By THE NEWSMAN OF INDIA.COM|
As per reports; Facing a growing shortage of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers, the Rajasthan government has urged the Centre to repatriate two senior bureaucrats currently on central deputation — Rohit Kumar (IAS: 1997: RJ) and Siddharth Mahajan (IAS: 2003: RJ) — to strengthen the state administration.

According to official sources, Rajasthan presently has only 280 serving IAS officers against a sanctioned strength of 332. Of these, 23 are on central deputation and one on inter-state posting, leaving a significant administrative gap that has placed additional burdens on officers within the state.

Siddharth Mahajan is currently serving as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, while Rohit Kumar holds the post of Additional Secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat. Another senior officer, Purna Chandra Kishan (IAS: 2005: RJ), who was appointed Joint Secretary in the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in August 2024, has also sought repatriation to his home cadre for personal reasons.

Insiders indicate that one of these returning officers may be considered for the post of Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister — a position that fell vacant after Alok Gupta (IAS: 1996: RJ) was transferred as Principal Secretary, Industries.

Recently, the state government had also withdrawn No Objection Certificates (NOCs) granted to three officers — K.K. Pathak (IAS: 2001), P. Ramesh (IAS: 2005), and Nakate Shiv Prasad Madan (IAS: 2011) — citing acute manpower shortage. However, the Centre went ahead with Pathak’s appointment as Joint Secretary in the Department of Fertilizers, leading to a temporary standoff. The issue was resolved a month later when the state formally relieved him of his duties.

The latest move by the Rajasthan government once again highlights the persistent shortage of IAS officers in the state and its growing concern over maintaining administrative efficiency amidst rising governance demands.