Why Are the Proposed Amendments to IAS Cadre Rules Drawing Criticism?

The proposed amendments give the Union government greater control over the central deputation of IAS officers.

The proposal to amend Rule 6 (deputation of cadre officers) of the Indian Administrative Service (Cadre) Rules, 1954, was sent to the states on 12 January by the Department of Personnel and Training or DoPT, which is the controlling authority of IAS officers.

(Photo: The Quint)

The states and the Centre are on a collision course over the latter's proposed amendments to the IAS cadre rules that would give it greater control over the central deputation of IAS officers.

The proposal to amend Rule 6 (deputation of cadre officers) of the Indian Administrative Service (Cadre) Rules, 1954, was sent to the states on 12 January by the Department of Personnel and Training or DoPT, which is the controlling authority of IAS officers.

As expected, the new proposals have riled up the opposition-ruled states like West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra, who have labelled these new rules as "draconian" and "against the principle of federalism."

As per reports, at least six state governments, which also include the states governed by the BJP and NDA allies, have already written to the DoPT opposing the move.

But what do these proposed alterations to Rule 6 entail exactly? What could these changes lead to? And why are the proposed amendments drawing flak?

In this episode, we speak to Arvind Mayaram, an IAS officer from the 1978 batch of the Rajasthan cadre, who has also been the former Finance Secretary in the Ministry of Finance of the Government of India, and Jawhar Sircar, a retired IAS officer and former CEO of Prasar Bharti, who is currently a Rajya Sabha MP from the TMC.