Dilli Ka Babu: Major overhaul in the offing

For the first time in more than 30 years, the government is carrying out an extensive exercise of collecting detailed profiles of all the existing services. According to sources, the department of personnel and training (DoPT) has written to all ministries for the information ahead of what is being termed as a major restructuring of the Central government services, including the IAS, IPS and the IFS.

It is believed that the government is hoping to complete the exercise by April next year.

The aim is to study the existing posts and services in order to eliminate redundant posts and, if necessary, introduce new posts that would be more relevant to the needs of today.

Besides personnel details, the exercise calls for details of the cadre structure, including details such as the method of filling up posts, designations, pay scale, number of posts in the cadre, last batch of officers promoted, total vacancies, etc.

Interestingly, the government is also considering the idea of splitting the DoPT into two separate departments, with one meant exclusively for training government servants.

UT cadre officer posted in J&K
Sagar Singh Kalsi of the IPS has become the first officer from the AGMUT cadre to be posted to Jammu and Kashmir after the Centre abrogated Article 370 and made J&K a Union territory. Mr Kalsi has been appointed in the anti-corruption bureau of the state “on loan basis” for a period of one year. He is currently serving in Arunachal Pradesh.

According to sources, Rakesh Kumar Singh, undersecretary in the ministry of home affairs (MHA), wrote to Naresh Kumar, chief secretary of Arunachal Pradesh, stating that Mr Kalsi should be “relieved immediately” to enable him to take up his new assignment in Jammu and Kashmir.

Earlier, Jammu and Kashmir cadre officers used to work for the state only and couldn’t be transferred outside the state except on Central deputation. Similarly, the government could not transfer UT cadre officers to the state. The AGMUT division deals with all legislative and constitutional matters relating to Union territories, including Delhi.

IAS losing charm?
Of late, an air of disquiet seems to be spreading across the IAS. The disenchantment seems to be affecting not just junior officers but senior officials also. Close on the heels of the three IAS officers resigning from the once-coveted service, which raised a lot of dust, it now seems that a senior IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre has sought the Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS), though he has 10 years to go before retirement. While the three IAS officers had stated their disaffection with the government’s policies for their decision, in this instance, it seems to be the beguiling charms of the corporate world.

It is being speculated that Rajiv Aggarwal, a 1993-batch officer, has put in his papers ahead of joining a technology-led ride-hailing company in a senior position at a handsome salary. At present, Mr Aggarwal is a joint secretary in the department of industrial policy and promotion.

Mr Aggarwal’s career move, if true, could be significant in the context of the current mood in the civil services, which is far from enthusiastic. A career in the corporate world certainly seems more rewarding. So, Mr Aggarwal may unwittingly be the bellwether of more IAS resignations in the coming months.