Haryana is facing a serious shortage of senior administrators.
Out of 226 sanctioned posts in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), 47 are vacant.
The IAS is one of India's top civil services.
Its officers manage districts, departments and key government work in the states and at the Centre.
Key points
- Haryana has 179 IAS officers in position against a sanctioned strength of 226.
- Three senior officers, including Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi, retire over the next three months.
- The state has asked the Centre to send back four officers on central deputation.
- The state may also promote eligible Haryana Civil Service (HCS) officers to the IAS.
So how big is the shortage?
The shortage is more than 20 per cent of the sanctioned posts. That means about one in five posts is empty.
The sanctioned strength was recently raised from 215 to 226 posts. Even after this increase, 47 posts remain unfilled.
The revised cadre has 158 direct-recruitment posts and 68 posts under the promotion quota.
Graphic: News Anek, from the facts in this report
The promotion quota lets eligible state civil service officers move up to the IAS.
Why is this affecting daily work?
Several senior officers now handle multiple departments. Some also have extra responsibilities in different cities.
An Additional Chief Secretary-level officer said the shortage is slowing decisions at the administrative secretary level.
This can delay complaints, routine government work and monitoring of development projects.
Earlier, in September 2025, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini asked departments to review delayed projects.
They were asked to explain the reasons for delays, financial losses and revised completion dates.
What happens next for the state?
Three 1990-batch officers are retiring soon.
They are Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi, Additional Chief Secretary Sudhir Rajpal and Financial Commissioner Revenue Dr Sumita Misra.
Their retirement means the government must make fresh arrangements for the departments they handle.
Haryana has also sought the return of four IAS officers now serving on central deputation.
The Centre's response will decide whether those officers come back.
The government may also consider extensions for officers nearing retirement, where the rules allow.
Explainer
What happened before
- In September 2025, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini directed a review of delayed projects across departments.
- Under a revised IAS cadre structure notified in June 2026, Haryana's sanctioned strength was raised from 215 to 226 posts.
Why it matters
Fewer officers means some senior officers handle several departments, which can slow decisions on complaints and development projects.
What to watch next
- The state has asked the Centre to return four IAS officers now on central deputation, and the Centre's response will decide this.
- Three 1990-batch officers, including the Chief Secretary, are set to retire over the next three months, so fresh arrangements are needed.
