The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) is reviewing an internal report suggesting a potential rise in the annual recruitment of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers from the current 180 to a range of 210-220, acording to media reports.
Citing longstanding vacancies across district, state, and central government departments, the official highlighted the pressing need for additional manpower. The report, formulated by a committee comprising DoPT and Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) officials, underscores the necessity for bolstering the IAS cadre to address the surge in vacancies, particularly with the addition of approximately a hundred new districts since 2014.
Despite reservations expressed previously regarding compromising quality and career path distortions, the government is reconsidering its stance, given the persistent vacancy dilemma. Additionally, plans are underway to advertise 51 positions for deputy secretary, director, and joint secretary roles through lateral entry.
This potential policy shift signals a departure from the previous trend of reduced civil service recruitment between 2014-2018, reflecting a proactive approach to address staffing shortages across various administrative services.
