SHIMLA, Aug 18: The Himachal Pradesh government is planning to reduce the sanctioned strength of Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Forest Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) officers in the state as part of efforts to lower bureaucratic expenditure, officials said on Tuesday.
The government has proposed reducing the number of IAS officers from 153 to 130, a cut of 23, while the IFS strength is proposed to be reduced from 118 to 83, a reduction of 35 officers. The proposed reduction in IPS strength has not yet been finalised.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the state actually requires around 100-110 IAS officers, but the government was seeking a reduction of only 23 posts to ensure effective implementation of policies and schemes.
The Chief Minister also said the state would continue to facilitate central deputation for All India Services officers and grant them immediate permission to take up such assignments.
Officials said a formal proposal seeking a reduction in the strength of All India Services officers would soon be sent to the Centre.
At present, more than 20 IAS officers and over a dozen IPS and IFS officers are on deputation, with some serving in non-cadre positions within the state.
The state government is also likely to request the Centre not to allocate additional central service officers to Himachal Pradesh. Officials estimate that each such officer costs the state between Rs 40 lakh and Rs 50 lakh annually, including salary, dearness allowance, support staff and other benefits.
