Govt seeks return of 3 senior IAS officers from Central deputation

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 6: The State Government has sought return of three senior IAS officers of Jammu and Kashmir cadre from Central deputation and their posting with the State Government.
A communication to this effect has been sent to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), New Delhi by the Governor’s administration and the Central Government has agreed to relieve all three IAS officers, whose services have been sought by the State Government, official sources told the Excelsior.
Three IAS officers, whose services have been requisitioned by the State Government, included Arun Kumar Mehta, Joint Secretary in Ministry of Environment and Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, Atal Dulloo, Joint Secretary, Department of Rural Development, Government of India and Manoj Kumar Dwivedi, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, Government of India.
The DoPT has initiated the exercise to relieve the three senior IAS officers from the Central deputation and return them to Jammu and Kashmir Government.
However, a final decision will be taken in the next couple of days by the Appointment Committee of Cabinet (ACC), headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
When contacted, Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Dr Jitendra Singh, Incharge Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT), told the Excelsior that requests from the State Government are received from time to time for return of the IAS officers from the Central deputation.
“The requests are considered on merit,” he said.
However, in the case of return of three senior IAS officers of Jammu and Kashmir cadre, the DoPT has no objections as their services have been sought by the Governor’s administration for utilizing them in the State.
According to sources, no immediate decision has been taken by the State Government to relieve an equal number of IAS officers from Jammu and Kashmir to place their services at the disposal of the DoPT for Central deputation. However, there is no such binding on the State Government and officers applying from Central deputation in due course of time, could be relieved.
There are a total of 16 IAS officers of Jammu and Kashmir cadre out of a total of 73, who are on deputation with the Central Government and one State of Maharashtra.
Apart from Arun Kumar Mehta, Atal Dulloo and Manoj Dwivedi, 13 other IAS officers on deputation with the Centre included BR Sharma, Additional Secretary in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, Rakesh Kumar Gupta, Secretary, Union Public Services Commission (UPSC), Suresh Kumar, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Coal, Government of India, Pradip Kumar Tripathi, Joint Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training, Public Grievances and Pension, Sudhanshu Panday, Joint Secretary, Department of Commerce, Government of India, Sundeep Kumar Nayak, Managing Director, National Cooperative Development Corporation of India, Shantmanu, Development Commissioner Handicrafts, Ministry of Textiles, Bipul Pathak, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Mines, Government of India, Ashok Kumar Parmar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, Dr Mandeep K Bhandari, Private Secretary to Union Minister for Human Resources Development, Mandeep Kour, Deputy Secretary, Department of Revenue, Pandurang Kondbarao Pole, who is on inter-State deputation to Maharashtra and Yasha Mudgal, Additional Resident Commissioner, Resident Commission, New Delhi.
It may be mentioned here that due to delay in holding of regular cadre review, new IAS officers hailing from Jammu and Kashmir and getting selected by the Union Public Service Commission in new batches were not getting allocated to their home State as the State Government hasn’t projected additional seats
Sources said that the Department of Personnel and Training has sent repeated reminders to Jammu and Kashmir Government in the past to carry out the cadre review of the IAS, which would help in increase in total number of quota of the State but the State Government hasn’t done it (the review) since 2013.
“This has deprived Jammu and Kashmir youths, who have been cracking the Union Public Services Commission examinations in good number during the past few years, of serving in their home State,” sources said, adding the DoPT would shortly make a fresh attempt to write to the new State Government on conducting cadre review of IAS as it feels that it stands good chance under the Governor’s rule.
During the cadre review, the State Government can increase or decrease the strength of IAS. However, generally it is increased. In Jammu and Kashmir, the cadre review has not been conducted since 2013.
Meanwhile, according to sources, there has been no change in the DoPT stance of treating Jammu and Kashmir at par with other States in IAS allotment and induction ratio of 67:33.
The previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government had changed Jammu and Kashmir’s ratio to 50:50 i.e. filling 50 per cent IAS posts through induction of KAS officers into IAS and an equal number from fresh IAS recruits. Earlier, it was 67:33 for Jammu and Kashmir also at par with other States i.e. filling up 67 per cent IAS posts through direct recruits and 33 per cent by induction of KAS officers into IAS.
However, according to sources, the relaxation given to Jammu and Kashmir had expired in 2013 and since then it hasn’t been revived. The Central Government remained silent on the subject even when it was repeatedly taken up with them by former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.

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