The promotion of 556 mid-level officials to the posts of deputy secretary (DS), joint secretary (JS) and additional secretary has raised concerns about the bulging size of civil bureaucracy. Of these officials, 145 JSs have been promoted to the post of additional secretary, 188 DSs have been promoted to the post of JS and 221 senior assistant secretaries have been promoted to the post of DS.
Many of these promotions have bypassed seniority in respective departments. The public administration ministry issued circulars in this regard yesterday.
Even before the record number of promotions, officials in the posts of DS, JS and additional secretary were surplus in the ‘top-heavy’ civil administration.
The newly promoted officials said that they are happy about the promotions. However, senior officials expressed apprehension about the possible ‘administrative chaos’ in the bureaucracy, as most of the officials now have senior ranks.
As of November 26, a total of 522 additional secretaries are working in different ministries and divisions against 107 sanctioned posts, 1,152 JSs are working against 430 sanctioned posts and 2,127 DSs are working against 830 sanctioned posts. The promotions announced on Sunday may affect the strength of the lower-level administration because of the decline in the number of section officials, as most senior assistant secretaries have been promoted to the post of DS.
The situation is forcing mid-level officials to perform the duties of section officials in order to keep the files moving.
Talking to The Independent, Dhiraj Kumar Nath, former adviser to the previous caretaker government, said the promotion of a record number of officials is likely to create mayhem in the bureaucracy. “I personally think that all efficient and non-efficient officials are being promoting without any discrimination. This may create a barrier in the process of bringing dynamism to the civil administration,” he added.
Nath also said that political interference in civil administration in the form of promotion—a regular feature of the administration—must be stopped and that due emphasis should be laid on merit and performance in order to develop an efficient institution.
“The morale of civil servants is getting weaker,” he claimed.
Nath said that since independence, 19 commissions have been set up on civil service reforms, but there has been no impact. “Without a sound and efficient civil service system, a government cannot deliver social justice,” he added. He said that the proposed public service act should be implemented and the existing promotion policy should be amended to make the civil administration dynamic.
At present, the civil administration is divided into two parts, pro-government and anti-government bureaucrats. The pyramidal structure of the country’s civil administration has been dismantled so as to facilitate the record number of promotions against duty posts, bypassing seniority. There is also a tendency to post many competent officials as officers on special duty (OSDs).