MHA counters Delhi govt's claims on bureaucrats

New Delhi: The Union Home Ministry on Thursday countered the Arvind Kejriwal government's "campaign" that required bureaucrats were not provided to it, saying 86 officers at the senior level were provided to the city administration against the sanctioned strength of 83.

Out of the 309 sanctioned strength of Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service (DANICS) officers for Delhi government, 83 are at the senior level and 226 are at the junior level.

Against the sanctioned strength of 83 DANICS officers in senior level, the Delhi government has been given 86 officers -- three officers in excess, a Home Ministry officer said.

Out of the 226 junior level posts of DANICS officers in Delhi, currently, 82 officers are serving, resulting in 144 vacancies.

These vacancies are due to non-recruitment of a sufficient number of officers through civil services examination between 2001-2010 and non-induction of officers from feeder cadre to DANICS.

As many as 35 vacancies in junior level are on account of non-induction from feeder cadre i.E., Delhi Administrative Subordinate Services (DASS) to DANICS for which the Delhi government allegedly has not sent proper proposals since 2013, the official said.

The Home Ministry official claimed that the Delhi government has been reminded regularly to send its proposal complete in all aspects but of no avail.

At present, 44 officers recruited through UPSC are undergoing training and they will be available for posting after completing training.

"We are forced to issue the clarification as there has been a campaign, which is completely incorrect, against the Home Ministry," the official said.

The Delhi government has recently issued several advertisements in newspapers that the central government has not provided adequate officers to Delhi government thus hampering the work.

The Home Ministry is the cadre controlling authority of DANICS, DANIPS (Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Police Service) and IAS and IPS officers belonging to AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram-Union Territories) cadre.

Countering the claim that more bureaucrats were given to the Andaman and Nicobar Island administration than the required, the Home Ministry official said sanctioned strength of DANICS officers in Andaman is 28 but 19 officers are currently serving there, resulting in 9 vacancies.

Six posts of DANICS officers at the senior level have been lying vacant in Andaman for more than one-and-half year.

Due to the shortage of officers at senior level, the Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Island administration has requested the Home Ministry for proving required officers.

Accordingly, to meet the requirement of Andaman administration eight DANICS officers, five of whom in senior level, have been transferred from Delhi government to Andaman.

"To say that there are more than required number of officers in Andamans is factually incorrect," the officer said.

Besides, five DANICS officers have been transferred from outlying areas to Delhi government. Four other DANICS officers are awaiting posting by the Delhi government.

"When there is a shortage as claimed in the advertisement, it is not understood as to why the services of these four officers are not utilised," the Home Ministry officer said.

Further, out of the 86 DANICS officers, the Delhi government has sent 30 officers on deputation to various organisations.

"It is not understood as to how 30 officers have been spared by the Delhi government for deputation if indeed there was an acute shortage of officers as stated in the advertisement," the official said.