Gujarat: The Shrinking Babucracy

With about a dozen Gujarat-cadre ias officers set to retire in 2023, their shortage-especially in the top echelons-is likely to become even more acute by the end of this year

- Jumana Shah

The 'steel frame' of Gujarat is wearing off at the top. Against the centrally sanctioned strength of 313, the state entered the New Year with just 250 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers, a shortfall of 20 per cent. With about a dozen officers set to retire in 2023, the shortage-especially in the top echelons-is likely to become even more acute by the end of this year. Chief secretary Pankaj Kumar's eight-month extension, given mainly to maintain continuity during the state assembly election held in December 2022, ended recently. Additional chief secretary (ACS) Raj Kumar has been appointed in his place, superseding Vipul Mittra, who will retire in July this year. Like Mittra, two other secretary-level bureaucrats-B.B. Swain and S. Aparna-are also set to retire this year.

This dearth of senior officers naturally impacts governance. And it often comes to the fore when they are assigned multiple departments of a key nature. For instance, Kamal Dayani, additional chief secretary (ACS), revenue, also heads the Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority. That the latter body is being meted out a stepmotherly treatment was discussed openly in state secretariat circles at the time of the Morbi bridge collapse last year. Similarly, the new chief secretary, Raj Kumar, had been holding the charge of ACS, home, industries and mines, besides heading the Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation, while the Gujarat Maritime Board and Gujarat Pollution Control Board share the same chairman, R.B. Barad. While revenue and home are among the core departments responsible for the government's smooth functioning, the others are technical ones, and are often red-flagged by various industry bodies for alleged red-tapism, putting a question mark on the BJP government's 'ease of doing business' pitch.