PWD officers in UP get five-fold boost in financial powers, CM Yogi greenlights reform

This is the first such revision in 30 years, which was proposed citing rising construction costs.

Uttar pradesh CM Yogi AdityanathUttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Friday approved a “five-fold” increase in financial powers of Public Works Department (PWD) officers — the first such revision in 30 years.

In a major step towards administrative reform, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Friday approved a “five-fold” increase in financial powers of Public Works Department (PWD) officers — the first such revision in 30 years.

Now, the Chief Engineer would be able to approve works up to Rs 10 crore and the Superintending Engineer up to Rs 5 crore. Similarly, the Executive Engineer’s financial powers have been raised from Rs 40 lakh to Rs 2 crore, and Assistant Engineers will now be authorised to sanction minor works and tenders.

Officials said the issue had come up during an administrative review meeting of the PWD, where it was discussed that financial powers of PWD officers were last revised in 1995, despite the fact that the construction cost has gone up by 5 times between 1995 and 2025.

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The reforms were proposed to “improve administrative efficiency and transparency in project execution”, for which approval has been given.

It was decided that while financial powers for civil works would be increased by up to five times, it would be increased by at least two times for electrical and mechanical works.

Further restructuring of the electrical and mechanical cadres under Uttar Pradesh Engineer Service (PWD) (Higher) Rules, 1990, have also been approved.

Under the new structure, while a new post of Chief Engineer (Level-1) has been introduced in the Electrical and Mechanical cadre, the number of Chief Engineer (Level-2) and Superintending Engineer posts have been increased.

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Officials informed that the revised rules would also define promotion sources, processes, and pay scales in line with the Seventh Pay Commission. Promotions to Chief Engineer (Level-1) would be based on seniority from Chief Engineer (Level-2).

CM Adityanath emphasised that as the PWD plays a vital role in state development, timely and transparent service rules and a merit-driven promotion system are essential to enhance efficiency, technical quality, and the department’s service spirit, said an official statement.

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