The State has decided not to recommend Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officials belonging to the Kerala cadre for Central deputation this year in view of the acute shortage of top bureaucrats.
The IAS officials coming back to the State after a five-year Central deputation will not get any relaxation from the government in the “cooling period” of serving in Kerala before they proceed to New Delhi for another deputation.
The decisions are part of a three-pronged strategy taken by the government to end the practice of giving additional charge to the IAS officials in the wake of the shortage of top bureaucrats, and to ensure their efficiency, official sources said.
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The Department of Personnel and Training has responded favourably to the request of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy to ensure the return of the IAS officials of the Kerala cadre to the State as soon as the deputation to the Centre is over. The Additional Secretary of the department has informed the Chief Secretary that the deputation of the IAS officials from the State will not be extended under any circumstance.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the officers’ repatriation immediately after their normal or additional Central deputation, as the case may be, a letter addressed to the Chief Secretary said.
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For the smooth functioning of the administrative machinery, the government has given multiple portfolios to the top IAS officials in the State. As many as 36 IAS officials in the State have been entrusted with more than one department. Four IAS officials of the 2008 batch and another official of the 2009 batch too have been given additional responsibility, though they have put in less service.
The State needs 165 IAS officials, 125 IPS officers, and 88 Indian Forest Service officers.