Patna/Mussoorie: The Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie, which trains India’s future IAS officers, is facing a shortage of experienced officers to serve as trainers and mentors. To address the requirement, the Bihar government has sent offers to 130 IAS officers belonging to the 2013–2018 batches, seeking their participation in training assignments at the academy.
The General Administration Department of Bihar has communicated the proposal to the selected officers following a request from the academy. The initiative aims to bring serving administrators with field experience into the training process and help young IAS officers understand the practical challenges of governance.
LBSNAA Seeks Experienced IAS Officers as Trainers
In a letter addressed to Bihar Chief Secretary Pratyay Amrit (1991 batch IAS), LBSNAA Director Dr B. Rajender, an IAS officer of 1995 batch from the Bihar cadre, highlighted the need for dynamic IAS officers who could guide and train young civil servants through their administrative experience and work ethic.
The requirement goes beyond appointing faculty members for classroom teaching. The academy intends to draw on the practical experience of serving officers to familiarise officer trainees with field-level administration, implementation of government schemes, district management, law and order and policymaking.
Read Also: Who Is IAS B. Rajender? New LBSNAA Director Who Left His Mark on Bihar’s Education System
For this purpose, officers from the 2013 to 2018 batches have been approached, as they have accumulated considerable administrative experience and served in different capacities across the state.
130 Bihar-Cadre IAS Officers Receive Offers
The Bihar General Administration Department has sent offers to 130 IAS officers. The list includes several officers currently holding important administrative assignments, including District Magistrates of 27 districts.
Among the prominent officers named are Patna Municipal Corporation Commissioner Yashpal Meena, Begusarai DM Richie Pandey, Purnia DM Anshul Kumar, Bhagalpur DM Alankrita Pandey, Muzaffarpur DM Kumar Gaurav, Nalanda DM Udita Singh, Samastipur DM Roshan Kushwaha, Gayaji DM Shashank Shubhankar and Bhojpur DM Manish Kumar Meena.
The list also includes Special Secretaries and Additional Secretaries serving in important departments such as Health, Education, Road Construction, Finance and Building Construction. Managing Directors of state-level corporations have also been included.
The proposed engagement is intended to make experienced administrators available to mentor and guide the next generation of IAS officers.
Bihar Faces Shortage of IAS Officers
The proposal also presents an administrative challenge for Bihar, which is already operating with fewer IAS officers than its sanctioned strength.
The state has 359 sanctioned IAS posts, but only 316 officers are currently deployed. Around a dozen officers are also serving on central deputation.
Against this backdrop, assigning a large number of experienced officers to training responsibilities at LBSNAA could create additional pressure on the state’s administrative machinery.
The Bihar government will therefore have to consider the academy’s requirement alongside its own staffing needs and administrative responsibilities.
Preparing the Next Generation of Bureaucrats
The initiative reflects the importance of practical administrative experience in civil service training. Officers who have handled district administration, departmental responsibilities and implementation of government programmes can provide officer trainees with insights that go beyond classroom instruction.
Through their participation, the academy hopes to familiarise young IAS officers with the realities of public administration, including field-level challenges, governance and policy implementation.
However, the proposal also raises the question of how Bihar will manage its administrative responsibilities if a substantial number of experienced officers are assigned training duties.
Some IAS Officers Named in the List
- Yashpal Meena – Municipal Commissioner, Patna Municipal Corporation
- Richie Pandey – DM, Begusarai
- Anshul Kumar – DM, Purnia
- Alankrita Pandey – DM, Bhagalpur
- Kumar Gaurav – DM, Muzaffarpur
- Udita Singh – DM, Nalanda
- Roshan Kushwaha – DM, Samastipur
- Shashank Shubhankar – DM, Gayaji
- Manish Kumar Meena – DM, Bhojpur
