The central government on Monday rationalised the process of granting approval for study leave abroad to IAS officers. It asked the state governments to ensure the availability of a sufficient number of bureaucrats both in the cadre and on central deputation before forwarding such proposals.
It is mandatory for state governments to obtain prior approval from the central government before granting ex-India study leaves to Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers so that the study leave may be considered in the light of the availability of a sufficient number of IAS officers in the cadre and for central deputation against the prescribed norms of central deputation reserve.
The Centre wants to see an overall assessment of how such long study leaves affect overall cadre management both at the state and central government levels before a well-informed decision is taken both by the state when recommending and for the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) to approve such long study leaves. Therefore, it is imperative that when recommending ex-India study leave for IAS officers, the requests for study leave, ex-India leave, or extension of study leave be considered based on whether there is a sufficient number of IAS officers in the cadre and for central deputation are available in accordance with the prescribed norms of the central deputation reserve. This would ensure that the functioning of the state and central government is not affected due to shortage of officers
The state governments should submit the details of IAS officers who have returned from such leaves during the last two years and the posting(s) given to them according to the practical knowledge and experience acquired during study leave.
