
(viii) With regard to 'Transfer Protection' to office bearers of
Associations/unions, clear definition of position/ tenure and applicability
be incorporated and strictly adhered. However, transfer protection may
not be made available to an office bearer on promotion.
(ir)
After posting for a maximum 2 tenures in one region i.e. for 6 years, for an
Officer and 10 years for Office Assistant, both may be transferred to the
other region as defined in 2(i), relating to maximum and minimum tenures
in each administrative layer.
(r)
All employees may be considered for a posting to their Home region, three
years prior to superannuatiory subject to administrative convenience.
Page 2 ol 4(ri)
Employees above 55 years of age may be exempted from posting to remote
and difficult centres, as far as possible.
(rii) Persons with disabilities suffer from a range of problems on account of
mobility. There may be many peculiar issues, viz., the location of bus stop/
metro station near their office, the area where they reside and the
conveyance they are using to reach office etc., which may have a bearing
on the performance of their official duties. Although these are minor issues
for persons without disability, these can have a very huge effect on the day
to day activities of a disabled person. Requests from such employees may,
therefore, be considered for posting on case-to-case basis, as per the GOI
guidelines.
(xiii)
On promotion, all Officers may invariably be transferred to other region as
defined at 2(i), above.
(xiv) Tenure of Officers of special professional qualification viz' Law, IT and
Treasury Management etc. should normally be for 5 years.
(xv) All employees may be posted at least once in-service period in rural / Semi-
urban area for a full tenute of 3 years.
(xvi) The female employees of RRBs, married or unmarried, when placed /
transferred away from their husbands or Parents, as the case may be, to
distant locations, face genuine hardship and develop a feeling of
insecurity. Keeping this in view, the women employees be transferred as
far as possible to the nearby places / stations / regions in case of their
transfer / promotioo to a place where their husbands / parents are
stationed or as near as possible to that place, or vice-versa' In case of
posting to far-away / remote locations, their salety should be given due
importance and availabilities of basic amenities be ensured.
(xvii) An employee with spouse working in Central / State Govemments or
public sector undertakings, may be given preference for posting in the
same place / region or nearby place / region, where his / her spouse is
stationed, or as near as possible to that place'
(xviii) In addition to the above-mentioned glounds of transfer, the conditions of
medical / matemity / child care / remote postings should also be suitably
incorporated in the 'Transfer Policy'.
Page 3 of 4(xix) State specific issues: e.g. Bifurcation of State:
The operational aspects related to Human resources and request for
transfer of staff on spouse grounds, in the event of bifurcation of RRB as a
consequence of bifurcation of a state, should be considered keeping in view
the special circumstances arising out of such bifurcation.
In the case of recent bifurcation of assets and liabilities of APG\B, and its
post-merger with TGB operating in the state of Telangana, the employee of
both APGVB and TGB whose spouse is working in State/Central Govt. on
non-transferrable job beyond the state boundary, may be given one time
opportunity to request transfers to their preferred state in terms of DFS
letter no. F.No.15/15/2015(E)-RRB dated 1.3.1'1..2024 to NABARD on the
subject of Bifurcation of assets and liabilities of Andhra Pradesh Grameena
Vikas Bank(APGVB) between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
3.
All RRBs are advised to put in place a 'Transfer Policy' duly approved by their
Board of Directors, incorporating the above principles / guidelines, in a non-
discriminatory manner and ensure scrupulous compliance, thereof. RRBs are also
advised to send a copy of the policy, so modified, to this department, at the earliest.
6l^,xt--
1Kr. Shya malTlthsara thil
Under Secretary to the Government of India
Ph.ot7-23747119
Email shyamal.pr@nic.in
Copy for information and appropriate action to:
1.
Chairmaru NABARD, Head Office, Mumbai.
2.
Chairman/MD & CEOs, Sponsor Banks of RRBs
3ln*o-
(Kr. Sh yamal ParGa ra th i)
Under Secretary to the Govemment of h:dia
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