New Delhi: The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, through the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), has notified the Indian Administrative Service (Fixation of Cadre Strength) Third Amendment Regulations, 2026, revising the authorised strength of the Gujarat cadre of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS).

According to the notification, the total authorised strength of the Gujarat IAS cadre has been increased from 313 to 328 posts.

Senior Duty Posts Fixed at 178

Under the revised schedule, 178 posts have been earmarked as Senior Duty Posts under the state government. These include key positions such as Chief Secretary (1), Additional Chief Secretaries (5), Principal Secretaries (9), and Secretaries to the Government (17), among others.

The cadre structure also includes constitutional and statutory positions such as Chief Electoral Officer (1) and Principal Secretary to the Governor (1), along with several Commissioner-level posts across departments including Rural Development, Industries, Health, Transport, Women and Child Development, Higher Education, Tribal Development, Labour, Information, Relief, and Technical Education.

In municipal administration, the revised structure provides for Municipal Commissioners in five major cities — Surat, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot and Gandhinagar — along with three posts covering Junagadh, Jamnagar and Bhavnagar. Additionally, six Regional/Deputy Municipal Commissioner posts have been allocated.

District administration continues to constitute a substantial portion of the cadre, with 33 Collector posts and 33 District Development Officer posts included in the structure.

Reserve and Deputation Provisions

The revised cadre strength also makes provision for:

• Central Deputation Reserve: Up to 71 posts (not exceeding 40% of Senior Duty Posts)

• State Deputation Reserve: Up to 44 posts (not exceeding 25%)

• Training Reserve: Up to 6 posts (not exceeding 3.5%)

• Leave and Junior Posts Reserve: Up to 29 posts (not exceeding 16.5%)

Under Rule 8 of the IAS (Recruitment) Rules, 1954, up to 99 posts may be filled through promotion (not exceeding one-third of the relevant categories), while the remaining 229 posts will be filled through direct recruitment.

According to reports, the enhancement is aimed at strengthening Gujarat’s administrative capacity in view of expanding governance responsibilities, rapid urbanisation and increasing developmental initiatives.

The Gujarat IAS cadre has remained under scrutiny over the past year amid discussions on vacancies, promotions and administrative restructuring. As of late 2024–25, although the sanctioned strength stood at 313 officers, the state was functioning with significant shortfalls. Around 56 IAS posts were vacant in Gujarat, while 14 officers were on central deputation, as per data presented in the state Assembly. DeshGujarat