The All India Services is in urgent need of reforms in several areas and at different levels. Deputation to the Centre is one such, and must be enforced. The central government cannot be hamstrung for lack of cooperation from the states
The dust thrown up by the Centre-state controversy over the enlargement in the jurisdiction of the Border Security Force (BSF) is yet to settle, and we are faced with another controversy over amendments in the All India Services (AIS) cadre rules. The objectives of the Constitution framers in providing for the scheme of AIS in Article 312 were to facilitate liaison between the Union and the states and to ensure a certain uniformity in the standard of administration.
The practice is that the Centre asks states for an “offer list” of officers from AIS willing to go on central deputation. (HT Photo)
The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and the Indian Police Service (IPS) were, at the time the Constitution was promulgated, deemed to be services created by Parliament under this article. The Indian Forest Service was constituted on July 1, 1966. Officers for these are recruited by the Government of India (GoI) through the Union Public Service Commission. After selection, the officers are allotted to states and Union Territories, depending on vacancies. Every state has a Central Deputation Reserve (CDR), which is 40% of the senior duty posts. Officers out of this reserve are provided to the Centre to run GoI’s various organs.
The practice is that the Centre asks states for an “offer list” of officers from AIS willing to go on central deputation. It then selects officers. Unfortunately, the number of officers on the list has been dwindling. The result is that the Centre has not been getting its full quota of CDR for some time, leading to a large number of vacancies. For instance, at the level of joint secretary, the number of IAS officers on central deputation dropped from 309 in 2011 to 223 in 2021, showing a fall in the utilisation rate from 25% to 18%.
The position is equally bad, if not worse, in regard to IPS officers. There are a total of 2,720 senior duty posts (superintendent to deputy inspector general of police), out of which CDR is 1,075. As against that, only 442 officers are on central deputation, leaving a vacancy of 633 . The worst defaulters are West Bengal with 16% utilisation of CDR, Haryana 16.13%, Telangana 20% and Karnataka 21.74%. As a result, central police organisations are facing a shortage of officers. For instance, in the BSF, against 26 posts of DIGs, there are 24 vacancies, and in the Central Bureau of Investigation, against 63 posts of SP, there are 40 vacancies.
The department of personnel and training (DoPT) wrote to the states on December 20, seeking their views on the proposed amendment to the IAS (Cadre) Rules, 154, which read: “Each state government shall make available for deputation to the central government, such number of eligible officers of various levels to the extent of the CDR prescribed under Regulations referred to in Rule 4(I) …. The actual number of officers to be deputed to the central government shall be decided by the central government in consultation with state government concerned”.
It issued another letter on January 12, expanding the scope of amendment to “specific situations where services of cadre officer(s) are required by the central government in public interest”. Another letter of January 17 says that “to maintain uniformity in respect of all three All India Services, analogous provisions are proposed to be incorporated in Rule 6 …”.
A large number of AIS officers never go on central deputation with the result that they develop a frog in the well mentality. The amendment proposed in the letter of January 12, which empowers the central government to seek the services of specific officer(s), has, however, caused genuine concern among AIS officers who feel it may be misused to victimise officers caught in the crossfire between the Centre and the states. The Centre would be well advised to withdraw this clause.
The Sarkaria Commission’s views on cadre management are relevant in this context. “A pool of resources meant for a number of users ceases to be a ‘common’ pool if individual users get the power to veto the decisions of the authority which manages the pool. We are, therefore, unable to visualise any arrangement as workable if it gives over-riding authority to the state governments on matters concerning officers of the All India Services and yet expects the Union Government to be responsible for their training, career management…. The Union Government, therefore, should have the final say….”
AIS is in urgent need of reforms in several areas and at different levels. Deputation to the Centre is one such, and must be enforced. The central government cannot be hamstrung for lack of cooperation from the states.
Prakash Singh is chairman, Indian Police Foundation
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