Mega Secretary Reshuffle: Lov Verma shifted out health ministry; Gauri Kumar moved into cabinet secretariat

Lov Verma during a blood donation camp (File photo)

IN THE biggest secretary-ranked reshuffle after Narendra Modi government assumed charge in May, the Centre on Saturday transferred as many as seven IAS officers and appointed retired IAS of 1977 batch DK Mittal as Mission Director, Direct Benefits Transfer Scheme for three months. The highlight of the Saturday’s reshuffle, however, was the transfer (or demotion?) of health secretary and 1978 batch IAS Lov Verma to the department of empowerment of persons with disabilities. Labour secretary and 1979 batch Gujarat cadre IAS Gauri Kumar has been appointed as secretary, co-ordination in cabinet secretariat fuelling speculations whether she will be the deputy to…

Director General wanted for good governance think tank; Govt readies to pay a salary of Rs 3.75 lakh per month

THE Centre has been looking for a director general to head National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG), a think tank that guides and helps implement good governance reforms through research, policy analysis, advocacy, and capacity building in order to strengthen institutions that deliver good governance and foster democracy. And the government is ready to pay the suitable candidate a monthly salary of Rs 3.75 lakh with the condition that...

S Jaishankar becomes India’s foreign secretary, finally; Sujatha Singh sacked

S Jaishankar

IN WHAT could turn out to be a game-changer in Indian diplomacy, the government on Wednesday night sacked foreign secretary and 1976 batch IFS Sujatha Singh and appointed India’s ambassador to US Dr S Jaishankar as the new foreign secretary for a term of two years. Jaishankar, the topper of his 1977 batch, had narrowly missed the bus when the government “reluctantly” chose Sujatha Singh as India’s top diplomat in August, 2013. Former foreign secretary Nirupama Rao has termed Jaishankar’s appointment an “outstanding choice”. BoI picks out a few reasons to piece together why Modi Sarkar brought in Jaishankar in such a dramatic way:

#YesWeCan: Mann ki Baat of an anonymous bureaucrat

Obama and Modi during Maan Ki Baat

WHEN two super communicators speak from the heart (Mann Ki Baat), every listener enjoys the moment. After prime minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama shared their thoughts together on a hugely successful Mann ki Baat episode in All India Radio on Tuesday, Modi appealed the aam listeners to participate in the programme by sharing their thoughts in social media with a #YesWeCan. Here is what an anonymous bureaucrat has to say about various ways to improve Indian bureaucracy:

Obama in India: How Indian bureaucrats add up to the “excitement"

PM Modi: Displaying Sartorial Flamboyance

DISPLAYING prime minister’s photo in a bandhgala with “narendra damodardas modi” inscribed in pin-stripes, customs commissioner and one of active social media users Neeraj Kansal tweets: “Move aside Michelle Obama. World has a new fashion icon”. The tweet was addressed to @BarackObama. Yes, every bureaucrat among others noticed how PM used the occasion also to display his sartorial flamboyance. But it was Kansal, a former home ministry director, who dared to praise the PM publicly. Here are other bureaucrats who took to the social media sites to express their feelings on #ObamaInIndia:

3 ex-IAS get Padma awards: Gopalaswami, Vasudevan (posthumous), Rajaraman; but all belong to Tamil Nadu

Gopalaswami (File photo)

THE names of three former civil servants -- ex-Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami, former GoI secretary R Vasudevan (posthumous) and former secretary to Tamil Nadu government PV Rajaraman – have figured in the list of Padma award winners this year, as announced by the government on the eve of the Republic Day. Incidentally, all the three former officers happen to be from Tamil Nadu. Among them, Gopalaswami was…

Why should CBI have an official Twitter handle? Its parody account tracks content about Sarita Bhabi

CBI's past directors

IF America’s premier investigating agency FBI can have a vibrant Twitter Account, why can’t our own CBI have the same? The Twitter handle of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which has over a million followers, regularly uploads interesting content with catchy headlines. Sample this:

Tamil Nadu waits for a big clash between IAS and IPS officers at South Chennai cricket ground

1979 batch IAS Takru (File photo)

DELHI bureaucrats will feel jealous if they come to know that many of their colleagues in Tamil Nadu are practising regularly for a big cricket match ahead between IAS and IPS officers to be held at Guru Nanak college grounds at Velachery in South Chennai on January 25. Many top bureaucrats in Delhi have stopped playing golf as the new government at the Centre has raised the workload of the babus. (NB: very few senior bureaucrats in Delhi are cricket freaks). Even the inter-ministry music, dance and…

Over 20 officers including 12 IAS empanelled as joint secretaries; 6 from 1982 batch figure in list

THE government on Wednesday announced empanelment of over 20 officers ranging from 1996 to 1982 batch as joint secretary or equivalent to Government of India. The officers, who include 12 IAS, four Indian Telecommunications Service, two IRS-IT and three Indian Forest Service officers, were left behind in JS empanelment earlier. Here is the full list of new JS empanelled officers:

Things you may like to know about cadre change on grounds of marriage

CORRIDORS have many instances of cadre changes on the ground of marriage. But who has the power to approve proposals of inter-cadre transfer of All India Service officers on the ground of marriage? Or, will an IAS officer be permitted to change his cadre if he marries a state public service officer? Or, can a lady officer move out of North-East on marriage ground? Here are a few bullet points on Babu Marriage: