PRIME Minister of India Dr Manmohan Singh terms Indian Administrative Service (IAS) a very privileged service and expects IAS officers to have an all-India perspective with a strong commitment to the goals and ideals enshrined in the Constitution. Based on his speech to the IAS probationers of 2008, (See picture above) delivered on April 4, 2009 in New Delhi, BoI (Babus of India) has made an attempt to figure out what PM wants out of an IAS officer.
Here are a few selected excerpts of PM’s speech:
On All India Mindset
We are a Union of states and we must never forget this all India perspective. When you go to various states, you are in-charge of various departments, you look after the interests of your departments, the interests of your states but you must never lose sight of the wider perspective that there is a wider perspective of strengthening the unity and integrity of our country which must be the paramount concern of all Services in our country and foremost of a Service like the Indian Administrative Service.
On Imbibing Latest Trends
It is very important that you must pay particular attention to equipping yourself with latest trends in thinking about development, about environment and all other aspects which have a bearing on the processes of governance.
On Explosion Of Knowledge
Today, the world is changing at a pace which was unthinkable even a decade ago. Science and technology have become the principle determiners of the wealth and well being of people all over the world. Human knowledge is therefore exploding and it is therefore very important that our civil servants should keep abreast of the latest trends in the development of human knowledge, knowledge which as I said is growing at a speed which was unthinkable even a decade ago.
On Duties Of Civil Servants
There is growing concern that civil servants are not mindful of their duties. I would therefore urge that you must be mindful of the fact that the people of India have entrusted you these responsibilities and it is your solemn obligation to serve the people with the greatest dedication.
On Our Neighbourhood
We are today faced with a neighbourhood which is far from peaceful. You all know about the developments in Pakistan. You all know about the developments in Nepal, you all know about the recent developments in Bangladesh, you all know about the recent developments in Sri Lanka. They all impinge on our development. South Asia is in turmoil. And therefore in planning for our own development, we have to be mindful of the environment within which we have to operate. So you have enormous opportunities but also enormous challenges.
SENIOR officials at the Rail Bhawan have finally discovered that they are no longer under the dominance of an IAS officer. With former railway minister Lalu Prasad’s all powerful officer on special duty (OSD) Sudhir Kumar (See Picture) leaving the Rail Bhwan to join as a joint secretary in the ministry of power, top railway officials have regained the lost ground and become hyper-active to demonstrate their abilities to the new railway minister Mamata Banerjee.
In fact, Indian Railways with about 15 lakh strong employees is the only government department which is not controlled by an IAS officer. Yet, during the last five years, the minister bestowed all power to 1982-batch Bihar cadre IAS Sudhir Kumar who in turn acted like a CEO of a company and micro-managed the show. In fact, he took many a bold decision to script the turnaround saga of Indian railways. Whereas Mr Prasad just monitored the macro issue and took only the politically sensitive decisions such as not hiking the passenger fare, it was Mr Kumar who remained a backseat driver to achieve a profit of whopping Rs 90,000 cr (about $18 billion) for the railways during the last five years.
Along with Shagun Mehrotra, Mr Kumar finally penned a book titled “Bankruptcy to Billions: How the Indian Railways Transformed In Four Years” to share the secret of success.
As the new minister has already zeroed in a Central services officer as her OSD, the Rail babus don’t need to worry a repeat of an IAS dominating the Indian Railways any longer.
NO CHUGGING along anymore! India’s top railway officials may need to catch more flights to Kolkata in the coming days if Rail Bhawan bigwigs’ early morning journey to the city of joy on May 26 is any indication.
In fact, carrying all official files, chairman of the Railway Board S S Khurana, Board’s secretary K B L Mittal along with several Board members and senior officials flew to Kolkata on Tuesday morning as new railway minister Kumari Mamata Banerjee decided to take over as the new railway minister in Kolkata, and not in Delhi.
President of All India Trinamool Congress Mamata Banerjee, who was recently re-elected to 15th Lok Sabha on her 7th term from Kolkata (South) constituency in West Bengal, decided to assume the charge of her office at eastern railway headquarters in Kolkata as she needed to be with the people in West Bengal who were affected by a massive cyclone.
But the railway babus in New Delhi have already begun to discuss that they would have to carry files to Kolkata many more times as Ms Banerjee would be more active in state politics rather than being stationed in New Delhi. It’s the time to change tracks…
THE PLANNING Commission of India is recruiting 35 officers at the level of joint secretary or equivalent, the department of personnel & training, or DoPT has announced. It is proposed to fill up the posts of Unique Identification (UID) Commissioners (Central government’s joint secretary level) one each in the capital of each state and union territory of India in Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) under the Planning Commission.
The pay scale is Rs 37400-67000 (PB-4) with a grade pay of Rs 10,000. It’s also announced that the names of willing officers empanelled to hold joint secretary or equivalent posts at the Centre may be recommended within four weeks. The applicants need to be clear from any case with vigilance and their integrity have to be certified.
For the starter, the government made a provision of Rs 100 crore in the interim budget for 2009-10 its ambitious unique identification project which will give a unique number to every citizen of the country.
An authority called Unique Identification Authority of India was already set up, and the government has already notified that.
Govt employees in India take pledge on anti-terrorism
(In Pic: Home minister P Chidambaram, second from left, administering the pledge)
Anti terrorism day was observed throughout the country on Thursday, May 21. Employees in government offices, PSUs and other public institutions in the country took a pledge in connection with the anti-terrorism day. The Union home minister P Chidambaram administered the oath to the officers and staff of the ministry of home affairs in North Block lawns. Secretaries of other departments too administered the pledge. The objective behind the observance of anti-terrorism day is to wean away the youth from the violence cult by highlighting the suffering of the common people and showing how it is prejudicial to the national interest.
Special allowances for Central Govt employees in Kashmir
The government has extended the package of special concessions and facilities to employees of the Central government and its public sector undertakings (PSUs) working in the Kashmir Valley till the year end, the government said in a release. The employees posted to Kashmir Valley will continue to be entitled to additional HRA and messing facilities. Employees who have migrated from the Kashmir Valley would be accommodated to the extent possible in Delhi and its vicinity.
Justice Upadhyaya, Justice Mridul appointed HC judges
Justice Janakray Chandubhai Upadhyaya, additional Judge of the Gujarat High Court, was appointed a Judge of the Gujarat High Court with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office. In another development, Justice Siddharth Mridul, additional Judge of the Delhi High Court, was appointed a Judge of the Delhi High Court with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office.
HERE are two jobs for senior IAS officers. Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) is looking for an officer who held the post of a secretary in the government of India, or equivalent in the state for two years, or a person who is well versed in the field of technology, telecommunication, industry, commerce and administration to fill up the vacancy of a member after the incumbent K S Sharma left TDSAT to join TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) as chairman. A TDSAT member gets the same remuneration as a secretary (A salary of Rs 80,000 per month). A search-cum-selection committee is being constituted for the selection to the post. The last date of application is June 19, 2009. If you feel you are eligible and have any doubt, just pick up the phone and call J S Deepak, joint secretary, telecommunication, at 011-23717411.
The second officer in demand is for the post of executive director of National Institute of Administrative Research, a registered society of LBS National Academy of Administration. Though academicians are also qualified for applying for the post, for a civil servant the qualification is a joint secretary in government of India, or an equivalent post at the state. Any doubt? Kindly call at 0135-2632663/2630917.
Don’t call them power corridors anymore. Top bureaucrats and other employees of Delhi’s Udyog Bhawan housing the ministries of commerce and industry felt the heat, literally, on Monday, May 18, as there was a major power failure for over eight hours crippling AC plants, telecommunication, computers to name a few. The work in the two crucial ministries virtually came to a grinding halt on a day when many officials of these two pro-industry ministries would have rejoiced the 30-stock BSE index Sensex surging a record high of over 2000 points. No wonder, even the senior bureaucrats had to call their peons themselves as even calling bells were not functioning.
Whereas secretary of DIPP (Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion) Ajay Shankar was lucky as he was in US on a personal visit, his counterpart in commerce ministry G K Pillai had no choice but to undergo the sufferings. Despite the near-emergency situation in the building, and a virtual blackout in corridors of the two ministries, a section of officials including Mr Pillai and their support staff had to prepare for the special meeting called by cabinet secretary K M Chandrasekhar on action plan of the first 100 days of Dr Manmohan Singh’s second innings.
Civil servants as a species, particularly the senior most ones, are notoriously reticent to write about their experience of governance and statecraft, said Vice President of India M Hamid Ansari while releasing a book entitled “GovernMint in India – An Inside View” authored by former chief secretary T S R Subramanian at a function in New Delhi on Wednesday, May 13.
His observation on civil servants’ reluctance to narrate their experiences in power corridors was made when he argued that those who were willing to share their experiences need to be read “both for what they say and for what they knowingly refrain from saying.”
Interestingly, Mr Subramanian in his book, argues the rule of law in India is under serious threat. Vice President particularly mentioned the author’s conclusion that “the disease is well advanced. However, it is not too late to make serious attempts to cure it”.
But can the bureaucracy apply pressure for reforms? “This is a laughable thought in the present context. The business community is irrelevant to the debate on this point. The media is interested in conflict and in ‘news’ – they have no real interest in reforms. The judiciary indeed has the ability to force reforms. It is however highly unlikely that they will bestir themselves in this regard,” said the author in his book.
The book has, however, given a surprising solution on page no 197. Hope is expressed for “a new messiah who will rise from the political class to deliver the nation… Once a person like this emerges, the whole country will rise up to support him; the era of coalitions at the Centre would end – the country then will be on its way to reach its tryst with destiny”.
(Babu Blogger said it first on Tuesday, April 28, 2009)
SECRETARY of department of economic affairs (DEA) Ashok Chawla has been appointed as finance secretary of India. The post was lying vacant after Arun Ramanathan retired on April 30, 2009. Finance ministry officials have confirmed the development. He has also been given Additional charge of the Department of Financial Services since May 1, 2009 
One IAS, two IPS and 10 ITS officers are among 30 civil servants who have figured in the list of candidates selected for the Post Graduate Programme in Public Policy and Management from IIM-Bangalore for the year 2009-2011. The only IAS officer who is joining the course at IIM-B is a 2001-batch West Bengal cadre officer Asvini Kumar Yadav. Two officers of Indian Police Service (IPS) are M A Saleem and Natarajan G.
Selected ITS officers include Dinesh Sharma, Mukesh Lal, Jitendra Khare, L S Ropia and T V Venkatram among others.
It’s Pillai vs. Pillai for the top administrative post in India. Labour secretary Sudha Pillai and her spouse and IAS batch-mate commerce secretary G K Pillai have turned out to be key contenders for 
The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) launched prosecution against 25 officers out of which five each were from Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), ministry of personnel, public grievances & pensions, four from EPFO, three from ministry of urban development, two each from ministry of railways and Indian Council of Medical Research and one each from LIC of India Ltd., ministries of textiles, labour and CPWD. It was stated in a press release issued by the ministry of personnel, public grievances & pensions on Friday.
The Commission further advised initiations of major penalty proceedings against 78 officers. Of these, 12 were from ministry of railways, 11 each from public sector banks and national co-operative consumer, seven from Chennai Port Trust, six from Bharat Coking Coal Ltd.
The commission disposed of 391 cases during March 2009 referred to it, the press release said.
The Commission also advised imposition of major penalty against 35 officers including seven from ministry of railways, six from the public sector banks, four from DDA, three from CBDT and two each from BHEL and ICAR. The remaining eleven cases pertained to various other departments. The Commission disposed 616 complaints during the month. Of these, 531 complaints were sent for necessary action/ATR, whereas 85 complaints were sent for investigation and report.
On Commission’s recommendations, the administrative authorities imposed major penalty on 44 officers including 10 from telecommunications, four from the insurance companies, three each from BSNL and CSIR, two each from ITDC, department of steel, DDA and one each from CBEC, SAIL, Development Commissioner (Small Scale Industries), STC India Ltd. and MCD, the press release said.
Recoveries to the tune of Rs 6.54 crore were effected after Commission conducted technical examination of some departments, the release further said.
