Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs Notifies New Recruitment Rules for Stenographer Grade 'D' Posts

The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs recently issued a significant legislative instrument, the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, Stenographer Grade 'D' (Group-'C' post) Recruitment Rules, 2025, through a notification published in the Official Gazette on July 30, 2025. These new rules came into force immediately upon their publication, effectively superseding the Department of Parliamentary Affairs (Recruitment and Condition of Service) Rules, 1963, specifically concerning the post of Stenographer. The primary objective of this supersession was to establish a revised and updated framework for regulating the method of recruitment to the Stenographer Grade 'D' (Group-'C' post) within the Ministry. The legislation provided: “In exercise of the powers conferred by the proviso to article 309 of the Constitution and in supersession of the Department of Parliamentary Affairs (Recruitment and Condition of Service) Rules, 1963, in so far as they relate to the post of Stenographer, except as respects things done or omitted to be done before such supersession, the President hereby makes the following rules regulating the method of recruitment to the post of Stenographer Grade 'D' (Group-'C' post) in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs…”

Under the new rules, the post of Stenographer Grade 'D' is classified as a General Central Service, Group 'C', Non-Gazetted, Ministerial position, with a total of six posts specified for 2025, subject to variation based on workload. These positions fall under Level-4 in the pay matrix (a system for determining government employee salaries), ranging from Rs. 25,500 to Rs. 81,100. The method of recruitment for these posts will be exclusively through direct recruitment, facilitated by the Staff Selection Commission. Prospective candidates for direct recruitment must be between 18 and 27 years of age, with relaxations available for Government Servants up to forty years, in accordance with Central Government instructions. The crucial date for determining the age limit will be as advertised by the Staff Selection Commission. Educational qualifications require a 12th class pass or equivalent from a recognised Board or University, alongside specific skill test norms: dictation at 80 words per minute for 10 minutes in English or Hindi, followed by transcription on computer for 50 minutes (English) or 65 minutes (Hindi). A notable provision mandates that candidates opting for the Stenography Test in Hindi must learn English Stenography, and vice versa, for the successful completion of their two-year probation period. Furthermore, candidates are expected to perform duties as either English or Hindi stenographers based on the functional requirements of the office, irrespective of their skill test medium. The rules also stipulate a disqualification for individuals who have entered into or contracted marriage with a person having a living spouse, or who, having a living spouse, have married another person, though the Central Government retains the power to grant exemptions under specific conditions.

The legislative intent behind these 2025 Rules is to modernize and streamline the recruitment process for Stenographer Grade 'D' posts, ensuring that the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs attracts and appoints individuals with the requisite contemporary skills and qualifications. The earlier legal position, governed by the 1963 Rules, was deemed insufficient to address the evolving administrative and technological requirements of the role. By superseding the older framework, the new rules aim to fill statutory gaps and introduce a more robust and transparent recruitment mechanism. The emphasis on specific skill test norms, including computer transcription, reflects the current demands of administrative work. While introducing these new obligations and criteria, the rules also include a saving clause, ensuring that existing reservations, age-limit relaxations, and other concessions for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, ex-Servicemen, and other special categories of persons, as per Central Government orders, remain unaffected. The Central Government also retains the power to relax any provisions of these rules for specific classes or categories of persons, provided reasons are recorded in writing, offering a degree of flexibility in exceptional circumstances.

Keywords: Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, Stenographer Grade D, Recruitment Rules 2025, Central Government, Group C post, Staff Selection Commission, Government Jobs, India, New Delhi Geo Tags: India, Delhi District: Not Applicable