The tell-tale superabundance of OSDs

As a result, we have the whole lot of new officers on special duty (OSDs) inflating the number of the pre-existing ones which was big as it is. Just consider this: the senior assistant secretaries on promotion as deputy secretaries have alone raised the total number of OSDs, in that particular category, to 463. It is a well-known fact that OSDs in general are in a class that are put away from the mainstream operations of the administration and all too suddenly become a forgotten bunch. These officials, traditionally, have no specified duties and often stay in that state for months, which may even stretch into a year or so, unless someone would be extremely lucky to be posed out any sooner. They merely register their 'attendance' in respective ministries or departments representing thereby a reservoir of idle salaried manpower. Just consider this as well: 87 senior assistant secretaries who were recently transferred to the district-level administration, as additional deputy commissioners (ADCs), even after their promotion, will have to work in their present position for at least a year. This means that the DCs and the ADCs, for all practical purposes, will simultaneously hold the equivalent rank of deputy secretary.

Such massive promotions in haste, with a sizeable segment of trained and experienced officials being pushed to the margins, particularly at this fag end of the current administration, with the national elections near at hand, also raise questions about the motivation behind such an action.

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Over the years with the gradual retirement of our erstwhile civil servants in the CSP and EPCS cadres, there is no denying the fact, that our civil service has been considerably weakened. We should, therefore, desist from any action that further weakens the bureaucracy.