Government Announces Timelines for Recording PARs for 2024-25

States, UTs directed to strictly adhere to deadlines to avoid auto-forwarding

In a major update aimed at ensuring timely recording and processing of Performance Appraisal Reports (PARs), the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Government of India, has issued fresh timelines for the year 2024-2025 under the AIS (PAR) Rules. This directive, dated 2nd May 2025, has been sent to the Chief Secretaries of States and Union Territories and emphasizes the critical need to adhere to the laid-down schedule to avoid automatic forwarding of PARs in the SPARROW system.

Electronic PAR system: A quick refresher

The letter recalls that the electronic recording of PARs became mandatory in 2014-15 and that the AIS (PAR) Amendment Rules, 2017, incorporated provisions for this system. Further strengthening came via the Notification dated 23.07.2019, which introduced the auto-forwarding of PARs from one level to the next to meet strict timelines.

From 2019-20, the SPARROW platform has been ensuring that if deadlines are missed, PARs automatically move to the next stage, ensuring the process doesn’t stall.

Key timelines for 2024-2025 assessment year

The government has reiterated the following deadlines for PAR activities for the assessment year 2024-25:

Activity	Due Date	Auto Forwarding Date
Blank PAR form to officer (by Admin/Personnel)	1st April	—
Self appraisal by officer	31st May	1st June
Appraisal by Reporting Authority	31st July	1st August
Appraisal by Reviewing Authority	30th September	1st October
Appraisal by Accepting Authority	31st December	Auto closure 31st December
Disclosure to officer reported upon	31st December	—

Critical points to note

• Auto-forwarding on missed deadlines: If a PAR is not closed in the system by midnight of 31st December, it is auto-forwarded to the online dossier of the officer reported upon (ORU) and considered as deemed disclosure.
• Physical disclosure handling: If PARs cannot be uploaded digitally by 31st December and are disclosed physically, the timeline for ORU comments begins from the date of physical disclosure.

Strict instructions to all departments

The DoPT has urged all authorities to strictly adhere to these timelines. Failure to comply will trigger auto-forwarding in the system, which cannot be rolled back. To ensure smooth compliance, the directive has been shared widely with:

• All Ministries and Departments of the Government of India
• President’s Secretariat, Prime Minister’s Office, Cabinet Secretariat
• Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha Secretariats
• NITI Aayog, Election Commission, UPSC, Central Vigilance Commission
• Comptroller and Auditor General’s office, and
• Director General, NIC and Additional Secretary, MHA (for AGMUT cadre officers)

Why this matters

The PAR system plays a critical role in assessing the performance and career progression of officers in the All India Services. Timely recording and movement of these reports ensure fairness, transparency, and accountability, avoiding bureaucratic delays that can impact promotions and postings.

View DoPT’s Letter