Move is aimed at addressing the issue of falling number of IAS officers in central government departments.
New Delhi: The IAS Association is planning to recommend compulsory central deputation for officers, the newly appointed president of the IAS body has said.
The move is aimed at addressing the issue of falling number of IAS officers in central government departments.
The problem is partly caused by what is seen as reluctance among IAS officers in states to move to Delhi fearing extensive scrutiny by the Modi government.
In an interview to ThePrint, president of the association Rakesh Srivastava said the IAS body is looking at ways to increase the number of IAS officers on central deputation.
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“We haven’t come up with a definite plan yet, but we are considering making it compulsory for IAS officers to serve in the central government,” said Srivastava, who is currently serving as the secretary in the women and child development ministry.
“This can particularly be done for younger officers who have young children and easily be posted at the Centre,” he added.
Srivastava, who was appointed president of the IAS Association last week, is a 1981 batch officer of the Rajasthan cadre.
Asked if the association was cognizant of the rise in empanelment and appointments of officers from other services in the central government, Srivastava said, “We actually welcome that opportunities are being given to other services, but we have to come up with a way to encourage our own service.”
There are states like Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana, etc. which send very few officers for central deputation, he said. “We will ask the states to complete their respective limits under the Central Deputation Reserve (CDR), so that at least they meet the obligations for central deputation that they are supposed to,” he said.
Emphasising that officers only gain by serving at the Centre, Srivastava said, “Why should IAS officers lag behind in this regard?”
The CDR determines the limit up to which officers could be sent for deputation to the government of India.
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Last year, the Central government had written to all states asking them to spare more officers for central deputation in a bid to address the shortage of IAS officers at the middle level.
Last month, ThePrint had reported that the Central government has empanelled fewer IAS officers each year since 2015. For example, just 11 IAS officers had been empanelled by the government until July this year for joint secretary posts, down from 87 officers in 2014, even as empanelments from other services shot up considerably.
“We cannot say anything against the government’s policy on empanelment. However, within the framework of that policy, we will try to increase our numbers,” Srivastava said.
It’s a fact that some of the IAS Officers in major construction department- in states and in centre-are highly dynamic and result oriented cadre although such numbers are very thin.
They frequently visit the project and interact with the field engineers and staff to grasp every nitty-gritty of the project perse. These Officers are self driven friendly and decision making who could take the team along with for the sake of avoiding cost and time overrun.
The country needs them badly and demands higher number of such self driven and dedicated lot.
Those penpushers remaining cocooned within AC chamber without people to people interaction and keeping himself lonely and sighing files are passe and they we feel does not deserve perpetuaty in service like a sarkari damad.
IAS Officers thinking from day one is a Sabjanta approach with Narcissist style of functioning caring little for the people around them. Their appoach of Boss pleasing is the only focus. In the fast changing technology driven country like India, many are not suitable to hold on their position who hardly takes pain to move round the ground and people to understand the problem and solution thereof.
In technology driven areas, Govt should think seriously not to post them as they are not fit except revolving their stick.
The IAS think that they know all, but today’s progress hinges on an in-depth domain knowledge which an ordinary graduate-turn IAS, just by passing an examination after a preparation of 2-3 years, doesn’t have.
The IAS needs to understand”If you practise one Raga to perfection, you can practise all. But if you try to practise all, you will lost all.
What would you expect from an IAS officer.who took his oath to serve the country .if an engineer or a doctor becomes an IAS officer are they decieving the nation no they are desired to serve the country with passion in addition to that the subject that they have learned from there concerned degree can be used in some aspects of implementation that doesn’t mean they are not suitable for administration .if you people think in that way the admirer Dr APJ Abdul Kalam shouldn’t be our president who persuaded his efforts in implementing brahmos missile. I would like to conclude that there is qualification is not confining you to the you have done but the one you deserved to become in your life.
I fully support the compulsory central deputation of IAS officers.
If this is not the Modi government, the IAS OFFICERS would have raised voice in a big way about empanelment of other services. But now, they know what they will get in reply. That’s why they are singing other times. Until and unless the air of superiority attached to the IAS and made them to head only general departments and not finance or technical departments, their megalomania will not go. Hope the government does something and these IAS babus understand their real network.
IAS officers are encroaching upon the technical and other posts by changing the names/ designation which is the root cause of shortage They think themselves as expert of all fields while they are not of their own field as the poor quality of Governance is because of them only
As officers move up in seniority, their children growing older and in need of a fine education, they like to move to Delhi. That motivation is wholly absent for Maharashtra cadre officers, for whom Bombay is a better option. On the other end of the scale, outsiders posted to the north east spend a lot of time in Delhi, barely completing their cooling off period in the state. 2. Compulsion is never the answer. Some introspection is required on why, especially in the last few years, people are avoiding Delhi. Perhaps it is the air quality in winter …
Rather than victimising the officers from states, the Right wing president could suggest about Vacancies and Recruitment. There’s already a shortage of Civil Services vacancies.. worst statistics in a decade. And after 2019, everything shall be fine. And this President will such statement of his