In a clear message to IAS officers reluctant to opt for central deputation, the government has empaneled only 16 officers from the 2009 batch for Joint Secretary (JS) positions in the ‘initial’ list, out of a total of 119 officers. This marks the lowest number of officers from any batch making it to the first list.
The government has strictly enforced the eligibility criterion requiring a minimum of two years of service as a Deputy Secretary or Director in the central government for an IAS officer to qualify for empanelment as a JS. While this rule was introduced starting with the 2007 batch, officers from the 2007 and 2008 batches were granted some relaxations.
Data from previous years indicates a significantly higher number of officers were empaneled in the initial lists. For instance, 49 out of 89 officers from the 2005 batch, 55 out of 87 from the 2006 batch, and 31 out of 89 from the 2007 batch were included. Similarly, 64 officers from the 2008 batch out of 111 were empaneled in the first list.
While the government has later considered ‘initial leftover’ and ‘initial deferred’ categories for officers from these batches, officials believe the drastically reduced number in the 2009 batch’s first list serves as a clear signal to those unwilling to take up central government roles.
