A sense of discontent is said to be brewing among promoted IAS officers over the way Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is giving significant importance only to directly recruited IAS officers and appointing them to key positions.
According to a report in a section of the media, these promoted IAS officers feel sidelined as the Naidu government has relegated them to less significant roles while favoring direct recruits.
The report states that approximately 70% of IAS officers are recruited directly through the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), while the remaining 30% are promoted IAS officers — officials who have been elevated from state services.
Notably, these promoted IAS officers have extensive field experience and direct interaction with the public. However, they are reportedly facing discrimination in key postings under the current administration.
The report further highlights that in the past eight months, only a few officers from this cadre have received significant postings. They allege that the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) is dominated by direct-recruit IAS officers.
Out of the 26 district collector posts, 17 have been assigned to direct-recruit IAS officers, while only nine have gone to promoted officers.
Similarly, for Joint Collector (JC) positions, 21 were allocated to regular recruits (RR), while only five were given to promoted officers.
Most departmental head and commissioner roles have also been assigned to RR officers, leaving promoted officers with relatively insignificant positions.
According to reports, some promoted IAS officers recently held an internal meeting to discuss the issue.
They attempted to meet senior officials in the CMO but were unsuccessful. Intelligence agencies have reportedly briefed the chief minister about the unrest among these officials.
Now, they are reportedly planning to seek a direct meeting with Naidu to present their grievances. They have prepared a formal representation outlining their concerns.
“We are not against anyone, but we want to bring this injustice to the government’s attention. The government has a duty to treat all officers equally,” a senior officer said.
