Tripura cadre shrinks as IAS officers exit on marital grounds; state faces administrative challenge

A concerning trend has emerged in Tripura’s administrative landscape, with a series of inter-cadre transfers by newly recruited Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers significantly depleting the state’s bureaucratic strength. Over a dozen officers from batches between 2019 and 2023 have sought transfers out of the state cadre, mostly on grounds of marriage, raising alarm bells within the state administration, which is already grappling with a shortage of senior officers.

According to official records, these transfers have resulted in officers moving to cadres such as Bihar, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh. While such inter-cadre transfers are allowed under the All India Services (Cadre) Rules on marital grounds, the cumulative impact on Tripura’s governance and administrative structure has been substantial.

Inter-Cadre Transfers from Tripura

• Krishna Chandra Gupta (IAS:2021:TR) was transferred to the Bihar cadre after marrying Ms. Garima, a 2022-batch IPS officer from Bihar.
• Ms. Charu (IAS:2022:TR) received inter-cadre transfer to Rajasthan, following her marriage to Sujit Shankar, a 2020-batch IPS officer from the Rajasthan cadre.
• Rajdeep Singh (IAS:2021:TR) was shifted to Himachal Pradesh after marrying a Karnataka-cadre IAS officer of the same batch. Their joint request led to their placement in a third cadre, Himachal Pradesh.
• Smt. Shrestha Sree (IAS:2022:TR) moved to the Rajasthan cadre following her marriage to Mridul Singh, an IAS officer of the 2020 batch from Rajasthan.
• Himanshu Mangal (IAS:2023:TR) secured a transfer to the Tamil Nadu cadre after marrying Vaishnavi Paul, a 2023-batch IAS officer from Tamil Nadu.
• Rahul Modi (IAS:2020:TR) was transferred to Haryana in September 2023 after his marriage to Deepti Garg, an IPS officer of the same batch from Haryana.
• Ms. Sanya Chhabra (IAS:2019:TR) was granted a transfer to Uttar Pradesh following her marriage to Ankur Kaushik, a 2019-batch IAS officer from UP.
• Ms. Sonakshi Singh Tomar (IAS:2016:TR) was earlier given an inter-cadre transfer to Himachal Pradesh under the Centre’s Physically Handicapped (PH) policy in September 2019.

Mounting Pressure on Tripura’s Administration

These exits have not only reduced the number of officers in the Tripura IAS cadre but also created an administrative vacuum, especially at key leadership levels. With a shrinking pool of IAS officers, the state has had to increasingly depend on Tripura Civil Service (TCS) officers to shoulder critical responsibilities.

A senior official in the state secretariat noted that many TCS officers are now burdened with dual or even triple responsibilities due to a lack of sufficient IAS officers. This overdependence on the state civil services may have long-term implications for policy implementation, district-level governance, and administrative continuity.

Urgent Need for Policy Intervention

The state government is now facing growing calls to address this issue proactively. Experts suggest introducing measures such as retention bonuses, incentives for difficult postings, or fast-tracked promotion and leadership training for TCS officers to mitigate the impact and stabilize governance.

While the cadre rules allow such marital transfers in the interest of family life, the Tripura experience highlights the administrative challenges that small cadre states face as a result.