What is deputation in Indian administration?

The temporary posting of an officer to another department or government while retaining a lien on their parent cadre post.

Why is deputation significant in Centre-State relations?

Because moving cadre officers between the Union and a State requires the agreement of both, which makes it a recurring point of friction.

Deputation

noun (countable and uncountable)

/ˌdɛpjʊˈteɪʃən/

The temporary assignment of a government official from his or her parent cadre or service to another department, organisation, or international body, while continuing to hold the lien on the original post. In India, IAS and IPS officers are frequently sent on deputation to central ministries, public sector undertakings, or international organisations such as the UN. The officer on deputation draws pay from the borrowing organisation but retains service seniority in the parent cadre.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

Several senior IPS officers, currently on deputation with the Central Reserve Police Force, were recalled to their parent state cadres ahead of the assembly elections to augment the state police deployment.

Synonyms

secondmentassignmentpostingtransferdetachment

Antonyms

repatriationrecallpermanent posting

🌱 Word Family

deputise (verb), deputy (noun), depute (verb), deputed (adjective), deputisation (noun)

🔡 Root

Latin deputare (to consider, to assign) ← de- (down, away) + putare (to reckon, to prune)

📜 Etymology

From Late Latin deputationem, the noun of action from deputare (to assign, to allot). The word entered English in the 15th century first in the general sense of 'assignment of a task to a person', later narrowing to the bureaucratic/diplomatic sense of secondment.

🧠 Memory Hook

DEPUTATION = DEPUTY-station: you send someone as your DEPUTY (substitute) to a new posting. A civil servant on deputation is working elsewhere as a deputy to that new organisation.

🎯 How This Word Works in UPSC Writing

The temporary posting of an official from their parent cadre or department to another, with the parent lien retained. It matters in GS2 administration because it is the mechanism by which State-cadre officers serve the Union and vice versa, and because the retained lien is what makes the arrangement reversible. Deputation is also a recurring flashpoint in Centre-State relations precisely because it requires consent from both governments.

⚖️ Don’t Confuse It With

Deputation is a temporary posting with the parent lien retained. Transfer moves an officer within the same cadre or department. Secondment is the equivalent term in many other systems. Absorption is permanent transfer to the borrowing organisation, ending the parent lien.

🇮🇳 Hindi Meaning

प्रतिनियुक्ति (pratiniyukti).

❓ Common Questions

What is deputation in Indian administration?: The temporary posting of an officer to another department or government while retaining a lien on their parent cadre post.
Why is deputation significant in Centre-State relations?: Because moving cadre officers between the Union and a State requires the agreement of both, which makes it a recurring point of friction.

⚖️ Polity & Constitution 📖 Seen in: Preamble of the Indian Constitution

Relevant across:GS2 · Polity, Governance & IR

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