Even after 17 months of a cabinet decision and a year of a finance department order to raise the number of posts in the state finance service cadre from 408 to 690, there has been no progress in the matter. The state cabinet in its meeting on June 13, 2011 had decided to raise the number of posts in the state finance service cadre from 408 to 690. The finance department issued an order for its implementation on October 1, 2011 and stated that half of the posts would be filled through promotion and the remaining through direct entry.

According to rules, the bifurcation should be 15% through selection grade, 25% through senior scale and 60% through junior scale, the classification of which is still pending.

The post of finance service is equivalent to that of the state administrative service (SAS), state police service (SPS) and state forest service (SFS).

The state government has sanctioned 5% posts above four-tier year scale in the SAS and the SPS since 1998, but that is yet to happen in the state finance service.

"Officers of the SAS, SPS and SFS get promotion in all India service i.e. IAS, IPS and IFS whereas this promotion is not available in the state finance service," said a senior official of the finance department.

The officer added there is discontent among officers, who are usually in great demand in various departments, corporations and boards of the state government.

Repeated attempts to contact finance minister Raghavji turned out to be futile.