The Department of Personnel and Training’s (DoPT) latest annual report for 2024-25 shows that Sikkim tops the list, with 80% of its Central Deputation Reserve (CDR) positions filled by IAS officers on Central deputation.

The state has a sanctioned cadre strength of 48 officers, of which 10 positions were earmarked for Central deputation. Eight officers were serving in the Union government as of 31 March 2025.

Tripura ranks second, with 16 of the 22 officers allocated to its CDR serving at the Centre, translating into a deployment rate of nearly 73%. The state has a total sanctioned IAS cadre strength of 102.

Manipur occupies the third position, with 15 of its 25 CDR positions filled, putting its Central deputation rate at 60%. The state has a sanctioned cadre strength of 115 IAS officers.

AGMUT Cadre

Among the larger cadres, the AGMUT cadre - comprising Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram, and the Union Territories - leads the way, followed by Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, the joint Assam-Meghalaya cadre, and Madhya Pradesh.

The AGMUT cadre has a sanctioned strength of 620 IAS officers, with 134 positions earmarked for Central deputation. Of these, 66 officers were serving in the Union government, representing approximately 49% of the reserve.

Himachal Pradesh follows, with 16 of its 33 CDR positions filled, translating into a deployment rate of around 48%. The state has a total cadre strength of 153 officers.

Kerala has placed 23 of its 50 CDR-designated officers at the Centre, accounting for 46% of its reserve. The state has a sanctioned cadre strength of 231 IAS officers.

The joint Assam-Meghalaya cadre has deployed 25 of its 58 officers earmarked for Central deputation, or approximately 43%. The cadre has a total sanctioned strength of 269 officers.

Madhya Pradesh has also performed relatively well, with 41 of its 99 CDR positions filled, amounting to nearly 41%. The state has a sanctioned IAS cadre strength of 459.

Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal

The figures, however, reveal a contrasting picture in some of the country’s largest cadres.

Uttar Pradesh, which has the highest sanctioned strength among the states cited, with 652 IAS officers, has placed only 33 of the 141 officers earmarked for central deputation at the Centre — a deployment rate of about 23%.

West Bengal fares considerably worse. Against a sanctioned cadre strength of 378 officers and a CDR allocation of 82, only seven IAS officers were serving on Central deputation, representing a meagre 8.5%.

The wide variation across cadres highlights the uneven utilisation of positions reserved for Central deputation.