CHANDIGARH: Citing an “unnecessary financial burden” and to ensure officers are “utilised more effectively”, the cash-strapped Congress-led Himachal Pradesh government will approach the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre to reduce the sanctioned strength of IAS, IPS and IFS officers in the hill state, as successive governments have in the past flagged the issue of an oversized bureaucracy on the state exchequer.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that the number of sanctioned posts in the IAS, IFS and IPS cadres will be reduced to ensure officers are utilised more effectively. Under the proposed restructuring, “Himachal will seek a reduction of 23 IAS posts, bringing the sanctioned strength down from 153 to 130 and similarly, the IFS cadre strength to be reduced from 118 to 83, that is by 35 posts, and as far as IPS cadre, that is presently having 96 posts, also needed to be downsized,” he said.
He added that maintaining the large cadre costs the state about Rs 200 crore annually. “Though I firmly believe the IAS posts should be further reduced to around 100, but we are seeking a cut of 23 owing to resentment among IAS officers,” Sukhu said.
Sukhu said that the hill state did not need such a large bureaucracy as this move was driven by the fact that several officers do not have enough work, leaving their capabilities underutilized and their talent wasted. “We are now issuing NOCs and relieving officers instantly compared to the past when approvals for central deputation were usually delayed,” he said, adding that the state wanted officers committed to implementing welfare schemes with sincerity.
Nearly two dozen IAS officers and more than a dozen each from the IPS and the IFS are currently on central deputation.
Sukhu said that the state does not need an unnecessarily large administrative setup and that the number of officers should be determined according to the actual requirements of the government.
Sources pointed out that a formal proposal to cut the posts is likely to be sent to the Union government by the Department of Personnel so that expenditure on salaries, support staff, official vehicles, accommodation and other perks enjoyed by these officers can be saved. The state is likely to cite factors such as top-heavy Forest Departments, which face a staff shortage at the lower level, hampering effective management.
Burdened with a debt of over Rs 1 lakh crore, the state government is exploring ways to bring down expenditure. The government believes that reducing the number of officers will substantially lower its administrative expenditure, as this move is aimed at ensuring better governance within the available resources. On average, more than Rs 50 lakh is annually spent on each officer, an amount that could be saved by trimming the cadre strength, said sources.
Sukhu indicated that the savings could be utilised for public-oriented programmes and development activities.