The government has significantly eased several eligibility criteria under the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) for faculty in government and aided diploma and degree institutes governed by the , officials said on Thursday.
The revised provisions ensure that CAS benefits will be granted retrospectively to certain lecturers who were regularised from contractual or temporary positions and were given time until December 31, 2023, to complete mandatory refresher or training courses. Additionally, the state has removed the requirement of a PhD for placement in the higher “Pay Band-4” under CAS for lecturers appointed before March 5, 2010.
The relaxations were notified through a Government Resolution (GR) issued on Wednesday, covering academic, training and qualification requirements for promotions.
The decision follows a February 7, 2025 order by the , which partly upheld petitions filed by lecturers challenging a June 2022 GR and struck down a related circular concerning CAS norms.
In response to the tribunal’s directions and representations from faculty members, the state formed a five-member committee led by Dr Pramod Naik, Joint Director of Technical Education, to review the June 2022 resolution. Acting on the committee’s recommendations submitted in October 2025, the government has amended multiple CAS clauses, particularly benefiting teachers who were regularised from contractual or temporary service.
A key relief applies to lecturers regularised during 2015-16. These faculty members had been allowed until December 31, 2023, to complete refresher or training programmes, in line with extensions reportedly granted by the . Those who completed the courses within the extended deadline will now receive CAS benefits retrospectively. Faculty who complete the courses after the deadline will receive benefits from the date of completion, preventing disqualification for many.
Another major change exempts lecturers appointed before March 5, 2010, from the mandatory PhD requirement for placement in Pay Band-4 under the Sixth Pay Commission framework. The June 2022 GR had made a PhD compulsory in accordance with AICTE norms, but the new resolution removes this condition for pre-2010 appointees.
Lecturers appointed in 2003 and 2004 in Science and Humanities streams will also be eligible for CAS benefits based on MA or MSc qualifications, following the earlier Fifth Pay Commission standards, instead of meeting stricter criteria introduced later.
Further, contractual or temporary lecturers appointed in 2003-04 have been exempted from the mandatory ME/MTech qualification for CAS eligibility. Those appointed after 2003-04 have been given three years from the date of the latest GR to acquire the required qualifications. While benefits will not accrue until they comply, they will receive retrospective financial advantages once they meet the criteria.
The resolution also permits English lecturers regularised in 2015-16 to claim full CAS benefits based on the qualifications applicable at the time of their initial appointment, rather than under subsequently tightened norms.
The revised framework is expected to benefit a substantial number of faculty members across technical education institutes in the state.
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