The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved in- situ promotion of officers of the Indian Trade Service (ITS), belonging to 1989 to 1991 batches, to the Senior Administrative Grade (SAG) level, on personal basis, as a onetime relaxation, with the condition that, as and when vacancies at SAG arise on the cadre post, these officers would be adjusted against the vacant cadre posts and the posts held by these officers at present, would be retained at the original level of Junior Administrative Grade (JAG), after their retirement or being covered against the original sanctioned strength of SAG.

This approval would enable the Government to retain and gainfully utilize these senior ITS officers, with significant domain knowledge, in various positions in the areas of trade promotion and trade defense to help in achieving the objective of accelerated growth of India's export sector. Grant of promotion to SAG level will also enable these officers to be considered for empanelment under the Central Staffing Scheme and add to the pool of officers available for serving the Government of India under the said scheme in different Ministries/ Departments of the Government of India. Indian Trade Service was created as a Central Group 'A' Service to cater to the growing need of an organized cadre to handle various aspects of India's international trade and trade promotion.

In situ promotion enables ITS officers' elevation to senior administrative grade with cadre-adjustment conditions and empanelment eligibility. One-time in situ promotion advances specified ITS officers to the Senior Administrative Grade on personal basis, conditional upon their later adjustment against actual SAG cadre vacancies; the posts they presently occupy remain counted at Junior Administrative Grade for cadre-strength and retirement accounting. The approval aims to retain senior trade specialists and render them eligible for empanelment under the Central Staffing Scheme while preserving cadre integrity through conditional vacancy adjustment.