NEW DELHI: Facing an acute shortage of Indian Police Service (IPS) officers at the Centre, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has amended promotion guidelines to make Central deputation mandatory for empanelment to senior ranks.
In an order, the MHA has revised the norms stating that IPS officers would now be required to complete a minimum of two years of Central deputation at the rank of Superintendent of Police (SP) and Deputy Inspector General (DIG), or an equivalent level, to be eligible for empanelment as Inspector General (IG) or its equivalent at the Centre.
The decision follows repeated reminders from the MHA to State governments to nominate an adequate number of IPS officers for Central deputation in line with the Central Deputation Reserve (CDR). These reminders have come even from the level of Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, highlighting persistent gaps in staffing at the Centre, particularly at the SP and DIG levels.
According to the order, the revised guideline will apply to IPS officers of the 2011 batch onwards.
A senior MHA official said that younger IPS officers have increasingly shown reluctance to opt for Central deputation, largely due to the appeal of field postings in districts where they lead police forces and exercise direct command.
As a result, many officers prefer to remain in their respective state cadres during the early and middle stages of their careers. Trends, however, suggest that officers become more inclined to serve at the Centre only after reaching the IG level or above. This imbalance prompted the government to tweak promotion guidelines to incentivise early Central exposure.
Another official, however, emphasised that the primary intent of the move is to ensure that officers gain adequate experience at the Central level before being considered for senior leadership positions in the Union government.
The MHA has circulated the order along with an accompanying letter to all Chief Secretaries of State governments, directing them to inform IPS officers serving in their respective cadres about the revised norms.
Copies of the communication have also been forwarded to Directors General of Police (DGPs) of States, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), the Union Territory Division of the MHA and other concerned senior officials.
In 2021, amid a similar shortage of All India Services officers, the DoPT had proposed deputing IAS, IPS and IFoS officers to the Centre without mandatory State government approval. However, following strong opposition from States, the proposal was put in abeyance.
As per existing rules, Central deputation requires both the officer’s consent and clearance from the State government. Official data shows that till December last year, 104 out of 229 sanctioned SP-level posts at the Centre were vacant, while 69 out of 256 DIG-level posts remained unfilled.