| Provincial Development Service | |
| Native Name: | Prāntīya Vikāsa Sevā |
| Type: | State Civil Service |
| Seal: | File:Seal of Uttar Pradesh.svg |
| Superseding1: | Provincial Rural Development Services |
| Jurisdiction: | Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Employees: | 559 (2012)[1] |
| Minister1 Name: | Dr. Mahendra Singh |
| Parent Department: | Department of Rural Development |
| Parent Agency: | Government of Uttar Pradesh |
Provincial Development Service (PDS) (IAST:) is the Government of Uttar Pradesh civil service responsible for administering rural development programmes of the Uttar Pradesh and Indian governments.[2]
PDS officers are recruited from a pool of applicants who take a competitive examination conducted by the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission. Currently, half of PDS officers are hired directly, while the other half are transferred from other departments. PDS officers, regardless of their mode of entry, are appointed by the governor of Uttar Pradesh. Hundreds of BDO officer posts remain vacant, putting a greater workload on PDS officers and officers from other departments.
After completing their training, a PDS officer generally serves as block development officer in blocks[3] in a district. After that, they get promoted as district development officer or as project director of District Rural Development Agency or deputy commissioners of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (popularly known as DC MGNREGA) or deputy commissioners of National Rural Livelihood Mission (popularly known as DC NRLM) and later, chief development officer in districts or as joint development commissioners in divisions and as joint commissioners in Commissionerate of Rural Development.[4] [5]
| Grade/level on pay matrix | Base Salary (per month) | Some Positions in the Government of Uttar Pradesh | Years of Service |
|---|---|---|---|
| Junior Administrative Grade (pay level 12) | ₹78800–191500 | Chief Development Officer in District, Joint Development Commissioner in Division, Joint Commissioner in Commissionerate of Rural Development | 26th year |
| Senior Time Scale (pay level 11) | ₹67700–160000 | District Development Officer in District, Project Director of District Rural Development Agency, Deputy Commissioner of Labour and Employment, Deputy Commissioner Self Employment in District, Deputy Commissioner in Commissionerate of Rural Development | 19th year |
| Junior Time Scale (pay level 10) | ₹56100–132000 | Block Development Officer, Assistant Commissioner in Commissionerate of Rural Development | Initial year |
The union for PDS officers demanded that IAS and PCS officers not be promoted to the rank of CDO, claiming that they have less expertise in rural development than PDS officers. They also claim that it takes much longer for PDS officers to be promoted than PCS or IAS officers, and that PDS officers get paid less than PCS officers. Due to the complaints, the Uttar Pradesh state government reserved twenty-eight districts of Uttar Pradesh for PDS officers. The PDS union opposed this, claiming that the districts that had been reserved for PDS officers were backward ones.