The cash-strapped Himachal Pradesh government is seriously working on cutting down its huge expenditure on the bureaucracy by reducing the sanctioned strength of IAS, IPS, and Indian Forest Service (IFoS) officers in the state. According to sources, the state govt is soon going to approach the Centre with a proposal for it.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu confirmed that the state govt would formally send a proposal to the central government for reducing the strength of all three All India Services. According to him, the state would be seeking a reduction of 23 IAS posts at present, bringing the sanctioned strength down from 153 to 130, a cut of 23 officers. The govt plans to get it further reduced to around 100-110.
Similarly, the IFS strength is proposed to be reduced by 35 posts, from 118 to 83. Sukhu said the IPS cadre, currently comprising 96 posts, also needed to be downsized.
The CM said that oversized bureaucracy has been costing the state about Rs 200 crore annually. As per an official, on average, more than Rs 50 lakh is spent annually on each officer. It includes the expenditure on salaries, support staff, official vehicles, accommodation, and other perks enjoyed by these officers that can be saved.
Sources indicated that for reduction in the IFoS cadre, the state is also likely to cite factors such as top-heavy forest departments, which face a staff shortage at the lower level, hampering effective management.
The CM said Himachal virtually did not need such a large bureaucracy, and the talent of several officers is wasted as some have little or no work. Sukhu pointed out that the govt is now issuing NOCs and relieving officers instantly compared to the past when approvals for central deputation were usually delayed.
As per govt sources, nearly two dozen IAS officers and more than a dozen each from the IPS and the IFoS are currently on central deputation.
Caught in a debt trap of over Rs 1 lakh crore, Himachal is trying every possibility to cut down its expenditure.
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