NEW DELHI: A tussle between the Delhi Administrative Sub-ordinate Services (DASS) and the Delhi, Andaman, and Nicobar Island Civil Services (DANICS) has escalated over the creation of 217 new posts for promoted DASS officers.
In 2023, the Delhi High Court allowed the creation of these 217 posts for DASS officers, sparking an immediate challenge by DANICS officers.
They moved to the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), arguing that the posts were meant for them.The review of the DASS cadre is supposed to take place every five years. However, DASS officers claim that no review has been conducted in the last five decades. The matter is now under consideration by the Union Home Ministry, with a resolution expected soon. In the administrative hierarchy of the Delhi government, the DANICS cadre ranks just below the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), followed by the DASS cadre.
DASS officers, who have long been considered the backbone of the administrative structure, have consistently called for a review of their cadre in accordance with the rules. A delegation of DASS officers met with Chief Minister Rekha Gupta earlier this week to present their case. Sources say a similar delegation from the DANICS cadre has also approached the CM.
“We have been facing stagnation for 58 years and we need urgent reforms. Despite repeated appeals and the formation of committees, the situation remains unresolved,” a DASS officer from the Delhi Secretariat said.
“Due to ongoing stagnation and a lack of career progression, nearly 100 officers voluntarily retire each year, sources claim. The Grade-I DASS officers have not seen any restructuring since the cadre’s inception in 1967. This stagnation, according to officers, violates guidelines set by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) and the Cabinet Secretary’s orders, which mandate a review of every organized cadre every five years,” the officer added.
Grade-II officers in the DASS cadre face a single substantial promotion throughout their careers. After 25-30 years of service, Grade-I DASS officers are often inducted or promoted into the DANICS cadre at a lower pay scale, exacerbating dissatisfaction within the cadre.
In 2018, the Sahai Committee, set up by the Lieutenant Governor, submitted recommendations for restructuring the DASS cadre. However, sources allege that these proposals have been delayed and sabotaged by vested interests within the bureaucracy. The committee suggested creating two new promotional grades for Grade-I DASS officers, with Grade Pay of Rs 6600 and Rs 7600, to address the stagnation issue. In response to the concerns raised by DASS officers, the HC issued a directive on August 11, 2023, allowing the creation of approximately 500 posts in the Senior Scale (Grade Pay 6600, Level 11) within the Delhi Government’s DASS cadre.