Bank of India has made Rural Posting Mandatory for Promotion to Scale III

Bank of India has made a rural posting mandatory for promotion to Scale III. Due to these new rules, several Scale II officers are unable to apply for promotion to Scale III. Officers have requested that bank management look into this and modify the rules so they can apply. The officers’ associations in Bank of India have also urged management to address this issue.

The BOI Officers’ Association asked management whose fault it is if officers have not completed a rural posting, stating that if the bank failed to post them to rural areas, employees should not be made to bear the brunt.

A large number of Scale II officers are facing exclusion from the upcoming Scale III promotion process solely because they have not completed mandatory rural service.

The officers argue that the shortfall is not their fault, as they are liable to be posted anywhere at the Bank’s discretion (Regulation 47), and many who requested rural postings in writing were denied by zones due to administrative exigencies.

Under Para 11 of the Transfer & Rotation Policy (Branch Circular dated 04.01.2025), the Bank itself had the mandatory duty (“invariably be posted”) to place officers in rural/semi-urban areas, which Zonal administrations failed to execute.

The association has asked management to ensure strict compliance with Para 11 moving forward, give annual written notice of rural exposure status to officers, and grant an early meeting with leadership before the promotion notification is issued.