Dehradun: Preparations are underway to promote several Indian Forest Service officers. Significantly, the Forest Headquarters has submitted a proposal to the government, stating that officers eligible for promotion to the Junior Administrative Grade, including Conservator to Chief Conservator and DFO to Conservator, will be eligible for promotion from January 2026.
Amidst a severe officer shortage in the Uttarakhand Forest Department, the process of promoting Indian Forest Service officers has accelerated. The Forest Headquarters has submitted a detailed proposal to the government, finalizing the list of promotion benefits available from January 2026. This list includes nine officers from the Junior Administrative Grade (JAG) to Conservator and Chief Conservator ranks.
The department has submitted the names of all officers whose service will complete the required period in January 2026 to the government. Six IFS officers in the state have met the eligibility criteria for promotion to the Junior Administrative Grade. This includes the name of DFO Subodh Kala, who was eligible for promotion in 2025 but was denied benefits due to a pending departmental inquiry. This time, his name has been included in the list, although the outcome of the inquiry will determine his future.
Five officers from the 2017 batch—Mahatim Yadav, Kundan Kumar, Deepak Singh, Ashutosh Singh, and Puneet Tomar—are also included in this category. All of them will complete their required nine years of service in January 2026, after which they will be eligible for promotion to JAG.
Two officers from the 2012 batch are also eligible for promotion from the DFO rank to the Conservator rank. These include Chandrashekhar Joshi and Kalyani. Both officers are currently assigned the responsibility of Acting Conservator and will be eligible for promotion to full Conservator upon completing 14 years of service in January 2026.
Additionally, two officers have been proposed for promotion from the Conservator rank to the Chief Conservator rank. This includes Saket Badola, Director of the Corbett Tiger Reserve and a 2008-batch IFS officer, who will complete 18 years of service in January 2026. Meanwhile, TR Biju Lal, a 2004-batch officer, has also been cleared for promotion this time. His promotion was previously held up due to a pending investigation, but now, after receiving a clean chit, he has fully qualified to become a Chief Conservator.
Thus, a total of nine Indian Forest Service officers are expected to receive promotions in January 2026. The Forest Headquarters has submitted all the necessary proposals to the government, and final government approval is expected soon. Speaking to ETV Bharat, Principal Conservator of Forests (Administration), BP Gupta, confirmed the submission of the proposals.
