BHUBANESWAR: The State government on Tuesday joined several other non-BJP ruled states in opposing the Centre’s decision to amend the IAS cadre rules. Though sources maintained that Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra has written a letter to the Department of Personnel and Training opposing the proposed amendments, the letter was not shared with the media. However, the State government maintained that development projects will be affected at the implementation level if it will have no say on the central deputation of IAS officers. Besides, it also demanded an increase in the cadre strength of IAS officers for smooth functioning.
The Centre’s move has been opposed by West Bengal, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Kerala, Chhattisgarh and Telangana. In a letter on January 12, the department of personnel and training had sought the State government’s views on the proposed amendments to Rule 6 (deputation of cadre officers) of the Indian Administrative Service (Cadre) Rules 1954.
One of the four amendments proposed by the DoPT is that if the State government delays posting a state cadre officer to the Centre and does not give effect to the Centre’s decision within the specified time, the officer will stand relieved from cadre from the date as may be specified by the Centre. At present Centre needs a no-objection clearance from the state government concerned for posting of an AIS officer on Central deputation. Another proposal of the Centre is that it will decide the actual number of officers to be deputed in consultation with the State.
The issue has generated political heat with the BJD and Congress opposing the move while the BJP has supported it. Taking to Twitter, BJD MP Amar Patnaik said, “The latest proposal by GoI to amend All India Service Rules, besides upsetting the existing balance in control that Centre & States exercised over these cadres, is also contrary to the current definition of deputation. It requires the willingness of the officer too, can’t be forced.”
Senior Congress MLA Santosh Singh Saluja alleged that the proposals, if implemented, will hamper development and called upon all, irrespective of their political affiliations to oppose the move. BJP general secretary Prithviraj Harichandan, however, said that the Centre faces a shortage of officers which will also affect the development of the country.
In a written reply Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had informed the assembly in December last year that there were 248 IAS posts and 195 IPS posts in the State out of which 68 and 75 posts were vacant. Of them, 54 IAS officers are eligible for central deputation and 28 have joined it. Similarly, out of the 42 IPS officers eligible for central deputation, 24 have joined.