Government woos fat Indian bureaucrats; weight-loss surgeries to be made free of cost now

FAT Indian bureaucrats have reasons to cheer about. In one of the attempts to win over a section of government employees ahead of general elections, the Centre has decided to make weight-loss surgeries free of cost for Central government employees in select hospitals. According to a news-report published in…

How India should react to US' treatment of diplomat Devyani Khobragade? Arun Jaitley, Kamal Nath, Yashwant Sinha suggest ways

WITH India curtailing privileges of American diplomats to protest humiliation of its Deputy Consul General in New York Devyani Khobragade last week, the Indo-US diplomatic row has turned ugly. "The US needs to be awakened… India can’t be treated like a banana republic,” says angry Kamal Nath, India's parliamentary affairs minister. “Arrest same sex companions of US diplomats”, urges India’s former external affairs minister Yaswant Sinha. Find below 5 viewpoints:

A year later, 1979 batch IAS topper Hrusikesh Panda empanelled as secretary; batch-mate Kusumjit Sidhu elevated too

Hrusikesh Panda, 1979 batch Odisha cadre IAS who most people in the state know more as a fiction writer than an administrator, has finally got his due. Panda, who was incidentally the topper of his batch, was empanelled on Thursday as Union secretary after the secretary-empanelment of his following batch, (1980 batch), got over. Almost a year ago, BoI wrote a piece on how…

EX-IAS RK Singh and RS Pandey may fight Lok Sabha poll; will former diplomat Jaimini Bhagwati join the Congress?

Diplomat Jaimini Bhagwati with wife Rita

TWO prominent former IAS-turned BJP members, ex-home secretary RK Singh and ex-petroleum secretary RS Pandey, may contest Lok Sabha polls from Bihar. A few more bureaucrats including former IFS and ex-Indian envoy to UK Jaimini Bhagwati may plunge into active politics as the poll fever has gripped the nation. It is learned that diplomat Bhagwati, who is the son of Bijoy Chandra Bhagwati, a former Parliamentarian from Assam and minister in Jawaharlal Nehru’s government, may join the Congress and fight...

10 things about IFS officer Devyani Khobragade: Her family, passion and favourite Hollywood actor

Devyani Khobragade, 1999 batch IFS

INDIAN diplomats across the world were shocked and angry when they heard the news that one of their colleagues Devyani Khobragade, a doctor-turned Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of 1999 batch and current Deputy Consul General of India in New York, was arrested by law enforcement authorities in New York on Thursday morning when “she was dropping her daughter at school”. Khobragade, who was later released on bail, was arrested on the basis of allegations raised by the officer’s former India-based domestic assistant, Ms Sangeeta Richard, who has been absconding since June this year. The officer is accused of giving false information while applying for a visa for a “babysitter and housekeeper”, and also of underpaying the help --- the charges if turned right could give her a jail term up to 15 years. Here are 10 things you may like to know about Devyani Khobragade:

Hectic lobbying on for top posts in Hyderabad

THERE has been a hectic lobbying for the six conferred IAS posts from non-revenue departments in Hyderabad with Centre notifying six posts against the usual vacancy of one or two. According to media reports in Hyderabad, chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy has approved the names of...

10 things on Central government vacancies, recruitment and investigations

HERE are a few facts you may like to know: There are whopping 6,00,013 vacancies in the Central government now. So far as IAS is concerned, there are currently 1,480 vacancies. Out of those, UP tops with 135 vacancies followed by West Bengal (119) and Madhya Pradesh (105). BoI picks out 10 pieces of statistics on vacancies in Central government, steps taken to recruit new personnel and also on investigations pending against officers:

Who are the new special secretaries? List of 14 IAS officers of 1980 batch announced

THE government has elevated 14 IAS officers of 1980 batch as special secretaries of Government of India. Special secretaries draw the same salary and enjoy the same position of that of an Union secretary. Here is the complete list:

Prez Mukherjee gives a pep talk to young IRS probationers; says tax collection “not easy”

PRESIDENT Pranab Mukherjee on Monday said the role and responsibilities of customs and central excise departments have increased manifold and become more complex over the years. He was addressing a group of…

Govt sets deadline for ministries to implement SC order of reserving 3% govt jobs for disabled

THE government has given written directions to various ministries and departments to implement a Supreme Court order asking for a minimum three percent reservation for people with disabilities in all Central and state government jobs. It was on October 8, 2013, an apex court bench regretted the denial of opportunities to…