Out Of 82, Only 4 Bengal Cadre IAS Officers At The Centre: Why?

In a bureaucrat’s life, timely career progression is one of the most important aspects of their professional journey. But increasingly, there are whispers that WB cadre IAS officers are facing neglect. Concerns are being raised by a section among them, who feel the state has become a ‘graveyard’ for their careers, as few are allowed to take up central deputations.

Of the four WB cadre IAS officers at the Centre, Vivek Bhardwaj of the 1990 batch is posted as the Panchayati Raj Secretary, Puneet Yadav of the 1999 batch is Additional Secretary in the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, while Manmeet Kaur Nanda of the 2000 batch is the Additional Secretary in the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, and V Lalithalakshmi of the 2008 batch is the Secretary of the Capacity Building Commission, with additional charge as CEO of Karmayogi Bharat under the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT).

None of these are top-notch central posts, attesting to the overall feeling among WB cadre IAS officers that their career progression has stalled.

Adding to the woes is the fact that many officers, who have been empanelled for Secretary-level positions at the Centre, claim — off the record — that they could not avail of the posting as they were either not being relieved by the state government to go on central deputation, or cleared so late in their career that they got little time to be in those posts before superannuating.

Both Vivek Kumar, an officer of the 1990 batch, and Manoj Pant of the 1991 batch, retired from service without getting an opportunity to serve as a secretary at the Centre. Meanwhile, with just a few years left before their superannuation, both Prabhat Kumar Mishra, a 1993-batch IAS officer, and Krishna Gupta of the 1991 batch continue to serve in the state.

Hurts The State's Interests Too

There are many who feel that the minuscule presence of WB cadre IAS officers at the Centre also hampers the interests of the state, as there are few to protect its interests, particularly in formulating and finalising centrally sponsored schemes, under which a lot of central funds get disbursed to the states.

A senior serving bureaucrat said the present state of affairs also goes against the purpose for which the All India Service (AIS) system was created.

Meanwhile, another serving officer claimed, off the record, that the issue goes beyond the issue of central deputation, adding that young IAS officers are facing problems in getting posted even within the state.

“Young IAS officers are being kept on ‘compulsory wait list’ for postings at the level of Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO), with state civil service officers being given priority for key field positions in districts and sub-divisions,” the officer alleged, adding that in the long run, this could prove detrimental to the quality of governance in the state.