Top bureaucrat supports govt in plan to amend IAS rules

At a time when several states are expressing reservations about a proposed change in rules to allow the Centre to call any IAS officer on deputation, a top bureaucrat on Friday came out in support of the Narendra Modi government’s move, saying there has to be a level playing field as some officers choose to remain at state for their full tenure.

Expressing his “personal views” during a press conference, Information and Broadcasting Secretary Apurva Chandra said one could find some cadres from which all the time one finds officers at the Centre, while there are cadres like Maharashtra from where virtually nobody wants to come to Delhi.

A Maharashtra cadre IAS officer, Chandra said there are only 22 officers from his home cadre at present at the Centre against a quota of 93.

His comments came when he was asked about West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi objecting to a draft amendment to rules that allow the Centre to transfer any IAS officer to the Centre even without the consent of states. Similar amendments are also contemplated for IPS and IFoS officers.

The Centre has argued that the amendment in IAS (Cadre) Rules is needed as the number of officers available on deputation currently was not sufficient enough and needed powers to summon officers to even without concerned state’s consent.

Besides West Bengal, states like Kerala, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Odisha are said to have expressed their disagreement about such a move. There are also reports that NDA-ruled states like Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Meghalaya are also not in agreement.

Chandra said, “There has to be some level-playing field that everybody has to work in the Government of India as well as in states. This is my personal view,” he said.

He said central deputation works well for an officer as it gives a “very broad perspective”, as it is not just for the sake of the Centre. He said the experience at the Centre would help the officer when he returns to the state and vice versa.

“If you remain in the state, you develop a provincial mindset. Then what is the difference between a state service officer and an IAS officer?” he said, adding that faster promotions are the only benefit if one stays in state.

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