5 years Central deputation linked to promotions
*8 more officers to be deployed in two UTs shortly
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Apr 30: The Department of Personnel and Trainings (DoPT) has decided to monitor performance of all All India Services (AIS) officers who have been deputed to the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh since abrogation of special status of erstwhile State of J&K and its bifurcation into two UTs and merger of J&K cadre into Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT).
Last week only, four IAS and two IPS officers and prior to that three IPS officers were posted into Jammu and Kashmir from AGMUT, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat cadres.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the DoPT has decided to regularly monitor services of all the officers of AIS posted in the Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh on deputation to both the UTs after August 5, 2019 decisions, to overcome shortage of officers.
“Services of all officers, who are on deputation to the Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh are being regularly monitored. Further extension in deputation will depend on performance of the officers,” sources said, adding the DoPT will also take inputs from top brass of the administration in both the Union Territories to assess performance of the officers.
Besides officers from AGMUT cadre, a number of IAS, IPS and other AIS Services’ officers from different States are presently on deputation to both Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. In addition to this, many officers from AGMUT cadre have also been posted in J&K as the latter is now part of AGMUT cadre.
The DoPT is reportedly in the process of short listing eight more officers of All India Services in consultations with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs for posting in the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, sources said.
Most of them are IAS and IPS officers from different States as well as AGMUT cadre.
Last year, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs had invited requisitions from the AIS officers for posting in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
A number of officers including natives of the two Union Territories, who were posted in other States and UTs, had responded to the requisition and opted for the postings here.
Sources, however, said that extension in deputation of the AIS officers will depend on their satisfactory performance.
Sources said since some of the officers in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh were reluctant to give five years of mandatory deputation to the Centre, the DoPT has decided that promotions of the officers will be linked to the deputation.
“Promotion of the officers belonging to All India Services can be stopped if they refused to give mandatory deputation of five years to the Centre,” they added.
Though this provision is already in place, it was not invoked in the past but with the DoPT now facing shortage of AIS officers for posting at the Centre it has decided to make it mandatory for the officers to give five years of service to the Centre.
“Both the UTs of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are short of IAS and IPS officers due to different reasons. The shortage is also due to delay in induction of Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Services (JKAS) and Jammu and Kashmir Police Services (JKPS) officers into IAS and IPS respectively besides delayed Cadre Review which has now been done,” sources said.
“The deployments of officers on deputation to the two UTs are primarily aimed at overcoming shortage of officers,” sources said.
“Presently, a number of IAS/ IPS and JKAS/JKPS besides other officers/officials from Jammu and Kashmir have been posted in the Union Territory of Ladakh to run the affairs there. This has also resulted into shortage of officers in Jammu and Kashmir,” sources pointed out.
Jammu and Kashmir at present has sanctioned strength of 137 IAS officers which will go up significantly (well beyond 150) once the Cadre Review is implemented, they added.
Recently, the DoPT issued a notification allocating 65 senior duty posts of AGMUT to Jammu and Kashmir in Indian Administrative Services, 70 in Indian Police Services and 58 in Indian Forest Services.
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