The Union Cabinet chaired by chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the Cadre review and formation of Group ‘A’ service of the technical cadre of Petroleum & Safety Organization (PESO) in the name of Indian Petroleum & Explosives Safety Service (IPESS).

          The measure will enhance the capacity and efficiency of the organization and it will also enhance career progression of its Group ‘A’ officers.

Background:

          PESO is a subordinate office under Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP). The organization is serving the nation since 1898 as a nodal agency for regulating safety of substances such as explosives, compressed gases and petroleum. Over the years, the role and responsibilities of PESO have increased manifold and expanded into diverse fields. Today, the organization deals with wide range of subjects related to explosives, petroleum, compressed gases, pressure vessels, gas cylinders, cross-country pipelines, Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), Auto Liquefied Petroleum Gas (Auto LPG) etc. The increase in workload is manifested in the quantum jump in the number of licensed premises and other activities.

          The present sanctioned strength of Technical Group ‘A’ cadre of PESO is 137 having 60 Junior Time Scale (JTS) level officers, 46 Senior Time Scale (STS) level officers, 23 Junior Administrative Grade (JAG) level officers (Level 12), 7 JAG level officers (Level 13) and 1 Senior Administrative Grade (SAG) level post of Chief Controller of Explosives.

          To remove acute stagnation in all grades and uplift the morale of the workforce and enhance its performance, it has been decided to form Group ‘A’ Service of the technical cadre of PESO in the name of IPESS and restructure the newly-formed service by increasing 5 posts at Level-13 and 3 posts at Level-12 and corresponding reduction of 8 posts at Level-11.

Creation of Group A service expands technical cadre, boosting capacity and career progression under PESO restructuring. Approval was granted to form the Group 'A' Service named Indian Petroleum & Explosives Safety Service (IPESS) to enhance organisational capacity and career progression. PESO, under the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion, will restructure the technical cadre by increasing five posts at Level-13 and three posts at Level-12 with a corresponding reduction of eight posts at Level-11 to address grade stagnation and expanded regulatory workload.