IAS lobby divided over credit claims:ACS remarks spark row, Chief Secretary intervenes

A debate over credit for administrative initiatives has surfaced in the IAS Association’s WhatsApp group, triggering fresh discussions over the long-standing divide between directly recruited and promoted IAS officers. The issue arose during a discussion on the IT-based ‘Wash on Wheels’ initiative in Chhindwara district. Members of the group were congratulating promoted IAS officer and former Chhindwara Collector Shailendra Singh for the project when a comment by Additional Chief Secretary (Rural Development) Deepali Rastogi shifted the focus of the discussion. Deepali Rastogi highlights role of Chhindwara team Responding to the congratulatory messages, Rastogi said the initiative was not the achievement of a single officer but the outcome of collective efforts by the Chhindwara administration. In her comment, she highlighted the contribution of District Panchayat CEO and IAS officer Agrim Kumar, stating that he led the IT-based initiative. She added that, with support from the National Informatics Centre (NIC), the model was later adopted at the state level. Rastogi said the Chhindwara innovation was an example of teamwork and effective leadership, specifically mentioning the roles of Agrim Kumar and NIC. Remarks trigger discussion among promoted IAS officers Following Rastogi’s comments, the discussion shifted from individual recognition to the collective effort behind the project. This led to speculation within bureaucratic circles that promoted officers are often denied full credit for their work. The matter drew further attention as Rastogi referred to Agrim Kumar as a “young IAS officer” in her comment. The reference became a talking point among officers and added to the ongoing discussion. Similar debate emerged over Dindori’s GI tag project A similar exchange took place four days earlier in the same WhatsApp group regarding the GI tag granted to Gond paintings. Several officers had congratulated promoted IAS officer Meenakshi Singh for her contribution to the project during her tenure as Under Secretary and Managing Director of Vanya. Rastogi, however, commented that the achievement was also the result of efforts by State Rural Livelihood Mission (SRLM) Managing Director Harshika Singh and her team. She mentioned the role of the Dindori Collector and District Panchayat CEO in implementing the initiative. Since Harshika Singh and the district officers belong to the direct recruitment stream, some promoted officers viewed the remarks as another instance where credit was being shared with directly recruited officers. Chief Secretary steps in amid growing discussion As the debate gained attention within the IAS community, Chief Secretary Anurag Jain intervened in the WhatsApp group. Jain wrote that the ‘Wash on Wheels’ initiative was an excellent idea implemented under the leadership of Shailendra Singh. He noted that the project was showcased at an exhibition on women empowerment organised during the 300th birth anniversary celebrations of Ahilyabai Holkar. The Chief Secretary also pointed out that the Prime Minister had appreciated the initiative. His remarks were seen as an effort to acknowledge Shailendra Singh’s role and ease tensions over the issue.