Jaipur: Bringing relief to long-waiting officers, the Rajasthan government has finally cleared the promotion of 22 Rajasthan Forest Service (RFS) officers to the Indian Forest Service (IFS), ending a delay that stretched over three years. The promotions, covering backlog vacancies from 2022 to 2024, were approved after clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
Following the approval, the Department of Personnel issued the official selection lists for all three years, formally completing a process that had remained stalled due to legal and administrative hurdles.
Promotions Cleared After Union Government Approval
Officials confirmed that the promotions were finalized after receiving the necessary approval from the central government. With this, selection lists for three pending years—2022, 2023, and 2024—have now been issued together, resolving a long-standing issue within the state’s forest services cadre.
The delay had caused uncertainty among eligible officers, many of whom had been awaiting elevation to the prestigious IFS cadre for years.
2022 Selection List: Two Officers Promoted
As per the notification, the 2022 selection list includes the promotion of the following officers to the Indian Forest Service:
- Nandlal Prajapat
- Jagdish Prasad Dahiya
2023 Selection List: Five Officers Elevated to IFS
The 2023 selection list features the promotion of five RFS officers, namely:
- Bhawani Singh
- Ashok Kumar Jain
- Veerbhadra Mishra
- Shaitan Singh Devda
- Rekha Ram
2024 Selection List: 15 Officers Get IFS Promotion
The largest number of promotions came in the 2024 selection list, which includes 15 officers:
- Anand Kumar
- Balram Sharma
- Chandrapal Singh Chauhan
- Iqbal Singh
- Pradeep Kumar
- Sajjan Kumar
- Yadavendra Singh Chundawat
- Sandeep Kumar
- Amit Chauhan
- Rajesh Kumar Sharma
- Jagdeep Singh Dahiya
- Prashant Garg
- Ashish Vyas
- Sandeep Kumar Chhalani
- Suresh Agrawal
Long Delay Due to Court Cases and Administrative Hurdles
Officials said the promotion process had remained stalled for over three years due to ongoing court cases and procedural bottlenecks. The backlog affected career progression and postings of several senior RFS officers eligible for induction into the IFS.
With the issuance of the selection lists, the prolonged uncertainty has finally come to an end.
Chief Secretary’s Efforts Credited for Resolution
Senior officials acknowledged that Chief Secretary V. Srinivas played a crucial role in resolving the long-pending matter. Sustained follow-up and coordination with the central government helped clear procedural obstacles and expedite approvals.
Relief and Boost to Forest Administration
The promotions are expected to strengthen forest administration and wildlife management in Rajasthan by filling long-vacant IFS positions. The move is also seen as a morale booster for officers in the state forest services who had been awaiting career advancement.
