Young Professionals in Pharma Dept to Get Up to 10% Annual Pay Hike Under New Guidelines

The new guidelines, issued on June 12, 2026, will govern all future engagements of Young Professionals in the Department and introduce significant changes relating to tenure, remuneration, performance assessment, selection procedures, and service conditions.

According to the notification, the revised guidelines will apply prospectively and only to engagements made after their issuance. Young Professionals already engaged under the previous guidelines dated November 24, 2025, will continue to be governed by the earlier provisions for the remainder of their contractual term and will not automatically become eligible for benefits under the revised framework.

No Employer-Employee Relationship

The Department clarified that engagement as a Young Professional will not create any employer-employee relationship between the Department of Pharmaceuticals and the individual concerned. Young Professionals will not be regarded as government employees or representatives of the Department for any purpose.

Strict Code of Conduct

The revised guidelines prescribe detailed standards of conduct for Young Professionals. They are required to maintain absolute integrity, devotion to duty, ethical standards, honesty, discipline, confidentiality, and good behaviour. They must avoid conflicts of interest, refrain from using their position for personal gain, and cannot advertise their association with the Department for commercial purposes.

The guidelines further prohibit Young Professionals from publishing articles, blogs, books, letters, or participating in media broadcasts and social media communications relating to official matters without prior written approval of the Department. They are also barred from using the Government's name, emblem, or official seal without authorization. Failure to adhere to these standards may result in termination of engagement and other legal consequences.

Intellectual Property to Belong to Government

All intellectual property, inventions, reports, recommendations, documents, data, processes, and materials developed or generated by Young Professionals during the course of their engagement will vest with the Department of Pharmaceuticals. Such information will be treated as confidential and must be handed over only to authorized officials.

Whole-Time Engagement and Termination Clause

The guidelines stipulate that Young Professionals will work on a whole-time basis and cannot undertake any other employment or professional engagement during the contractual period.

The Department has retained the authority to terminate a contract at any time without assigning reasons. Although one month's notice would ordinarily be provided, the Department may terminate services without prior notice. Similarly, a Young Professional seeking to resign must ordinarily provide one month's notice.

Tenure Extended Beyond Five Years Subject to Performance

One of the key changes in the revised guidelines concerns tenure. Young Professionals will initially be engaged for one year. While the engagement period is ordinarily capped at five years, continuation beyond five years will now be permitted based on performance appraisal conducted by the concerned Wing Head against Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), subject to approval by the Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals.

Recruitment Through Open Advertisement

The Department has mandated that Young Professionals be selected through open advertisements published on the Department's website and in at least one national newspaper each in Hindi and English. The advertisements must specify educational qualifications and functional requirements. Selection will be based on recommendations of a duly constituted selection committee.

No Government Employee Benefits

The revised guidelines clearly state that Young Professionals will not be entitled to benefits available to regular government employees, including provident fund, pension, gratuity, insurance, medical benefits, seniority, promotion, or any similar service benefits. They will also have no claim to regular government employment or preferential treatment in future recruitment.

Working Hours and Attendance

Ordinarily, Young Professionals will work from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on working days, including a 30-minute lunch break. However, depending on functional requirements, they may be required to work beyond office hours and on public holidays without any additional remuneration. Attendance will be monitored through the Aadhaar Enabled Biometric Attendance System, which will form the basis for remuneration payments.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible, candidates must possess any of the following qualifications from a recognized institution:

• Master's Degree in a relevant subject
• BE/B.Tech
• MBBS
• LLB
• CA/ICWA
• Any relevant professional degree obtained after graduation

The Department may additionally prescribe desirable qualifications and experience depending on the requirement. Applicants must also possess proficiency in office productivity software and strong communication, analytical, and presentation skills.

The maximum age limit for engagement as a Young Professional has been fixed at 32 years, with the cut-off date to be specified in the recruitment advertisement.

Detailed Selection Mechanism Introduced

The revised framework lays down a two-stage selection process. Applications will first be scrutinized by a Screening Committee comprising senior departmental officers. Shortlisted candidates will then be considered by a Selection Committee headed by the concerned Wing Head. The Selection Committee may adopt any suitable selection method and can also recommend reserve candidates, whose candidature will remain valid for one year.

Monthly Remuneration Fixed at ₹70,000

The Department has fixed the remuneration of Young Professionals at ₹70,000 per month.

Performance-Based Annual Increment Up to 10%

The revised guidelines introduce a structured performance-linked remuneration enhancement mechanism.

• Young Professionals performing only routine assigned work will receive no increment.
• Those making significant contributions and delivering exceptional outputs may receive up to a 5% increase in remuneration, subject to approval by the Secretary.
• In exceptional cases where a Young Professional demonstrates exemplary performance and makes significant contributions to policymaking, remuneration may be increased by up to 10%, subject to approval.

The Department has specified that the rationale for recommending a 10% enhancement must be explicitly recorded by the Performance Review Committee. Annual enhancement cannot exceed 10% in any case, and the overall remuneration of a Young Professional cannot exceed 1.35 times the initial remuneration.

Travel Reimbursement and Leave Benefits

Young Professionals will not be entitled to reimbursement of travel expenses incurred while joining or leaving their assignment. However, travel undertaken within India for official work may be reimbursed with prior approval of the competent authority.

Regarding leave, Young Professionals will be entitled to 1.5 days of leave for every completed month of service, calculated on a pro-rata basis. Unauthorized absence beyond sanctioned leave will result in salary deductions under the "no work, no pay" principle.

If a Young Professional remains absent without leave for more than 15 days during a consecutive 12-month period, the Department may terminate the engagement without notice or compensation.

Police Verification and Relaxation Provision

The Department may conduct police verification of candidates or engaged Young Professionals. Any adverse report may result in cancellation of candidature or termination of engagement without notice.

The guidelines also empower the Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals, to relax any provision of the guidelines for reasons to be recorded in writing. The revised framework will remain subject to instructions issued from time to time by the Department of Expenditure.

The notification has been issued with the approval of the competent authority and signed by Sandeep Kumar, Under Secretary to the Government of India.