Despite cadre expansion, Telangana’s woes of IAS crunch continue

Despite the Centre’s decision to increase the IAS cadre strength of Telangana from 208 to 218, the state continues to reel under the impact of its crunch. The situation is turning grim as the state needs more officers due to the creation of new districts and institutions and growing urban sprawl. What exacerbates the situation is the fact that the actual number of officers available on the ground is far lower than even the sanctioned strength.

Telangana has been pressing for at least 50 additional IAS officers to ensure effective governance since its inception in 2014.  Though the Centre recently marginally increased its cadre strength, the officers actually working in the state are about 170, far below the cadre strength. Worse, many of them go on central deputation, leading to a shortage of officers at every level.

In order to assess the state’s requirements, the Centre periodically reviews cadre strength, but the latest revision addressed only a fraction of the demand.

The fact is, after bifurcation, Andhra Pradesh got more officers. Apart from that, every year new posts are added to the state, and the administrative requirements have been expanding steadily. 

Its reason is simple: several key institutions came into being after the creation of a new state, which now requires senior officers.

There are various examples, like HYDRAA, which was created only in 2024. Similarly, IAS officers are required for Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited, Musi Riverfront Development Corporation, and other specialised bodies.

Similarly, the creation of new districts is further straining manpower. With the number of districts rising from 10 to 33, the state now requires at least 66 IAS officers—one district collector and one additional collector per district. 

Added to it is the urban expansion, which further adds to the burden. As the GHMC area expanded from 650 sq km to 2,050 sq km, the requirement of IAS officers rose from around five or six to nearly 20. According to a senior official posted in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), only 12 officers are currently posted.

The situation is further aggravated by the acute shortage of senior officers at the principal secretary and secretary levels. In several cases, departments are either headed by junior officers or managed through additional charge arrangements.  All these factors are now taking a toll on the governance and the policy implementation.