Defence Research and Development Service (Amendment) Rules, 2025: Notification

Defence Research and Development Service (Amendment) Rules, 2025: Notification No. SRO 34 dated 16.09.2025

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
(Department Of Defence Research And Development)
NOTIFICATION
New Delhi, the 16th September, 2025

S.R.O. 34.––In exercise of the powers conferred by the proviso to article 309 of the Constitution, the President hereby makes the following rules to amend the Defence Research and Development Service Rules, 2023, namely:-

1. Short title and commencement.–– (1) These rules may be called the Defence Research and Development Service (Amendment) Rules, 2025.

(2) They shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.

2. In the Defence Research and Development Service Rules, 2023 (hereinafter referred to as the said rules), in rule 8,––

(a) for sub-rule (13), the following sub-rule shall be substituted, namely:–

“(13) The recommendations of the Peer Committee shall be implemented from the first July of the year to which Peer Committee pertains, except in the case of Scientist ‘G’, Scientist ‘H’ (Outstanding Scientist) and Distinguished Scientist, in which cases the date of promotion as specified in sub-rule (16) shall apply, and that date, that is, the first July of the year to which the Peer Committee pertains, shall be treated as the effective date of promotion for reckoning residency in the grade to which promotion is effected as well as for determining seniority in the grade in respect of all Scientists cleared for promotion provided, they are on duty on that date:

Provided that the Scientists who are away on leave on the date, shall assume charge in the grade to which they are promoted with effect from the date they resume duty but this shall not affect their effective date of promotion in the higher grade vis-à-vis the other Scientists cleared for promotion by the same Peer Committee.”;

(b) for sub-rule (16), the following sub-rule shall be substituted, namely:–

“(16) Promotions to the grade of Scientist ‘G’, Scientist ‘H’ (Outstanding Scientist) and Distinguished Scientist shall be implemented from the date of assumption of charge of the post after due approval of the competent authority and in case of delay in assessment for promotion or declaration of result of such assessment to the grade of Scientist ‘G’ or Scientist ‘H’ (Outstanding Scientist), due to administrative reasons, the effective date of promotion shall be the first July of the year to which the Peer Committee pertains or any other later date specifically recommended by the Peer Committee as the effective date of promotion and this date shall govern residency, seniority and other things of a similar kind as provided under sub-rule (13).”.

3. In the said rules, in Schedule IV, in Part A, for serial number (vi) and the entries relating thereto, the following serial number and entries shall be substituted, namely:–

“(vi) Director General Human Resources, Defence Research and Development Organisation – Member.”.

4. In the said rules, for Schedule VI and Schedule VII, the following Schedules shall be substituted, namely:–

“SCHEDULE VI
[See rules 8(5), 8(6), 8(7) and 8(9)]

Eligibility Criteria for assessment for promotion of Scientist ‘B’ to Scientist ‘G’ shall be as follows:-

(a) # Scientist ‘C’ to Scientist ‘F’ securing consistently 90% or above marks in each year shall qualify for relaxation of one year in minimum residency and such relaxation shall be limited to two times in the entire career of a Scientist as prescribed in clause (x) of sub-rule (9) of rule 8.

(b) & requires 90% marks or above consistently in Annual Performance Appraisal Reports of each year.

(c) @ requires 85% marks or above consistently in Annual Performance Appraisal Reports of each year.

(d) * requires 80% marks or above in preceding five years Annual Performance Reports and not less than 85% marks in the preceding three years Annual Performance Reports.

(e) ** eligibility for Assessment for promotion to the grade of Scientist ‘G’ in respect of Scientist ‘F’ already considered for assessment as per existing criteria shall continue to be decided as per the existing criteria.

Note 1: To be eligible for assessment to the next higher grade, Scientists should secure minimum average marks in their Annual Performance Reports under consideration as indicated above and should also secure minimum marks in not less than 50% of their Annual Performance Reports under consideration as specified for different residency periods in different grades as tabulated above.

Note 2: (i) For Scientist ‘B’ to Scientist ‘D’ those having less than 70% as average marks in their Annual Performance Reports and those having less than 70% marks in more than 50% of their Annual Performance Reports under consideration, shall not be eligible for the assessment.

(ii) For Scientist ‘E’ and above those having less than 75% as average marks in their Annual Performance Reports and those having less than 75% marks in more than 50% of their Annual Performance Reports under consideration, shall not be eligible for the assessment.

(iii) Minimum three Annual Performance Reports in the present grade shall be required to be eligible for promotion in all grades except for Scientist ‘B’ appearing after three years residency period for promotion, where minimum two Annual Performance Reports will be considered for eligibility.

SCHEDULE VII
[See rules 2(4), 4(1) and 4(4)]

Number and scales of pay of Group ‘A’ posts included in the Defence Research and Development Service.

Note.–– All the posts from Scientist ‘B’ to Scientist ‘H’ (Outstanding Scientist) are covered under Merit based Flexible Complementing Scheme.”.

5. In the said rules, in Schedule VIII,-

(a) against serial number 1 relating to the post of Scientist ‘B’, in column number (5), for the words “Not exceeding thirty-five years of age”, the words, “Not exceeding twenty-eight years of age” shall be substituted;

(b) against serial number 2 relating to the post of Scientist ‘C’, in column number (5), for the words “Not exceeding forty years of age”, the words “Not exceeding thirty-five years of age” shall be substituted;

(c) against serial number 3 relating to the post of Scientist ‘D’, in column number (5), for the words “Not exceeding fifty years of age”, the words “Not exceeding forty-five years of age” shall be substituted;

(d) against serial number 4 relating to the post of Scientist ‘E’,-

(I) in column number (3), under the sub-heading (a) Essential:, in clause (ii), for the word “ten”, the word “eleven” shall be substituted;

(II) in column number (5), for the words “Not exceeding fifty years of age”, the words “Not exceeding forty-five years of age” shall be substituted;

(e) against serial number 5 relating to the post of Scientist ‘F’, in column number (3), under the sub-heading (a) Essential:, in clause (ii), for the word “thirteen”, the word “fifteen” shall be substituted;
(f) against serial number 6 relating to the post of Scientist ‘G’, in column number (3), under the sub-heading (a) Essential:, in clause (ii), for the word “fifteen”, the word “twenty-five” shall be substituted;

(g) against serial number 7 relating to the post of Scientist ‘H’ (Outstanding Scientist), in column number (3), under the sub-heading (a) Essential:, in clause (ii), for the word “fifteen”, the word “twenty-five” shall be substituted.

6. In the said rules, in Schedule IX,––

(I) in the heading, in the brackets, the words “Deputation or” shall be omitted;

(II) against serial number 2 relating to the post of Scientist ‘C’, in column number (4), after clause (ii), the following clause shall be inserted, namely:–

“(iii) for re-employment of armed forces service personnel, officers in the rank of Major or
equivalent in pay level 11 of the defence services pay matrix (Rs 69400-207200)”;

(III) against serial number 3 relating to the post of Scientist ‘D’, in column number (4), after clause (ii), the following clause shall be inserted, namely:–

“(iii) for re-employment of armed forces service personnel, officers with three years service in pay level 11 of the defence services pay matrix (Rs 69400-207200)”;

(IV) against serial number 4 relating to the post of Scientist ‘E’, in column number (4), after clause (ii), the following clause shall be inserted, namely:–

“(iii) for re-employment of armed forces service personnel, officers in pay level 12A of defence services pay matrix (Rs 121200-212400);
or
with seven years service in pay level 11 of the defence services pay matrix (Rs 69400- 207200)”;

(V) against serial number 5 relating to the post of Scientist ‘F’, in column number (4), after clause (ii), the following clause shall be inserted, namely:–

“(iii) for re-employment of armed forces service personnel, officers in pay level 13 of defence services pay matrix (Rs 130600-215900);
or
with five years service in pay level 12A of the defence services pay matrix (Rs 121200-212400)”;

(VI) against serial number 6 relating to the post of Scientist ‘G’, in column number (4), after clause (ii), the following clause shall be inserted, namely:–

“(iii) for re-employment of armed forces service personnel, officers in pay level 14 of defence
services pay matrix (Rs 144200-218200);
or
with three years service in pay level 13A of the defence services pay matrix (Rs 139600-
217600).”.

7. In the said rules, in Schedule XII, in clause (b), after the words “Advanced Technology”, the words “or any other recognised Institute or University as decided by the Chairperson, Defence Research and Development Orgainsation” shall be inserted.

[F.No. DHRD/76102/DRDS/CR&RR/C/M/01(Vol.III)/987/D(R&D)/2025
dated, 16 September, 2025]
AVON KUMAR SHARMA, Under Secy.

Note: The principal rules were published in Gazette of India, Part II, Section 4 vide No. SRO 72, dated the 25 May, 2023.