New Delhi (22.12.2020): Officials have been discussing and debating for some time whether the government's personnel management policy has reached a point of inflection. What has triggered this debate is the continued additional responsibility of the DoPT secretary on the shoulders of Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla instead of filling the post with a regular appointment following the retirement of Dr. C Chandramouli (1985 batch IAS) on 30 September 2020.

It is pointed out, though, that there is no doubt that Bhalla is a highly competent officer and has one of the best track records in implementing and executing government policies as he did as Power Secretary in the electrification of 18,000 villages under Ujwala. Yet, there is a limit to one's time. And it is argued that taxing the home secretary with DoPT responsibility goes against the grain of good administration since the home is a very demanding portfolio and requires 100% dedication of time and energy. 

Besides the vacancy of DoPT secretary, additional factors fueling the GoI HR policy debate are the rapidly escalating level of vacancies in critical institutional posts of drivers of the administration. For example, the PESB, which is responsible for filling vacancies in CPSEs, is itself without a chairperson for the past five or so months. A look at the PESB website reveals frightening levels of vacancies in key positions of drivers of the administration. A number of Secretary level posts have not yet been filled. They are; Secretary DoPT, Secretary Mines, Secretary I&B, Secretary Drinking Water & Sanitation, Chairperson NCWC, DG CISF, DG NSG, Members in CBDT, Chairman NCLAT, Chairpersons & Directors in half a dozen IITs etc whereas Secretary Fertilizer post falling vacant next week. Further, hundreds and hundreds of Independent Director posts lying vacant in Central PSUs.  

Officials speculate that probably there has begun a process of transition from the established authority in appointment matters to a new class of officers. Maybe, a serious exercise is on to shift the balance of convenience in favor of 'dedicated' officers given the big bang changes planned by the government which has to be ushered in before the 2024 general elections to convince the people of the competence, dedication, and vision of the NDA government. In this larger scheme of things, the government is possibly not inclined to keep the company of officers like those in the Ministry of Defence who did unnecessarily what they did on the issue of purchase of Rafale fighter aircraft in 2018 and 2019.

Sensing the changes likely to take place sooner than later, maybe the officials who have been hitherto responsible for maintaining the system of appointments, transfers, and postings in the mammoth government machinery and its organs like the PESB, CPSEs, and others have been gradually easing up and letting things go the way they are. That may be the best way to maintain the health of one's heart and keep BP normal and harmonious. But that has triggered the side effect in governance by creating a huge backlog of over a dozen vacancies at Secretary-level posts.

Or, probably, the government has come to believe that keeping posts vacant is better than filling them with untrustworthy officials.

(By Rakesh Ranjan & M K Shukla)