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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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ON APAR

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5/4/2011

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Kalpana Singh, Director, NICF

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 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON APAR

Q1. What is the objective of APAR?

Ans. The system of APAR has two principal objectives:
a. Improve the performance of subordinate in his present job.
b. Assess the potentialities of the subordinate and prepare him
through appropriate feedback and guidance for future possible
opportunities in service.
The basic philosophy underlying APAR is : Both the superiors and
his subordinate should be necessarily aware of the ultimate goal of the
organization, which can be achieved through the joint efforts of both
of them.

Q2. Who sets the targets & when?

Ans. The Reporting officer at the beginning of the year should set
quantitative/physical targets in consultation with his subordinate.

Q3. When Reporting Officer is under transfer, when should the report be
written?
Ans. It should be written at the time of transfer or immediately thereafter
and not deferred till the end of the year.
The responsibility for obtaining the APAR from the Reporting officer
concerned in such cases will be that of the section handling the APAR.

Q4. Who will write the report if there is no Reporting officer with requisite
experience (3 months) to initiate the report?
Ans. In such cases, the Reviewing Officer may initiate the Report as a
Reporting Officer provided the Reviewing officer has been the same for
the entire period of Report and is in the position to fill in the column
to be filled by the Reporting officer. In these cases, it will have to be
submitted by him to his own superior if there is superior officer to
him.

Q5. What if Reporting Officer/Reviewing Officer retires?

Ans. He is allowed to give the report on his subordinates within one month
of retirement.

Q6. What if Reporting/Reviewing Officer is under suspension?

Ans.: APAR may be written/reviewed within 2 months from the date of his
having been placed under suspension or within one month from the
date on which the report was due, whichever is later.

Q7. When should APAR (complete) be communicated to the officer.

Ans. The full APAR including the overall grade and assessment of integrity
should be disclosed to the officer by the section after the report is
complete.
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Q8. What is the time limit for making representation against the entries
and the final grading?
Ans. Within a period of 15 days from the date of receipt of the
communicated APAR.

Q9. What is the time frame for consideration/disposal of representation by

Competent Authority?
Ans. Within a period of 30 days from the date of receipt of the
representation.

Q10. What is the time frame for communication of representation?

Ans. The decision of the competent authority shall be communicated to the
officer within fifteen days of the receipt of decision of competent
authority by APAR section.

Q11. What is the time frame prescribed for various stages of APAR?
Ans.

S. Activity Date by which to

No. be completed
1. Distribution of blank APAR forms by 31 March
st

Administrative branch (after filling the (This may be

part-I) to all concerned (i.e. to officer to be completed even a
reported upon where self appraisal has to week earlier)
be given and to reporting officers where
self appraisal is not be given)
2. Submission of self appraisal to reporting 15th April
officer by officer to be reported upon
(where applicable)
3. Submission of report by reporting officer to 30th June
reviewing officer
4. Report to be completed by Reviewing 31st July
Officer and to be sent to Administration of
CR Section Cell or Accepting Authority,
wherever provided.
5. Appraisal by accepting authority, wherever 31st August
provided
6. (a) Disclosure to the officer reported 01st September
upon where there is no accepting
authority
(b) Disclosure to the officer reported 15th September
upon where there is accepting
authority

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 7. Receipt of representation, if any, on APAR 15 days from the
date of receipt of
communication
8. Forwarding of representations to the
competent authority
(a) Where there is no accepting 21st September
authority for APAR
(b) Where there is accepting authority 06th October
for APAR
9. Disposal of representation by the Within one month
competent authority from the date of
receipt of
representation
10. Communication of the decision of the 15th November
competent authority on the representation
by the APAR Cell
11. End of entire APAR process, after which 30th November
the APAR will be finally taken on record

Q12. What, if self appraisal is not received in time?

Ans. After the expiry of the first week of the time – schedule, Reporting
Officer should remind the subordinate officer, in writing. If no self
appraisal is received within stipulated date, the Reporting Officer can
obtain another blank APAR form and proceed to write the report. He
can also point out the failure of the officer reported upon to submit his
self appraisal within the stipulated time.

Q13. What if the Reporting Officer does not initiate the APAR beyond 30th
June?
Ans. He forfeits his right to enter any remark & he shall submit all APAR to
Reviewing Officer on the next working day.
A certificate to this effect i.e. forfeiting of the right will be placed in
APAR dossier.

Q14. What if Reviewing officer does not reviewed the APAR beyond 31st
August?
Ans. He forfeits his right to review.
A certificate to this effect will be placed in APAR dossier.

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Q15. What is the effect of modification/expunction of adverse remarks in
the ACRs and upgradation/down gradation of the overall grading in
the ACRs prior to the period 2008-2009?
Ans. Prior to 01.04.2008 only adverse remarks in the ACR were required to
be communicated. The overall grading in the ACR remained
unchanged even after modification or expunction of the entire adverse
remarks. It was left to the DPC to re-determine the overall grading.

As per DOPT new guidelines, where the reckonable ACRs prior to the
reporting period 2008-09 are to be considered in a future DPC on
which the adverse remarks of Reporting/Reviewing/Accepting
Authorities have been expunged or modified by the Competent
Authority, the “overall grading” in the ACR be kept blank for
appropriate re-grading by the DPCs. Where the authority has
upgraded/downgraded the overall grading without giving sufficient
reasons, the DPC shall treat such an exercise as non-est/invalid.
General terms, such as “I agree or disagree with the Reporting
Officer/Reviewing Officer” used by the Reviewing/Accepting Authority
shall not be construed as sufficient reason for
upgrading/downgrading the overall grading given by the Reporting
Authority/Reviewing Authority.

Q16. What are the guidelines for considering the Representation?

Ans. While considering the representation, the competent authority decides
the matter objectively in a quasi-judicial manner on the basis of
material placed before it. The competent authority shall take into
account the contentions of the officer who has represented against the
particular remarks/grading in the APAR and the views of the
Reporting and Reviewing officer if they are still in service on the points
raised in the representation vis-à-vis the remarks/gradings given by
them in the APAR.

Q17. How should the grading be interpreted?

Ans. GRADING AND THEIR INTERPRETATIONS

Grading Interpretation
8-10 Outstanding
(Avg. score 9)
6- (less than) 8 Very good
(Avg. score 7)
4 – (less than) 6 Good
(Avg. score 5)
Below 4 Avg. score 0

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Q18. What are the important guidelines related to disposal of
Representation against adverse remarks
Ans.
1. Only one representation against adverse remarks should be allowed
within fifteen days from the date of communication of such remarks.
2. Representation will lie to the authority immediately superior to the
countersigning authority, if any, or to the Reporting Officer. If the
immediate superior had already reviewed APAR in question and also
expressed his view, either agreeing or disagreeing with the adverse
remarks recorded and accepted by the countersigning authority, in
that event the representation lies to the next higher authority.
3. In a case where the Competent Authority comes to the conclusion that
the remarks deserve expunction and that after such expunction the
relevant column would be left blank, it should order modification of
the relevant remarks in a suitable manner so that the column is not
allowed to remain blank.
4. Adverse remarks should not be deemed to be operative if any
representation is filed within the time prescribed, or the one preferred
has been finally disposed of, there is no bar to take notice of the
adverse remarks.
5. A memorial or appeal against the rejection of the representation
against adverse remarks is to be allowed within six months of such
rejection. Pendency of any memorial or appeal would mean that the
adverse remarks are not final and cannot be acted upon.
6. Representations against adverse remarks should be examined by
Competent Authority in consultation, If necessary, with the Reporting
Officer and countersigning authority, if any.
7. If the Competent Authority feels that there is no sufficient ground for
interference, the representation should be rejected and the petitioner
informed accordingly.
8. If, however, it feels that the remarks should be toned down, it should
make necessary entry separately with proper attestation at the
appropriate place of the report; the correction should not be made in
the earlier entries themselves.
9. If the remarks are ordered to be expunged, they should be effectively
obliterated both in the confidential report as well as in the copy of the
letter communicating those remarks.

Q19. What are the guidelines related to APAR in respect of officers on

Training.
Ans. Whenever an officer attends an approved course of study or training,
the report, if any, received from the Head of the Institution should
either be placed in original in the confidential report dossier of the
officer or the substance of it entered therein. An entry about the
report, if any, submitted by the officer on his work abroad should also
find mention in his confidential report if it is either outstandingly good
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 or of poor quality indicating that the officer had not made good use of
his period of study or training.

Q20. What are the guidelines related to APAR in the case of officers on
deputation?
Ans. In the case of Central Government Officers who are deputed to other
Departments/State Governments or are on foreign service, it will be
the responsibility of the parent department to obtain the reports of
their officers on deputation and maintain them.

Q21. What are the guidelines related to APAR of officers appointed on

contract?
Ans. CRs may be written even in respect of an officer appointed on contract
by his immediate superior, i.e. the officer under whose supervision he
is placed and it should also be got reviewed by the officer superior to
the Reporting Officer where applicable.

Q22. What are the existing provisions regarding the effect of warning on
APAR?
Ans. Where a copy of the warning is kept on the Confidential Report
dossier, it will be taken to constitute an adverse entry and the officer
so warned will have the right to represent against the same in
accordance with the existing instructions relating to communication of
adverse remarks and consideration of representations against them.

Warning, letters of caution, reprimands or advisories administered to

Government servants do not amount to a penalty, and, therefore, will
not constitute a bar for consideration of such Government servants for
promotion.

Q23. What is the procedure of dealing with memorial addressed to the

President?
Ans. In respect of officers belonging to other cadres who are working in
Ministries other than their own, on deputation, any memorial to the
President following the rejection of their representation against
adverse remarks in the ACR, will be disposed of by the Minister-in-
charge of the Ministry in case the representation has been rejected at
a level lower than that of Minister-in-charge, the memorial would be
disposed of by the Cabinet Minister in the Ministry controlling the
cadre of the officer.
In respect of the officers/officials working in their own ministries, the
such disposal shall be done by MOS /Cabinet Minister, as the case
may be.

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