For the first time since 2013, the BJP government in West Bengal has posted a batch of IAS officers as Sub-Divisional Officers (SDOs) after completing their two-year training at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA). Earlier, IAS officer batches were being posted as Officers on Special Duty (OSDs) at the state headquarters.
The Bengal govt issued a notification on August 28 appointing 11 IAS officers of the 2024 batch as SDOs with immediate effect after they completed their Phase-II training at the LBSNAA.
Among those posted, Khushhali Solanki has been appointed SDO of Arambagh in Hooghly; Rohit Tyagi will take charge as SDO of Contai in Purba Medinipur; Pragati Nautiyal has been posted to Bolpur in Birbhum, while Soham Teberiwal will be the SDO of Uluberia in Howrah.
The remaining officers have also been posted across subdivisions in different districts. Patil Vinay Sunil will serve as SDO, Bishnupur, in Bankura; Deepesh Gaur as SDO, Domkal, in Murshidabad; Akashdeep as SDO, Raghunathpur, in Purulia; Vinayak Kumar as SDO, Kalna, in Purba Bardhaman; Dipak Meena as SDO, Manbazar, in Purulia; Bratati Dutta as SDO, Bongaon, in North 24 Parganas; and Matendra Kumar Meena as SDO, Dinhata, in Cooch Behar.
These trainee officers were earlier serving as Assistant Magistrates and Assistant Collectors (AM&AC) in different districts of the state.
The purpose behind reviving the practice is to ensure the newly trained bureaucrats get direct exposure to field administration early in their careers.
Chief secretary Manoj Agarwal says this is very important for their career progression, which the IAS association has been demanding for a long time.
According to a senior IAS officer, earlier, IAS officer trainees used to spend about three months in Delhi as part of their training, where they were attached to Union government ministries as Assistant Secretaries.
The Centre’s Assistant Secretary Programme was launched in 2015, and since 2023 it has been structured as an eight-week programme before Phase-II training at LBSNAA.
He strongly supports the govt move, saying a direct field posting at this stage gives officers an opportunity to handle a subdivision and deal directly with people and local administration, which is important for an officer’s career. Plus, it helps build the experience needed for the responsibilities they take on later, he adds.
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