The Centre vs State tussle over IAS postings

Source: The post is based on the article “The Centre vs State tussle over IAS postings” published in The Hindu on 18^th August 2022.

Syllabus: GS 2 – Role of civil services in a democracy.

Relevance: About deputation of AIS officers to the Centre.

News: All India Services (AIS) structure is unique to India and is too delicate to handle during a crisis. The majority of AIS officers working in the States were not coming forward to opt for tenure with the Centre. At present, many officers willing to go to Delhi on deputation are those assigned to the Northeastern States.

About All India Services(AIS) and their rules for deputation

What are the advantages of working on deputation with the Centre?

1) Psychological satisfaction of contributing to the formulation of national policy on many critical issues, 2) Many opportunities for foreign travel and a chance to be deputed to work for international agencies.

Why are officers reluctant to work on deputation with the Centre?

1) Long hours of work and the need for extreme clinical care in the preparation and submission of reports, 2) Officers need to operate far away from their native State or the state in which they are more comfortable.

What are the impacts of non-deputation with the Centre?

a) There is an increase in manpower demands of GOI ministries, especially at the level of Deputy Secretaries and Directors who generally come from the IAS. This is not able to be filled even with the lateral entry scheme, b) There are far too many vacancies in the Central Police Establishment comprising the paramilitary forces such as the CRPF, BSF and CISF, and investigating agencies like the CBI and NIA.

About the tussle between Centre and State for deputation with the Centre

There are many instances of the tussle between the State and the Centre regarding deputing an officer. Recently, in West Bengal senior officers were greatly embarrassed due to the tussle between the state and the Centre.

Situations like these arise due to ignorance of prudent and mature governance. This poses a threat to the foundation of All India Services.

What should be done to improve the deputation with the Centre?

There are simpler, more effective, and less contentious solutions to the shortage of officers for central deputation than amending the IAS (Cadre) Rules. India needs a stable system of civil services to bolster democratic and responsive public administration in the country.