Why central deputation is losing charm for growing number of IPS officers?

In a disturbing disclosure, the Union Home Ministry has come out with data that shows a glaring number of vacancies in central security agencies, with the Central Government failing to fill even the prescribed quota of IPS officers on deputation.

This is particularly the case with the ranks of Superintendent of Police (SP) and Deputy Inspector General (DIG) in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and the Central Police Organisation (CPO), where innumerable posts of SP and DIG-rank officers are lying vacant. It is happening because the central deputation is losing its charm for the growing number of young IPS officers. 

The Union Government has increased the quota for IPS officers on deputation. Last year, approximately 678 posts were sanctioned for IPS officers, but this number has risen to over 700 now. Surprisingly, despite this increase, 212 positions of IPS officers remain vacant.  

According to a recent ministry report, the Intelligence Bureau (IB) has 83 approved positions for SPs (IPS), but 47 are vacant. 
The situation is no different for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), where out of the 78 sanctioned posts for SP (IPS), 42 remain vacant. Even DIG positions in these two top central agencies are not fully filled.

The latest MHA report indicates that 78 posts are sanctioned for SP (IPS) in the CBI, but despite numerous efforts, these positions remain unfilled. This has been the case for several years. If 42 of the 78 sanctioned positions remain vacant, the vacancy rate exceeds 50%.

Similarly, 83 positions of SP (IPS) have been sanctioned in the IB, but more than fifty percent, i.e., 47 posts, are lying vacant.

The same is the case with the National Investigation Agency (NIA), where eight out of 39 IPS (SP) positions are vacant. At the National Police Academy (NPA), 14 IPS (SP) positions are sanctioned, but six of these positions are vacant.

The situation is almost similar for the positions of DIG (IPS).

In the BSF, eight out of 26 DIG positions are vacant. In the CBI, five out of 34 DIG positions are vacant. In CIS, nine out of 31 positions are vacant. Similarly, the IB has 63 DIG (IPS) positions sanctioned, but 38 of these are vacant.

This easily illustrates the percentage of vacancies. Here too, more than 50% of positions are vacant. In the NIA, four out of 15 DIG positions are vacant.  

The picture is not complete, as, according to a report, there were 149 IG positions for IPS officers on deputation to the Centre, of which 27 were vacant. Of the 256 sanctioned IG posts, 68 were shown vacant. Of the 221 approved SP (IPS) posts, 126 remained vacant.

In prestigious investigative agencies like the CBI, 73 IPS (SP) posts were approved, but 54 remained vacant. Of the 83 SP (IPS) posts approved in the Intelligence Bureau (IB), 55 remained vacant. Sixty-three DIG (IPS) posts were reserved in the IB, but 30 remained vacant. As of March 1, 2024, 30 out of 149 IG posts were vacant. Of the 256 DIG posts, 70 were vacant. Of the 228 SP (IPS) posts, 132 were vacant. 

According to the Union Home Ministry’s March 2023 notification, 255 posts were sanctioned for DIG (IPS) positions in various central security forces, commissions, and investigative and intelligence agencies, of which 77 were vacant. Previously, this number of vacancies ranged between 120 and 186. As of December 2021, 252 posts were sanctioned for IPS DIGs, with 118 vacant. Similarly, 203 posts were sanctioned for SP (IPS) positions, but 104 remained vacant. This means that 50% of the posts remained vacant. 

As of July 2020, 254 posts were sanctioned for DIG (IPS) positions at the Centre, of which 164 were vacant. The number of SP (IPS) positions was 199, but 97 of these remained vacant. In the CBI, 20 out of 35 sanctioned IPS DIG positions were vacant. In the CISF, 16 out of 20 posts were vacant. In the IB, 28 out of 63 IPS DIG posts and 49 out of 83 IPS SP posts remained vacant.

It seems to be happening due to the Central Government’s deputation rules introduced in 2022. The Govt clarified that if an IPS officer approved for central deputation fails to join, he or she will be barred from central deputation and foreign postings/consultancies for a period of five years.

A committee of the Union Home Ministry had recommended that the panel process for deputation of IPS officers on DIG posts be abolished, as it takes a long time to complete. This move by the government was aimed at addressing the acute shortage of DIG-rank officers at the Centre. The suggestion was accepted. The government hoped that eliminating the panel system for DIG-rank officers would allow more IPS officers to come to the Centre on deputation, as the nomination process used to take about a year to complete.

The Centre also amended the All India Services rules, which stated that the Central Govt could call IAS and IPS officers on central deputation with or without state permission. But nothing seems to be happening right for the central govt at present.

There are various reasons being ascribed to this grim scenario. A retired BSF ADG tries to reason it out by saying that young IPS officers avoid joining any demanding job. As SPs, they get the opportunity to command district police in their state, so they don’t want to move. When they become DIGs, they look for comfortable postings. If they can’t find that position on central deputation, they don’t join such posts.

IPS officers don’t want to join central police organizations or paramilitary forces as DIGs. In these forces, the DIG position falls under “field posting.” According to him, IPS officers are deployed in border areas. Many officers manage to stay at headquarters, but most DIGs are posted to remote units. 

Posts like IG/ADG/SDG are mostly available at headquarters, so IPS officers join immediately. CAPF cadre officers are not given permanent promotions to vacant posts. For the past few years, it has been observed that when IPS officers do not join the post of ‘DIG’, some posts are diverted to cadre officers on a temporary basis.

The reason is simple: if IPS officers do not get the desired posting, then why would they come to the Centre. For the same reason, most of the SP (IPS) posts remain vacant in IB and CBI. 

Coming to the DIG post, the role of DIG in the state police is no longer significant. In many states, IPS officers are now being appointed to IAS positions. Four to five years ago, 17 retired IPS officers appealed to serving IPS officers to come forward to serve under the central government.

The young officers forget to understand that the idea to have IPS officers on central deputation was meant to strengthen the relationship between the central and state governments, and the All India Services are the most important link that connects the Indian Union and the states. IPS officers need to be encouraged to go on central deputation and contribute to national security at both the macro and micro levels.