n the past one year, Madhya Pradesh has witnessed a noticeable shift in its IAS fraternity — senior officers like Swatantra Kumar Singh, Abhishek Singh, Tarun Pithode, Preeti Maithil, Priyanka Das, and many others have shown a stronger inclination to work with the Central Government rather than remain in the state cadre.
Seventeen IAS officers have already left for Central deputation during this period, while only three have made their way back to the MP government. Among the returnees — Vishesh Garhpale, Ashish Bhargava and Ruhi Khan — Garhpale is the only one who holds a secretary-rank post.
The Department of Personnel and Training has most recently cleared the deputation of 2009-batch IAS officer Avinash Lavania, who is now set to join the Centre. Before him, a long list of officers had already moved out: Sofia Wali Faruqui, Ajeet Kumar, Chandramohan Thakur, Pankaj Jain, Neeraj Singh, Tanvi Sundriyal, Praveen Singh Adhayach, Nikunj Shrivastava, Gyaneshwar Patil, Pawan Sharma, Bakki Karthikeyan, Harsh Dikshit and Anuradha P are among those who have taken up Central postings.
This trend is raising concern within the state administration. Two key factors appear to be driving IAS officers toward deputation.
First, empanelment norms at the Central Government require officers — starting from the 2009 batch — to serve a minimum of two years as Directors at the Centre before being considered for Joint Secretary roles, making deputation a strategic move for career growth.
Second, several officers reportedly feel dissatisfied with the kind of postings being offered by the MP Government, prompting them to explore better opportunities through Central deputation.
The desire to move out has not stopped with those already deputed. Secretary-level officers Swatantra Kumar Singh and Abhishek Singh have also filed applications seeking Central postings and are awaiting approvals.
Additionally, Shriman Shukla and John Kingsley, both of secretary rank, had earlier expressed the same interest and submitted applications. However, when they did not receive any Central assignment, they continued to serve within the state.
While deputation is not a new trend in the services, the sheer number of IAS officers opting out of Madhya Pradesh within a single year has become a matter of debate. With several senior officials already gone and more looking to leave, the state now faces the challenge of retaining experienced administrators — a gap that could impact governance at multiple levels.
