73 IAS officers empanelled for central govt duty

Of the 73 names, 41 have been approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet for secretary-level posts, while 32 names have been cleared for holding additional secretary or equivalent-level posts, reports R Rajagopalan.

The Narendra Modi government on Wednesday approved the empanelment of 73 Indian Administrative Service officers of the 1987 batch for holding secretary and additional secretary-level posts, a government order said.

Empanelled officers alone can be drawn for central deputation from state cadres to be posted in the central administration. The empanelment is a rigorous procedure based on many criteria including competence, integrity, etc. 

The ruling batch at the Union government is of 1985 vintage while most of the 1983 IAS officers have since been superannuated.

Of the 73 names, 41 have been approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet for secretary-level posts, while 32 names have been cleared for holding additional secretary or equivalent-level posts.

Among the 41 officers selected for secretary-level posts, 26 names were approved for holding 'secretary or secretary equivalent' ranks, while 15 have been cleared solely for 'secretary equivalent' ranks.

Usha Sharma, a Rajasthan cadre IAS officer of 1985 batch, is the senior-most among all the officers empanelled for the secretary-level posts, followed by 1986 batch Kerala cadre officer W R Reddy, who is director-general of the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj.

The other IAS officers belong to the 1987 batch.

Sharma, currently director-general of the Archaeological Survey of India, was in May last year appointed in the rank and pay of secretary by temporarily upgrading the post.

Delhi chief secretary Vijay Kumar Dev, who is also handling the additional charge of chairman, New Delhi Municipal Corporation, is also among the empanelled list of IAS officers.

Dev, a 1987 batch officer of Andaman, Goa and Manipur Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre, was earlier the chief electoral officer of Delhi. He has also held the posts of deputy election commissioner, Chandigarh, and director general of National Institute of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD).

He was also empanelled to the post of additional secretary in the Government of India, and has served as the UT advisor in Chandigarh.

In the list of 32 IAS officers empanelled for additional secretary-level posts, 25 names have been approved for 'additional secretary/additional secretary equivalent' level ranks, while seven have been cleared solely for 'additional secretary equivalent' level posts.

Ashish Upadhyay, a 1989 batch officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre, is the senior-most among those empanelled for additional secretary-level posts while the other officers are from 1991 batch.

Among the 41 officers selected for secretary-level posts, 26 names were approved for holding 'secretary or secretary equivalent' ranks, while 15 have been cleared solely for 'secretary equivalent' ranks.