The Union Government has increased the Gujarat’s authorized cadre strength of IAS officers from the present 313 to 328—an increase of only 15, while the state government is said to have proposed an increase of at least 30 new positions.
A notification was issued to this effect by the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT), modifying the Indian Administrative Service (Fixation of Cadre Strength) Regulations, 1955, in consultation with the Gujarat government.
As per the notification, the total number of Senior Duty Posts under the Gujarat govt has been fixed at 178. These include key positions such as Chief Secretary (one), Additional Chief Secretary (five), Principal Secretaries (nine), Secretaries to govt (17), District Collectors (33), District Development Officers (33), and Municipal Commissioners across major cities, including Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, and Gandhinagar, among others.
The Central Deputation Reserve has been fixed at 71 posts (not exceeding 40% of senior duty posts), while the State Deputation Reserve stands at 44 posts.
Similarly, the Training Reserve has been set at six posts, and the Leave Reserve and Junior Posts Reserve at 29 posts.
Further, according to the DoPT’s notification, 99 posts are to be filled by promotion under the IAS (Recruitment) Rules, 1954, while 229 posts will be filled through direct recruitment.
The sources indicate that the enhancement of cadre strength is aimed at strengthening administrative capacity in Gujarat, considering the state’s expanding governance requirements, growing urbanisation, and increasing developmental activities. The situation is further exacerbated due to vacancies, promotions, and administrative restructuring.
The sanctioned strength of the Gujarat IAS cadre was raised to 313 officers in 2018, but the state was operating with significant vacancies, with around 56 IAS posts lying vacant in the state and 14 officers on central deputation.
The increase in cadre strength was necessitated after the state government carried out promotions and reshuffles, with several senior officers elevated to Additional Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary ranks in the recent past. It was in addition to periodic transfers and postings of IAS officers across districts and departments.
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