Lagatar24 Desk
Ranchi: Jharkhand is facing a significant administrative crunch as 52 posts in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) cadre are currently vacant, raising concerns about governance and workload distribution within the state administration.
Vacancies and Current Strength
Jharkhand has a sanctioned strength of 224 IAS officers, but only 172 are presently serving in the state. As a result, 52 positions remain unfilled. Additionally, 16 IAS officers are currently on central deputation, further reducing the effective administrative strength available to the state government.
Officers on Study Leave and Retirements
Two officers, Ravi Shankar Shukla and Divyanshu Jha, are on foreign study leave. In 2025, as many as 11 senior IAS officers, including the Chief Secretary, retired. Three more officers—Anjani Kumar Mishra, Shekhar Jamuar, and Pawan Kumar—are set to retire on December 31, which will further widen the gap.
Officers Who Retired in 2025
Those who retired this year include Alka Tiwari, Hari Kumar Keshari, Suman Catherine Kispotta, Balkishun Munda, Lalchand Dadel, Nelson Eyon Bage, Shashi Bhushan Mehra, Pradeep Tigga, Poonam Prabha Tirkey, Gyanendra Kumar, and Ajay Kumar Singh.
Senior Officers on Central Deputation
Several senior IAS officers from Jharkhand are serving at the Centre. At the Chief Secretary rank, Shailesh Kumar Singh (Secretary, Rural Development), Nidhi Khare (Secretary, Consumer Affairs), and Satyendra Singh (Additional Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat) are on deputation.
Principal Secretary and Secretary-Level Deputations
At the Principal Secretary level, officers such as Sunil Barnwal (CEO, National Health Authority), Rahul Sharma (Additional Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat), K.K. Son (Mission Director, Jal Jeevan Mission), Himani Pandey (Additional Secretary, Internal Trade), and Aradhana Patnaik (Additional Secretary, Health) are serving with the central government.
At the Secretary and Special Secretary levels, Harsh Mangla, A. Muthu Kumar, Amit Kumar, Rai Mahima Pat Ray, Shantanu Agrahari, Bhuvanesh Pratap Singh, Akanksha Ranjan, and Basarat Qyum are posted in various central ministries and international institutions.
