HP recalls six IAS officers from Centre

There is shortage of IAS officers. We have made a request to the central government. Certainly, the work is getting affected.

VINEET CHAWDHRY, chief secretary

SHIMLA: Facing the acute shortage of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers, three months after taking over reigns chief minister Jai Ram Thakurled government has written to the department of personnel seeking repatriation of its half a dozen officers on the central deputation.

“There is shortage of IAS officers. We have made a request to the central government. Certainly, the work is getting affected,” said chief secretary Vineet Chawdhry.

Himachal has total cadre strength of 147 IAS and as many as 32 of them are on different deputations with the central government. The state government has been feeling the pinch of the bureaucratic crunch since long. Previous state government led by Virbhadra Singh had also written to the Centre and sent letters to different state governments for deputing IAS officers in the cadre post in the state.

The department of personnel and training (DoPT) has enhanced the tenure of central deputation to seven years that forced the Himachal government to write to the Centre for sending back its officials.

Of the remaining cadre strength, around 15 IAS officials have been posted as sub-divisional magistrates in different subdivisions. The DoPT is yet to approve the request to enhance the state’s cadre strength from 147 to 155.

The government has recalled six IAS officials of Himachal cadre, including Manoj Kumar who is currently posted as chief vigilance officer with the Delhi development authority, Kondru Sanjay Murthy who is posted as joint secretary with information and broadcasting ministry, Kamlesh Kumar Pant who is posted as chief vigilance officer with National Highway Authority of India, Rajneesh who is posted as joint secretary commerce and industries, earlier he was the private Secretary to the President of India (Pranab Mukherjee), Subhasheesh Panda who is currently posted as director with the food and public distribution department, and Amitabh Awasthi who is posted as deputy director (administration) PGIMER, Chandigarh.

However, it has been learnt that the majority of officers on the central deputation are not willing to return back from their assignment midway.

In Himachal Pradesh secretariat, many senior bureaucrats are holding more than two departments. Additional chief secretary Tarun Kapoor has three departments, additional chief secretary Anil Khachi has the charge of the public works department and financial commissioner (Appeals), he is also the chairman of Himachal Pradesh Sales Tax Tribunal at Dharamshala, besides being the principal resident commissioner, New Delhi. Principal secretary RD Dhiman has charge of power, personnel and cooperation department. While chief minister’s principal secretaryadditional chief secretary Manisha Nanda has charge of environment science and technology, information and public relations, tourism and civil aviation departments, besides he is also the chairperson of the State Pollution Control Board.