The government has decided to temporarily lift the ban on general transfer of employees from May 1 to May 31, allowing eligible staff to seek transfers under a regulated framework. The ban — which was imposed in June 2024 — will be reimposed with effect from June 1, after completion of the transfer process. According to the guidelines issued by the government on Tuesday, employees who have completed three years of service at a particular station as of January 1, 2026, will be eligible for transfer. This rule does not apply in cases where transfer requests are made on spouse grounds. At the same time, no employee will be allowed to continue at the same station for more than four years as of December 31, 2025 To maintain administrative balance, transfers will be restricted to a maximum of 40 per cent of employees in any cadre. Employees who are due to retire before May 31, 2027, will be exempted from transfers unless they voluntarily opt for relocation. The government has also outlined priority criteria in cases where multiple employees seek the same posting. Preference will be given to spouse cases, employees nearing retirement, persons with disabilities of 70 per cent or more, and employees with mentally challenged children requiring medical care