Inside The Secretariat: Jaded IAS Officers, Transfers, VVIPs

The Struggles of Overworked IAS Officers: A Light-Hearted Take

As the budget session of the Legislative Assembly unfolds, IAS officers across various departments find themselves buried under a mountain of work. By day, they scramble to clear pending departmental tasks. By night, they craft meticulous responses for Legislative Assembly Questions (LAQ). Their once-sacred gym routines have been replaced with frantic page-turning, and their morning walks have given way to hurried coffee breaks. Even their meal schedules have gone rogue — lunch at dinner time and dinner at breakfast time.

The serene tracks of Punit Van and Sarita Udyan, once bustling with bureaucrats maintaining their fitness, now stand eerily empty. If anyone does spot an officer jogging, it’s probably because they’re running late for an urgent meeting. Amid all this chaos, the real workout seems to be keeping up with the Opposition’s relentless questioning, rather than lifting weights at the gym.

Transfer Trouble: A Long-Distance Marriage in Bureaucracy

Government transfers are like chess moves — some are strategic, others completely unexpected. Recently, Kutch Collector Amit Arora found himself transferred 500 km away to the Statue of Unity in Kevadia. His IAS wife, Preeti, however, is still stationed in Kutch, waiting for her transfer order to align. Bureaucratic love stories are unique. While most couples argue over weekend plans, these two are debating whose office has the better canteen food over long-distance calls.

Rumours swirl that Preeti’s posting in Kutch was a carefully orchestrated move, much like a masterstroke in administrative politics. Regardless, their colleagues are eagerly watching to see if love — or government policy — will bridge the distance first.

'Karmayogi' App: The Digital Saviour For Overworked Officers

In a bid to make governance paperless, the General Administration Department introduced the 'Karmayogi' application, replacing its older, limited-capacity counterpart, ‘Saathi’. While Saathi could accommodate only 35,000 officials, Karmayogi now boasts a whopping 3.80 lakh users, and it’s still growing.

This app has everything an officer could need — leave management, service records, performance reports and even a section for no-due certificates. The only thing missing? A 'Stress Reliever' button that instantly schedules a mandatory coffee break.

Hosting VVIPs: Gujarat’s 5-Star Hospitality Challenge

The Protocol Branch of the General Administration Department has been busy rolling out the red carpet for 610 VVIPs in the last year alone. From Presidents and Prime Ministers to Supreme Court judges and foreign diplomats, Gujarat has become a hub for high-profile visits. Managing accommodations, transportation, and security is no small feat — especially when last-minute requests come in.

During major events like the Vibrant Gujarat Summit, officers find themselves in an unexpected role — hotel managers. With government vehicles in short supply, luxury cars have to be rented from private agencies. Somewhere in the midst of all this, an officer can be seen frantically double-checking an Excel sheet, hoping they haven’t mixed up a Chief Minister’s itinerary with a High Court judge’s dinner reservation.

Ministers, Field Visits: A Game Of Hide-And-Seek

In an effort to bring governance closer to the people, state cabinet ministers have been instructed to go on field visits instead of spending endless hours in their chambers. But these visits seem to be as rare as a government office running ahead of schedule. Between packed calendars and unforeseen 'urgent meetings', some ministers have developed an uncanny knack for avoiding these tours.

When they do venture out, however, their expressions range from curiosity to mild panic, especially when encountering enthusiastic locals with a barrage of complaints. Somewhere in Gujarat, a minister might currently be regretting stepping out of the office, silently vowing never to miss a comfortable chamber meeting again.

The Balancing Act of Bureaucracy

Despite all the stress, long hours, and unpredictable transfers, IAS officers continue to keep the wheels of governance turning. From juggling policy work to navigating personal battles, they exemplify the art of balance — sometimes quite literally, as they try to eat a sandwich while typing out a report. And as the budget session nears its end, one thing remains certain: The officers may have lost their fitness routines for now, but their resilience remains as strong as ever.