NEW DELHI: Central deputation under the central staffing scheme (CSS) in 2018-19 was lowest in the last five years as only 153 IAS officers were appointed on central deputation, according to the annual report 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. This number came down to 211 during 2017-18, official data shows.
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 a 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 posted as were 17 Gujarat IAS officers against 64 posts, 44 of UP against 134 posts, 22 from Tamil Nadu as against 81 posts 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 a total of 31 IAS officers to the Centre as against 50, Karnataka 20 against 68, Jharkhand 10 against 45, J&K 13 against 30, Himachal 26 from against 32, Haryana 12 against 44, Chhattisgarh 7 against 38, Assam-Meghalaya cadre 34 against 57 and Andhra Pradesh 18 against 46 IAS officers.
For the northeastern states, there were 11 IAS officers from Tripura working at the Centre against 21, Sikkim's 7 against 10, Nagaland 9against 20 and Manipur 15 against 24 reserved posts.
What is CSS?
The Central Staffing Scheme 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 govt