Deputation in IAS

 All India Service (AIS) comprises of three civil services of India. The IAS officers recruited by the central government through Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) & their services are allotted under various state cadres. The three civil services under IAS are Indian Administrative Services (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) & Indian Forest Services (IFoS). They are accountable to Central & State governments. The Cadres controlling authority of AIS is the union government. 

Recently, the central government has issued an order on the central deputation of Deputy Inspector General- level IPS officers. According to the order, IPS officers coming to the centre at the DIG level would no longer be required to be empanelled at that level with the union government. The existing rules, allow a DIG ranked IPS officer with a minimum experience of 14 years could only be deputed to the centre if the Police Establishment board empanelled them as DIG at the centre. The board chooses the panel on the basis of officers career & Vigilance record. Till now, only the superintendent of police level officer does not require empanelment at the centre. 

The new order makes the entire pool of DIG level officer in a state eligible for central deputation. Therefore, the order would not automatically allow DIGs to come to the centre, officers would still have to be put on the offer list for central deputation which is decided by the state & central government. 

The Ministry of Home affair release a statement in order to justifying new rules in the IAS with the aim to move at increasing the pool of DIG level IPS officer for the central deputation as there are backdrop of massive vacancies in the central police organization & Central Armed Police Force (CRPF).

The new order may be seen as a problem by many states as the centre attempt at pushing envelope further on increasing its power over officer serving in the states and resulted into the shortage of officer in the states. The new rules in the IAS is against the federalism where power & authority of central government & states  government are divided which shall not be intruded by any on them. the proposed amendment would weaken the political control over the bureaucracy in the state. It may resulted into the unwanted central & state government disputes. The central government could attack on the bureaucracy against the elected state government.