Madhya Pradesh denies central deputation to four IAS officers
The state government cited 68 cadre vacancies as the reason for refusing the requests of four officers.
The Madhya Pradesh government has refused to allow four IAS officers to go on central deputation, according to NorthBlockSouthBlock. The state cited an acute shortage of administrative personnel for the decision.
The officers whose requests were turned down are Harshika Singh, Rohit Singh, Abhijeet Agrawal, and Anurag Chaudhary. All four belong to the Madhya Pradesh cadre and must remain in their current state assignments.
Madhya Pradesh has a sanctioned strength of 459 IAS officers, but 68 positions are currently vacant. The state is also considering the repatriation of Madhya Pradesh-cadre officers serving on central deputation whose tenures end next year.
Rohit Singh, a 2012 batch officer, is the Managing Director of the Madhya Pradesh Textbook Corporation. Abhijeet Agrawal serves as the Managing Director of the Madhya Pradesh State Cooperative Marketing Federation (MARKFED).
Retired IAS officer D.S. Rai criticised the decision, stating that staff shortages should not restrict the professional growth of younger officers. He noted that central deputation offers exposure to national policymaking and governance.
Rai also mentioned that the creation of smaller districts, such as Pandhurna, Maihar, and Niwari, has increased the demand for officers. Delays in promoting State Administrative Service officers to the IAS have also contributed to the shortage.