IPS Officers Need 2-Year Central Stint As SP Or DIG To Qualify For Senior Posts: MHA

It has made it mandatory for the all IPS personnel to complete a minimum of two years of Central deputation at the rank of Superintendent of Police (SP), Deputy Inspector General (DIG) or an equivalent level for empanelment as Inspector General (IG) or equivalent at the Centre.

The move has come in the backdrop of repeated reminders, even from the level of Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, to the state governments to allocate adequate number IPS officers at the level of SP and DIG for central deputation matching with the Central Deputation Reserve (CDR).

According to the MHA order, “the new rule will apply to IPS officers of the 2011-batch onwards”.

Reluctance To Preference

The lure of field postings in the districts to lead the police forces appeared to have made young officers reluctant to opt and come on central deputation, a senior MHA official said, adding that therefore, the guidelines for promotion to the level of IG have been tweaked, as trends suggest that the officers, once at the level of IG and beyond, prefer to come to the Centre.

However, another official in the MHA said that the move is intended to ensure sufficient Central-level experience before officers are considered for senior leadership positions in the Central government.

In the order the MHA said, “The IPS officers must complete at least two years of Central experience at the rank of SP/DIG or equivalent level to be eligible for empanelment as IG or equivalent at the Centre. The new provision will apply to IPS officers of the 2011 batch onwards.”

The order along with a letter has been sent to all Chief Secretaries of state governments, directing them to bring the revised guideline to the notice of all IPS officers serving in their respective cadres.

Copies of the communication have also been forwarded to all Directors General of Police (DGsP) of state governments, Director (SM), Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Union Territory division of MHA, and other senior officials concerned.

What's New

The National Informatics Centre (NIC) has been requested to upload the communication on the official IPS website under the “What’s New” section.

Notably, the order changing the guidelines has come days after the Union Home Secretary’s letter to States urging them to send more IPS officers on Central deputation, noting that though the state governments send names for senior-most ranks, they do not propose names for appointment to the posts of SP to IGP.

In 2021, facing an acute shortage of All India Services (AIS) officers at the Centre, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) had proposed to depute Indian Administrative Service (IAS), IPS and Indian Forest Service (IFoS) officers to the Centre, without necessarily taking the State government’s approval.

The DoPT had then said that in spite of existing provisions, States did not sponsor adequate numbers of officers for Central deputation and the available officers are not sufficient to meet the requirements of the Union. But, following opposition from the States, the proposal was put in abeyance and not implemented.

As per the existing rules before an AIS officer is called for Central deputation, his or her concurrence and a clearance from the State Government are required.

According to the available government data, till December last year, out of 229 sanctioned SP-level posts at the Centre, 104 are vacant and at the DIG-level, out of 256 sanctioned posts, 69 were vacant.