— Dr. Vijay Garg
Chandigarh: The primary objective of the Haryana Government’s online transfer policy is to ensure transparency, equal opportunity, fairness and administrative efficiency in the transfer process. The online system was introduced to reduce the possibility of arbitrary administrative decisions, personal preferences and unequal treatment, while providing eligible employees an opportunity to participate in the transfer process and submit their preferred options under clearly defined rules.
However, the success of any policy depends not merely on its formulation but on its logical, consistent and fair implementation. In this context, the position of employees appointed between 2022 and 2026 requires serious consideration.
If teachers appointed during this period are being mandatorily included in the online transfer process, why are eligible employees appointed during the same period in other departments being kept outside it? The demand is not for a transfer to a particular preferred station, but for an equal opportunity to participate in the process, submit preferences and have their cases considered according to the prescribed rules.
Clarification Needed on Cut-off Date and Notional Category
The May 23, 2025 cut-off date, the “Notional Category” and the provision of the 2026 Model Online Transfer Policy referring to the “first online transfer drive of each cadre” are important in this context.
If a particular cadre is conducting its first online transfer drive in 2026, its situation may be different from a cadre where online transfer drives have been conducted continuously since 2017. Therefore, before applying a single cut-off date mechanically to all cadres, their actual policy and administrative history must be examined.
Animal Husbandry Department Example
The issue of equality is not limited to teachers and other departments. The situation in which employees are allotted stations offline despite the existence of an online transfer policy and previous online transfer drives also requires serious consideration.
In Haryana’s Animal Husbandry Department, the online transfer policy for the VLDA cadre has reportedly been in place since 2020, with two online transfer drives conducted under it. According to departmental information, around 50 percent of VLDA cadre employees appointed after 2020 were allotted stations offline.
If this information is confirmed by departmental records, the government should clarify the basis for making such a large number of offline station allotments despite the existence of an online transfer policy and previous online drives.
Appointment Letter Conditions Raise Further Questions
The matter becomes more serious if the appointment letters or station-allotment documents of such employees contained a condition requiring them to participate compulsorily in the next online transfer process.
If an employee accepted such a condition and joined an offline station, and was subsequently excluded from the next online transfer process, it raises serious questions concerning administrative justice, policy continuity and legitimate expectation.
What About Employees Who Previously Participated Online?
The position of employees who have already participated in earlier online transfer drives also deserves serious consideration. They followed the procedure prescribed by the government, submitted their preferences and became part of the online system.
If their eligibility or options are now being restricted in the current drive, it should be clearly explained what significance their previous participation will have in the present process.
Right to Transfer and Opportunity to Participate Are Different
It is important to distinguish between the opportunity to participate in an online transfer process and the right to receive a transfer to a preferred station.
Including an eligible employee in the online process and seeking preferences does not guarantee that the employee will receive the first-choice station. The final decision may be based on vacancies, eligibility, cadre position, priority and administrative requirements.
Therefore, including eligible employees in the process does not weaken administrative control; rather, it strengthens transparency and public confidence.
Government Should Publish Cadre-wise Facts
The government should make cadre-wise facts available in the public domain.
It should clarify how many online transfer drives have been conducted in each cadre since 2017, in which years employees were given an opportunity to participate, the status of employees appointed between 2022 and 2026, which employees were allotted stations offline, and whose appointment letters contained a condition requiring participation in the next online process.
Such information would help resolve the controversy on the basis of facts rather than emotional allegations.
Clarification Required on May 23, 2025 Cut-off
The government should also clearly define what constitutes the “first online transfer drive of each cadre.”
The status of cadres that have been conducting online transfer drives continuously since 2017 should be clearly explained. Similarly, the impact of the Notional Category on previous participants and employees appointed between 2022 and 2026 should also be clarified.
The Real Issue Is Equal Opportunity and Policy Continuity
The controversy is not merely about a particular cut-off date or technical category. The fundamental issue concerns equal opportunity, policy continuity and administrative justice.
If all teachers appointed between 2022 and 2026 are being mandatorily included in the online transfer process, the government should clearly explain why eligible employees appointed during the same period in other departments are being excluded.
Similarly, if an employee’s appointment letter specifically required participation in the next online process, excluding that employee from the same process later requires reconsideration.
Need for a Clear and Time-bound Policy
The credibility of the online transfer policy can be maintained only when its rules do not appear to change according to the department, employee or circumstances.
The government should clearly define eligibility, cut-off dates, the Notional Category, previous online participation, employees who received offline stations and the status of employees appointed between 2022 and 2026.
Where necessary, the conditions mentioned in earlier orders and appointment letters should also be respected. Once the rules are clarified, the entire process should be completed within a defined timeframe so that employees can focus on their duties rather than remain uncertain about repeated transfer drives.
Ultimately, a good online transfer policy should provide solutions instead of disputes, confidence instead of uncertainty, and equal opportunity instead of disparity. Providing eligible employees an opportunity to participate, considering their preferences according to the rules, while safeguarding administrative requirements, is the balance through which the online transfer system can truly become transparent, time-bound and fair.
(SDNA)