Odisha: Plan to tweak bureaucrats’ deputation rules against federal principles, says BJD MP Amar Patnaik

BHUBANESWAR: BJD Rajya Sabha member Amar Patnaik on Monday termed the Centre’s plan to acquire absolute powers in deciding on central deputation of IAS and IPS officers as “wrong federally and operationally.”
“I personally believe the move is flawed. In any arrangement on sharing, the lending party has an upper hand and not the borrower. In matters of central deputation, states are the lenders.That’s why they must enjoy the pre-eminence. But the Centre is trying to squeeze that powers of states,” Amar told TOI.
“If an officer doesn’t want to go on central deputation, the officer can’t be forced. In the existing system, if someone is unwilling, one is debarred from going on central deputation for five years which is a very good arrangement. There is matter of individual’s choice. The Union government plans to unilaterally choose and decide on central deputation of any officer. My personal opinion is this will be against federal spirit,” said Amar, who is a former Indian Audit and Accounts Services officer.
The BJD MP said giving overriding powers to the Centre will create functional difficulties for the states. The officers will face problems, he said, adding this would dilute India’s federal structure.
The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on January 12 wrote to the states about its plan to amend Rule 6 (deputation of cadre officers) of the Indian Administrative Service (Cadre) Rules 1954 doing away with the current practice required for officers to get a no-objection clearance from the state governments for Central deputation.
It also proposes to introduce a clause that if a state delays relieving a state cadre officer named for central deputation, the officer would be deemed relieved from the post on a date decided by the Centre.