GoI wants State to increase number of IAS posts
DoPT may ask for deputation of equal number
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Aug 24: The Appointment Committee of Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has cleared the return of three senior IAS officers of Jammu and Kashmir cadre to the State from Central deputation—two with immediate effect and third from December 31, 2018. The Central Government was likely to seek an equal number of officers from the State Government for deputation, depending upon the availability as J&K was already facing shortage of officers to delay in cadre review.
Official sources told the Excelsior that following clearance given by the Department of Personnel & Trainings (DoPT) for return of three senior IAS officers to Jammu and Kashmir as sought by the previous Government headed by then Governor NN Vohra, the ACC today cleared the proposal to keep services of three officers at the disposal of State Government.
Two officers, whose deputation with the Government of India (GoI) has been revoked, with immediate effect included Atal Dulloo, Joint Secretary, Department of Rural Development, Government of India and Manoj Kumar Dwivedi, Joint Secretary, Union Ministry of Commerce. The return of Arun Kumar Mehta, Joint Secretary in Union Ministry of Environment and Forest and Climate Change, has also been cleared but he will be relieved on December 31, 2018 as he will be busy with an International level conference in his Ministry.
When contacted, Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Incharge DoPT, Dr Jitendra Singh told the Excelsior that return of three IAS officers of Jammu and Kashmir cadre to their parent State was cleared today after nod by the Prime Minister-headed ACC.
“While two officers—Atal Dulloo and Manoj Kumar Dwivedi—will return to the State immediately, Mehta will be relieved on December 31,’’ sources said.
They said the previous Government had also discussed return of three more J&K cadre IAS officers including Sudhanshu Pandey, Joint Secretary, Department of Commerce, Government of India, Rakesh Gupta, Secretary Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and PK Tripathi, Establishment Officer, DoPT. However, the DoPT didn’t agree for their return as services of Tripathi and Gupta were wanted in their respective Departments, where they were posted presently, while Pandey was due for promotion.
The two officers—Atal Dulloo and Manoj Kumar Dwivedi, sources said, were likely to join at the Civil Secretariat in Srinagar shortly for further postings amid indications that they could get significant Departments as they had been recalled from the Centre in the midst of their deputation for serving the State.
On August 6, the State Government had written to the DoPT seeking return of three IAS officers from the Central deputation. The DoPT had agreed to the State proposal and decided to relieve them pending clearance from the Appointment Committee of Cabinet, which was given today.
Sources said the Central Government was likely to ask the State Government to send an equal number of officers for Central deputation from the State Government to maintain the ratio. However, there is no such binding on the State Government and officers applying for Central deputation in due course of time, could be relieved
The DoPT was also in the process of asking the State Government to increase total strength of IAS officers in Jammu and Kashmir to help youths of the State, who qualify for the IAS, to get posting in the home State from next year. Previously, it has been observed that J&K youths qualifying the UPSC exams were unable to get posting in their home State due to less or virtually no vacancies of the IAS in the State.
In view of delay in holding of regular cadre review, new IAS officers hailing from Jammu and Kashmir and getting selected by the Union Public Service Commission 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 in the IAS but the State Government hasn’t done it (the review) since 2013.
Sources said 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.
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 with 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 Service 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 Pandey, Joint Secretary, Department of Commerce, 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, 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.
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