The Himachal Pradesh government is planning to reduce the number of Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Forest Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) officers in the state, in a move aimed at reducing bureaucratic expenses, officials said on Tuesday.
According to the proposal, the number of IAS officers is expected to be reduced from 153 to 130, a reduction of 23 posts. The number of IFS officers is proposed to be cut from 118 to 83, reducing the cadre strength by 35 posts. The exact number of IPS posts proposed to be reduced has not yet been finalised.
Himachal has more officers than required: CM
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has defended the state government's decision to reduce the cadre strength of IAS, IFS and IPS officers, saying the state has more officers than it actually requires.
Sukhu said Himachal Pradesh currently has 153 IAS officers, many of whom are posted in relatively minor departments where their expertise may not be fully utilised. The government, he said, is therefore seeking to reduce the IAS cadre strength from 153 to 130.
"There are a vast number of IAS, IFS, and IPS officers in Himachal Pradesh—far more than the state actually requires. There are 153 IAS officers, yet many are assigned to minor departments where their talent cannot be fully utilized; consequently, we have attempted to reduce the IAS cadre strength from 153 to 130. My personal view is to bring it down to 110, but the first stage involves reducing it to 130," he said.
He said the Himachal Pradesh government was also reducing the IPS cadre, while the IFS cadre had already been reduced from 117 to 83. "By reducing cadre strength in this manner, we expect to save approximately Rs 100–150 crore in the government's revenue expenditure," he said.
"The required strength of IAS officers should be between 100 and 110, but we are seeking a reduction of only 23 officers. We do not want an army of officers; we need officers who effectively implement the policies and schemes of the government," Sukhu said.
He dismissed criticism of the move, saying the state had an excess of officers and that the government should not be deterred by criticism of its decision.
The Chief Minister added that the government will continue to allow All India Services officers to opt for central deputation, granting them immediate permission to leave.
Himachal govt to send formal proposal to Centre soon
According to officials, a formal proposal to reduce the number of All India Services officers will be sent to the central government soon.
Currently, over 20 IAS officers and more than a dozen IPS and IFS officers are on deputation, with some posted to non-cadre positions within the state.
The government is also expected to request that the central government refrain from allocating more central service officers to the state, as it is estimated that the annual expenditure for each officer, including salary, dearness allowance, attached staff, and other perks, ranges from Rs 40 lakh to Rs 50 lakh.
(With ANI, PTI inputs)
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