Chennai, Jan 23 (PTI) Amendments to the IAS Cadre Rules proposed by the Centre, "strikes at the very root" of the nation"s federal polity and state autonomy, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin told Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday and urged him to drop the move.Expressing deep concern about the draft amendments proposed by union government, Stalin strongly objected to it. The amendment proposal, "strikes at the very root of our federal polity and state autonomy." If implemented, the proposed amendments would cause irreparable damage to the spirit of cooperative federalism that exist between union and the states and lead to concentration of powers in the union government, Stalin said in a letter to Modi."I would also like to highlight the fact that many of the state governments are also woefully short of officers at specific seniorities, primarily due to the wrong cadre management policies followed by the union government." While the union is availing the common pool from Group-I officers at the national level, the state governments solely depend on the limited pool of IAS officers available in the State.The state governments are on the forefront of implementation of various programmes including the schemes of the union government at the state level. The states also face frequent natural disasters which demands services of IAS officers in the state more than elsewhere.Under such circumstances, forcing the state governments to depute officers would surely aggravate the "governance deficit" in various states due to shortage of officers and also it is an "affront" to the administrative frame work of the states, Stalin said."Further, I wish to state that the union government"s lateral entry recruitment has also affected the morale of the officers who seek deputation on their own willingness. I would like to point out that this new proposal will eventually destroy the uniqueness of All India Services, a basic feature of Indian Constitution." While the central services are fully administered by the union, the idea of All India Services has served the nation well and stood the test of time through a cordial working relationship between the union and states.One of the proposed provisions which would empower the union government to unilaterally draft the services of any officer without his/her consent and without the concurrence of the concerned state government would "certainly demoralise and destabilise" the steel frame of bureaucracy in India.If implemented, the All India Service officers would be spending their career under a perpetual fear of being penalised by Union Government at any time."This does not augur well for the developmental path being vigorously pursued by our country. I am sure, you will agree that civil servants must be allowed to work with a free mind and stay apolitical." The proposed amendments would adversely affect not only the character and functioning of bureaucracy, but also complicate the cadre management in the states.Moreover, this would have a cascading effect on the administration of the state with a direct bearing on the welfare of the nation.The ramifications are "ominous" and "I would state that the Union Government"s hasty eagerness in bringing about such drastic changes in the basic structures of the system of the country without going through the consultative process is once again grossly violative of the federal structure of the nation." Neither the bureaucracy nor the state governments, the two important stakeholders in this serious issue, welcome this move for amendment. The union cannot usurp an existing provision to the disadvantage of the state in a federal polity. It would tend to weaken the core principles on which the country has been painstakingly built over the past 75 glorious years. Demolition is easy, but reconstruction has always been a long process."In my considered view, instead of imposing restrictive provisions to usurp the powers of states, the union government can positively reconstruct the working/ service conditions for All India Service officers through transparent empanelment process and by ensuring professional space and independence so that the officers opt for deputation to union government voluntarily without any need for coercive rules." "In this regard, I wish to draw your kind attention to the words of wisdom by none other than Sardhar Vallabhbhai Patel who envisioned the steel frame of India which has the independence to speak out its mind, which has a sense of security, where their rights and privileges are secured." "I request you to drop these proposed amendments to IAS (Cadre) Rules, 1954 instead engage with state governments to further strengthen the federal spirit of the nation and take forward the noble ideas of our forefathers with reference to the steel frame as enshrined in the Indian Constitution." PTI VGN ROH ROH