Himachal Pradesh plans to reduce IAS strength by 23 officers and IFS strength by 35, with an IPS reduction also under consideration.
The government cites a Rs 6,577 crore revenue gap and rising costs of maintaining a large bureaucracy.
Former bureaucrats and the Opposition have questioned whether the move is a genuine governance reform or a political and numerical exercise.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has decided to seek a reduction in the sanctioned cadre strength of IAS officers from 153 to 130, asserting that Himachal Pradesh has more All India Services officers than it requires.
The proposal to prune the cadre strength of the Indian Forest Service (IFS) and the Indian Police Service (IPS), along with the IAS, will soon be sent to the Centre, the chief minister said here, citing a growing “financial burden” on the exchequer in the small hill state.
While the IAS cadre will see a reduction of 23 officers in one go, the strength of IFS officers will also be reduced from 118 to 83, a reduction of 35 officers. The exact number of IPS officers to be reduced has not yet been worked out, officials in the personnel department said.
“In fact, the required strength of IAS officers should be between 100 and 110, but we are seeking a reduction of only 23 officers, as we don’t want an army of officers but need officers who effectively implement the policies and schemes of the government,” said Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.
The move comes on the heels of the state government’s decision earlier this year not to accept any fresh IAS, IFS or IPS officers in the new batches, arguing that the existing sanctioned strength of All India Services officers is disproportionate to Himachal Pradesh’s population size.
Only a week ago, the state government relieved three IAS officers who had decided to proceed on central deputation. “We will grant NOCs to all those officers who seek central deputation,” said the chief minister.
Thus, this week’s decision to reduce the cadre strength has not surprised many, yet it has certainly ruffled some feathers in the bureaucracy, which had earlier faced pay cuts, while a few officers were also kept without substantive posts for almost six months.
More than 25 IAS officers, at least a dozen IPS officers and an equal number of IFS officers are on deputation. Some IPS and IFS officers, who are also described as “favourites”, are manning non-cadre administrative positions.
According to the chief minister, the state does not need a large bureaucracy for such a small population. Several officers do not have enough work, and their capabilities remain underutilised; talent is being wasted.
The state government spends nearly Rs 200 crore on maintaining the large cadre, apart from expenses on their attached staff, perks, travel, medical expenses and official bungalows.
The state is passing through an acute fiscal crunch, especially after the Centre withdrew the Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG), resulting in a direct shortfall of Rs 10,000 crore per annum, and also stopped GST compensation.
The state’s revenue for 2026-27 is projected at Rs 40,361 crore, while total revenue expenditure is estimated at Rs 46,938 crore, leaving an uncovered gap of Rs 6,577 crore. Of the total receipts, the government will spend Rs 35,641 crore to meet committed liabilities, including Rs 16,603 crore on salaries, Rs 11,733 crore on pensions and Rs 7,272 crore towards interest payments on loans.
In the 2026-27 Budget, the chief minister had imposed a 30 per cent salary cut on top bureaucrats, IPS and IFS officers to send a message about cost-cutting.
The question now arises whether the chief minister is reducing the sanctioned cadre strength to establish a political narrative of taking unpopular decisions to fix the state’s financial position or whether it is part of broader governance reforms.
Chief Minister’s Principal Media Advisor Naresh Chauhan said, “This is just one aspect of the Chief Minister’s drive towards good governance and Vyavastha Parivartan. He has consistently spoken about making Himachal Pradesh self-reliant and transforming it into a strong economy capable of competing with larger states.”
He assured that the government would ensure that no section of the population suffers because of the proposed restructuring. “We will continue to have an adequate strength of administrative officers to meet the state’s governance needs,” Chauhan said.
Tarun Shridhar, a former Secretary to the Government of India, who had served as Additional Chief Secretary (Personnel and Home), however, pointed out that the state government alone cannot decide the sanctioned strength. It also cannot alter it because this is a decision that both the Centre and state governments have to take together, based on certain logic, historical facts, reasoning and transparency.
“The reduction, if any, must be based on a clear rationale and well-defined objectives. It is not yet clear whether the idea is genuinely aimed at improving governance or is merely a numerical exercise,” he said, adding that factors such as cadre management, workload and career progression must also be taken into account.
The state’s bureaucracy has indeed become top-heavy. There are more senior administrative officers and proportionately fewer subordinate-services officers. There is also truth in the fact that many officers remain without substantive work. While some officers have five to six departments, there are examples of a few being kept practically without work.
Is the government actually reducing the size of government—or merely changing its composition? Only recently, the government made a series of appointments of chairmen and vice-chairmen to boards and corporations, while it also maintains a large strength of additional advocate generals and deputy AGs, numbering over 80. Yet, it continues to hire some of the country’s top lawyers to defend its cases in court.
The bureaucracy will obviously be unhappy and resist the move.
Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur has questioned the logic of cutting sanctioned posts while, according to his criticism, the government continues to retain favoured officials through extensions and create positions carrying cabinet-rank benefits.
“If the problem is expenditure, why target regular officers while creating or retaining other politically connected positions?” he asked.
Sukhu, however, said the move was in the larger interest of the state. “Some decisions are bitter, but they are in the interest of the state. Such decisions have to be taken without looking at their political impact. We will maintain the strength of administrative officers within a level required by the state.”
