MP govt to use transfers to improve gender ratio:Women officers to be posted in 9 districts with fewer girls than boys

The Madhya Pradesh government has introduced a special provision in its new transfer policy to prioritise the posting of women officers in districts where the number of girls is significantly lower than boys. According to the 2011 Census, nine districts in the Gwalior-Chambal and Bundelkhand regions recorded a poor sex ratio. The state government believes increased representation of women officials in these areas could help strengthen gender sensitivity and improve social awareness. The state cabinet approved the Transfer Policy-2026 during its meeting on May 20. Under the new policy, transfers at both the state and district levels will be carried out between June 1 and June 15. The policy also gives priority to posting married couples in the same district. Transfers related to women employees and spouse postings will remain outside the departmental transfer cap. Nine districts in MP have sex ratio below 900 Sex ratio refers to the number of women per 1,000 men and is considered an important indicator of gender equality. A ratio below 1,000 is generally viewed as a sign of gender discrimination or adverse social conditions affecting women. In Madhya Pradesh, nine districts currently have a sex ratio below 900. These include five districts in the Gwalior-Chambal region, two in Bundelkhand and two in the central region of the state. Strict rules for transfers in scheduled areas The government has also introduced strict transfer norms for Scheduled Areas. Under the policy: In special cases, proposals can be sent to the Chief Minister’s Coordination Department after approval from the departmental minister. However, this condition will not apply to transfers from one Scheduled Area to another. Six major conditions in the transfer policy The policy outlines several key conditions governing transfers: How the transfer formula will work The policy fixes department-wise limits for transfers carried out on administrative and voluntary grounds. For example, a department with 1,200 employees will be allowed to transfer 180 employees under the prescribed formula. Similarly, a department with 300 employees can transfer up to 55 employees. More transfers expected this year According to the General Administration Department, the number of transfers this year is expected to be higher than in previous years. Officials said exemptions granted for spouse postings, serious medical cases and voluntary transfers could significantly increase the overall number of transfer orders issued. Five additional grounds for administrative transfers Apart from routine administrative reasons, transfers may also be carried out under the following circumstances: ‘A plus’ category applications outside policy purview The cabinet also clarified that transfer requests marked under the ‘A Plus’ category and forwarded by the Chief Minister’s Office will remain outside the scope of the transfer policy. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has directed departments to dispose of such cases by May 31.