Only 153 IAS officers got central deputation in 2018-19, down 50% since 2015-16

A total of 340 IAS officers were appointed at the Centre under the central staffing scheme in 2014-15, and 320 in 2015-16, according to govt data.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a group of IAS officers (representational image) | Photo: narendramodi.in

New Delhi: Only 153 IAS officers were appointed on central deputation under the central staffing scheme (CSS) in 2018-19, the lowest in the last five years, according to the latest data of personnel ministry.

A total of 340 IAS officers were appointed under the CSS during 2014-15 as against 320 in 2015-16 and 247 during 2016-17, it said.

As many as 211 officers of the Indian Administrative Service were given posting at the Centre during 2017-18, said the annual report of the ministry.

The central staffing scheme, which is in operation for decades, provides a systematic arrangement for selection and appointment of eligible officers from the participating services at the level of deputy secretary, director, joint secretary, additional secretary and secretary in the Central government.

To encourage officers from participating services, including the IAS, to come on CSS, official communications are issued twice a year requesting all cadre authorities to nominate eligible officers for deputation.

Giving details of other Group A services like the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) and Indian Postal Service among others, the ministry said 196 appointments were made under the CSS in 2014-15.

A total of 237 such officers were appointed on central deputation in 2015-16, 246 in 2016-17, 171 in 2017-18 and 195 in 2018-19, the data said.

The personnel ministry data also indicates shortfall in the central deputation reserve or CDR that shows the number of officers presently on central deputation from each cadre.

IAS, IPS and IFoS officers are allocated cadre which is either state, a group of state or/and union territories.

The total authorised strength of IAS officers is 6,500 as on January 1, 2019 and the CDR is 1,381.

Out of these 1,381 IAS officers, there were 507 IAS officers working at the Centre.

Of the central deputation reserve of 74 IAS officers for Bihar cadre, 38 officers were working at the Centre. A total of 17 IAS officers of Gujarat cadre were posted at the Centre against 64, the personnel ministry data said.

As many as 44 IAS officers of Uttar Pradesh cadre were at the Centre as against its CDR of 134, 22 of Tamil Nadu (against 81), 18 of Rajasthan (against 64), 15 of Punjab (against 48), 20 of Odisha (against 51), 24 of Maharashtra cadre (against 78) and 28 of Madhya Pradesh against its reserve of 90, it said.

Kerala had sent 31 IAS officers to the Centre as against 50, 20 from Karnataka cadre against 68, ten of Jharkhand (against 45), 13 from Jammu and Kashmir (against 30), 26 from Himachal Pradesh (against 32), 12 from Haryana (against 44), seven from Chhattisgarh against its reserve of 38, 34 from Assam-Meghalaya cadre (against its reserve of 57) and 18 of Andhra Pradesh against 46 IAS officers.

For north eastern states, there were 11 IAS officers of Tripura cadre working at the Centre against 21, seven in Sikkim against its reserve of 10, nine of Nagaland against 20 and 15 of Manipur against 24, the data said.