Overview
- The Home Ministry formalised the change on January 28 and circulated the order to Chief Secretaries and state police chiefs to inform IPS officers.
- The requirement applies prospectively to the 2011 batch and later, so it does not affect current Inspector General empanelments.
- Officials frame the step as a response to shortages at SP and DIG ranks in CAPFs and central police organisations, with 104 of 229 SP posts and 69 of 256 DIG posts vacant as of December 23, 2025, including gaps in the IB and CBI.
- Central deputation still needs the officer’s concurrence and state clearance, a recurring friction point that prompted recent reminders from Union home secretary Govind Mohan.
- The Centre has cautioned that officers who do not join assigned central posts within a month risk a five‑year debarment from central deputation.