UNION Minister Jitendra Singh on Tuesday asked States to facilitate Central deputation of officers and follow the practice of cooperative federalism in true letter and spirit. Addressing the annual conference of Principal Secretaries of States and Union Territories looking after personnel, general administration and administrative reforms here, he said, it is the responsibility of both the Central and the State Governments to maintain the all-India character of the service. “It is also in the interest of the officers to get exposure to a wide range of experiences at the Central level, which in turn also has a bearing on their future empanelment or promotion in the career,” said Singh, the Minister of State for personnel. The move assumes significance as the Centre, in 2021, proposed changes to the service rules that seek to empower it to overrule States on matters related to the Central deputation of bureaucrats.

 

It also sought comments from the States and UTs on it. States like WB, Kerala, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Rajasthan have objected to the proposed amendments. Singh urged the State Govts to facilitate central deputation of IAS and other all India services officers, a statement issued by the Personnel Ministry said. Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service (IFoS) are the three all-India services. He called for following the practice of cooperative federalism in true letter and spirit. The Minister also asked the director of LBSNAA (Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration), Mussoorie, to sensitise, encourage and guide young officers to serve both at the State and Central level “as IAS officers are the shared resource between the Centre and the States”.

 

Singh said, the Central deputation is part of the federal structure in the country and urged the State Governments to cooperate with the central Government to address the concerns in this regard. He said an all-India service officer is an important interface of the Government, both within the state as well as the Centre. The officers of all-India services form the backbone of administration and it is important that concerted efforts are put in by the Government and the State Govts, to achieve the objectives of good governance through the effective implementation of Governmental policies and programmes.