Doc gives prescription to check corruption; but is Manmohan Singh serious about implementing ethical governance codes?

PRIME Minister Dr Manmohan Singh wants design of government’s development programmes to be transparent, simpler, decentralized and less discretionary so as to bring in accountability to the administrative system. While addressing a conference of CBI and state anti-corruption bureaus recently, Prime Minister of India said that recommendations of the Second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) on ‘Ethics in Governance’ were examined in great detail, and some of those could be implemented. He made a few very significant points: a) Corruption distorts the rule of law and weakens institutions of governance. It hurts economic growth apart from hindering attempts to build a just, fair and equitable society. b) Inflated project costs consume scarce national resources which could have been better used in other important areas in the service of our people. c) Pervasive corruption tarnishes our image and it discourages investors who expect fair treatment and transparent dealings when dealing with public authorities. Finally, Dr Singh made the most important point that while petty cases get tackled quickly, the big fish often escape punishment. “This has to change. Rapid, fair and accurate investigation of allegations of corruption in high places should remain your utmost priority. The nation expects you to act firmly, swiftly and without fear or favour. And you have the constitutional and legal protection and safeguards to do so,” he told while addressing officials of various investigating and anti-corruption agencies. But will Dr Singh emphatically say the same in one of his cabinet meetings if he is really serious about warning the “big fishes” that he was talking about? After all, if the Congress completes a 10-year term, chances are that many of the corrupt politicians, or big fishes in his own words, could be from his own party! Read two more previous prescriptions given by Dr Singh. a) "Doc’s prescription: Manmohan Singh asks PMO officials to think creatively" posted on June 12, 2009. b) "Doc’s prescription to diplomats: Link diplomacy to India’s domestic economy, says Manmohan Singh" posted on August 26, 2009 Looking for meeting the PM? Try your luck The requests for appointments to Prime Minister may be addressed either to the Prime Minister himself or to the private secretary to Prime Minister. The telephonic contact may be made at 011-23018939 in appointment cell. Indian Railway employees clinch some of the highest sports awards Sushil Kumar (northern railway), wrestler was awarded with Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, the highest individual sports award of the country on last Saturday. Jaidev Bisht (northern railway), boxing coach was honoured with prestigious Dronacharya Award and Mangal Singh Champia (eastern railway), archer and Ms Surinder Kaur (northern railway), women hockey player were also been honoured with Arjuna Awards.

Son of a retired IAS couple booked for disturbing private party and misbehaving with cops

SON of former bureaucrats Rupan Deol Bajaj and B R Bajaj of Punjab cadre, has been booked for tearing off the uniform of a policeman and misbehaving with cops in Chandigarh on Friday night. Ranjit Bajaj, 29-year-old son of former IAS couple, had allegedly caused disturbances at a private party and misbehaved with guests, media reports said. Sub-inspector Nirmal Singh was suspended for failing to arrest Bajaj who is still at large. The organizers of the party said that Bajaj and three youths were not even invited for the party, but they barged into the private area and started dancing. When the hosts tried to stop them, they started abusing and threatening, reports said. Police reached the spot, but according to the allegation, they remained mute spectators as they feared to arrest Bajaj possibly because of his clout as son of an influential IAS couple. The other three youths were arrested. The accused later talked to a section of the media and said he was being “wrongly framed” in the case. He said he did not enter into any fight with anyone. Two years ago, Bajaj was convicted on charges of forgery and criminal conspiracy in a case of May 5, 2000 when a foreign-made .9 mm pistol, seven cartridges, two empty gun holsters and two swords were found in Bajaj’s car. The car had a fictitious registration number CHI 1. Singh was also declared a proclaimed offender.

What makes this Oxford University scholar spending summer time in India's power corridor

HE has been following the right to information movement in India for the last two years, and that makes this Oxford University research scholar to come to Delhi again, and spend time in power corridors of the capital city. And his verdict: Indian babus still have a better time compared to British bureaucrats who are under severe pressure thanks to Freedom of Information Act (FoI), which is the British version of RTI. A masters student in International Development at the University of Oxford, 25-year-old Tom Green told babu blogger how journalists in UK had been using FoI law to feature high profile scoops. “British civil servants feel FoI (Freedom of Information Act) has exerted a huge amount of pressure on them. Journalists regularly make use of the Act as part of long-term investigations in a way that has not become so common in India. This means the British media regularly features high profile ‘scoops’ and scandalous revelations such as the recent MP’s expenses saga. Compared to this scrutiny, it could be argued that Indian babus have it easy, dealing only with the occasional request for a citizen’s personal data or a visit to the Central Information Commission,” Tom explains. This Oxford scholar who graduated from the University of Manchester, however, feels that the Right to Information Act 2005 has had a dramatic effect on the public consciousness in India. “It has redefined the relationship between the citizen and the civil service and provided a highly effective new avenue for redressing personal grievances. It has caught the imagination of the public much more than the corresponding British act, the Freedom of Information Act of the same year, has been able to,” he observes. But Tom is not just gathering information about RTI during this hot Delhi summer! He is watching Bollywood movies here. What he likes most about Delhi – the city’s vibrancy and yes, Nizam’s Kathi Kabab! Also read, "Govt should create RTI implementation cells: Study" posted on July 20, 2009.

Action & Appointments a) S N Patil, IOFS (1988 batch), joint development commissioner, Kandla SEZ will now be Joint Development Commissioner, Dahej SEZ. b) Narendra Kumar G, a 1989 batch UT cadre IAS has been appointed as joint secretary & director in the National Authority for Chemicals Weapons Convention under the cabinet secretariat, in the Pay Band of Rs 37400-67000 (PB-4) with a grade pay of Rs 10000 for a period of five years. c) The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet has approved the proposal for premature repatriation of Anand B Kulkarni, a 1982 batch Maharashtra cadre IAS, presently working as deputy director general, CAPART (joint secretary level) under the ministry of rural development to his parent cadre.

Women On Top: Meera Meets Meira

Ambassador of India to USA Meera Shankar (Right) meets Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar in New Delhi on August 27, 2009

Action & Appointments: Missile scientist Dr VK Saraswat is new DRDO chief; to act as scientific adviser to A K Antony

Who is Vijay Kumar Saraswat? Current position: Distinguished scientist and chief controller research and development (missiles and strategic systems) in DRDO. New Role: Secretary, department of defence research & development, scientific adviser to the defence minister and director-general, DRDO. Educational Qualifications: PhD in Combustion Engineering Achievements: a) Padmashri Dr Saraswat spearheaded the development of country’s strategic and tactical missile systems including the ‘Agni’ series of strategic missiles covering a range up to 3,000 km. b) As project director ‘Prithvi’, he steered the design, development, production and induction of the first indigenous Surface-to-Surface missile system into the armed forces. c) The successful testing of ‘Dhanush’ missile on board a moving ship with high terminal accuracy brought a new dimension in the national defence capability. d) Pioneered the concept of theatre defence system and integration of national Air Defence elements. Awards & Recognition: Received several awards including Prof Jai Krishna Memorial Award of the Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE) and National Systems Gold Medal by the Systems Society of India. International Academy of Engineering, Russia elected Dr Saraswat as a member of the Academy and honoured him. Other appointments a) Vivek K Tankha has been appointed as Additional Solicitors General of India (direct taxes) in the Supreme Court of India. b) Manoj Chandran, ITS (1991 batch) has been appointed as Chief Vigilance Officer in the Cochin Port Trust. Babus In Demand The government has been looking for a suitable candidate to fill up the post of secretary-cum-controller of examinations, Staff Selection Commission with headquarters at New Delhi in the pay scale of Rs 37,400-67,000 (price band-4) with a grade pay of Rs 8700 at the level of a director. For any more detail, please contact Suneel K Arora, under secretary to the government of India, ministry of personnel, public grievances and pensions (department of personnel and training), Room No 215-A-II, North Block, New Delhi-l10001. The last date of receiving applications is October 16, 2009.

Time to Splurge: Rs 17,500 crore for government employees in mid-September

YES, about Rs 17,500 crore will come into the pockets of government employees in mid-September ensuring that five million families in India will have a party time ahead of Diwali and Durga Puja. In fact, government employees are set for the bonanza with the Centre releasing the second and last installment of arrears promised in 6th Pay Commission last year. The government employees received 40% of the arrears last year. Though the office memorandum of finance ministry released last Tuesday did not mention when exactly the remaining 60% arrear would be handed over, sources said, it would be given to the government employees in mid-September. So how are you investing or splurging that amount? Here are a few tips from babu blogger: 1) If you plan to buy a flat, look out for special discounts that many builders give for government employees. 2) If you wish to buy a car, bargain hard with the bank for a lower interest rate insisting that yours is the safest job during this bad time of economy. 3) Don’t splurge everything. Spare some money for rainy days and invest it in a few selective saving instruments. Last but not the least, don’t just save the entire money either. Why? First, during this economic downturn, many durable assets mainly real estates, are priced comparatively less. Secondly, government sincerely wants you to spend rather than save. If you spend 17K crore, it may stir the economy and help reviving many sectors!

Time schedule for completion of PAR for IAS The performance appraisal reports, or PARs of IAS officers are required to be completed at different stages strictly as per the time schedule given in All India (PAR) Rules, 2007, a department of personnel and training (DoPT) memo said. Rule 5.1 of these rules provides that "if PAR for a financial year is not recorded by 31st December of the year in which the financial year ended, no remarks may be recorded thereafter and the officer may be assessed on the basis of the overall record and self assessment for the year, if he has submitted his self assessment in time”. It has been decided that for the PARs of the year 2008-09, only such remarks of the reporting, reviewing and accepting authorities would be kept in the PARs dossier of the officer reported upon as are recorded by 31st December 2009, and that this practice would be followed uniformly in the coming years, it further said. Read, “Can every IAS, IPS or IFS be MS Dhoni or Sachin Tendulkar? Government says NO” posted on June 11, 2009. Also read, “MHA officials in jitters as P Chidambaram writes long comments on performance appraisal reports”, posted June 1, 2009. Tribal affairs ministry claims to have a site allowing citizens contacting officials through web The ministry of tribal affairs has claimed its revamped “Dynamic Website” (http://tribal.nic.in/) help members of the general public contacting the concerned officers directly through e-mail and apprise them of their problems and views. The website has the facility of a “Help Desk” through which people would be able to contact the ministry officials, it claims. Why don’t you try it yourself?

Doc’s prescription to diplomats: Link diplomacy to India’s domestic economy, says Manmohan Singh

AS MANY as 112 top Indian diplomats heading Indian high commissions and embassies across the world, gave a patience hearing to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh who spelt out his expectation from the country’s top diplomats while addressing at the conference of Indian Heads of Missions on Tuesday. The three-day-long conference, organized by the ministry of external affairs (MEA) in New Delhi, began on Monday. Prime Minister wanted the diplomats to link India’s foreign policy with domestic policies particularly economic policy, and stressed that the country’s foreign policy should be aimed at addressing the challenges of mass poverty, ignorance and disease in the country, which were the primary concern of the Indian state and polity. So what should Indian diplomats do for the country now? Prime Minister identified three pillars of our global engagement -sustaining capital inflows to supplement domestic investment efforts, the need to take advantage of rapid scientific and technological developments in the world, and the need to ensure that the country’s growth is not constrained by scarcity of natural resources, an MEA release said. Read, "Doc’s prescription: Manmohan Singh asks PMO officials to think creatively" posted on June 12, 2009. Also read, "Dr Manmohan Singh’s prescription for IAS", posted on May 30, 2009.

Action & Appointments: Padamvir Singh is new LBSNAA director a) Padamvir Singh, a 1977 batch IAS of Madhya Pradesh cadre, and currently special director, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) has been elevated as director of the academy in the rank and pay of additional secretary to the government of India. For those not so familiar with India’s civil servants and their training programmes, Mussoorie-based LBSNAA is the apex training institution in the country for senior members of the civil services. Mr Singh, who had earlier served as deputy secretary and director in department of personnel and training (DoPT) during the early 1990s, is known to be an expert of India’s public policy and administration. A graduate in economics, Mr Singh attended a 17 weeks long special program on urban affairs in an US university in 1992. b) N Gokulram, a 1974 batch Karnataka cadre IAS, and presently secretary in the department of animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries under the ministry of agriculture, has been attached with the Cabinet Secretariat as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the rank and pay of a secretary. c) Rudhra Gangadharan, a 1975 batch Kerala cadre IAS and currently director, LBSNAA has been appointed as secretary in the department of animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries in place of N Gokulram. d) Dr Ashok Kumar Amrohi, presently ambassador of India in Algeria, has been appointed as the next high commissioner of India to Mozambique in succession to Rajinder Bhagat.

CVC launches prosecution against 22 officers Central Vigilance Commission launched prosecution against 22 officers out of which seven were from Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) & ministry of home affairs (MHA). The Commission also advised initiations of major penalty proceedings against 135 officers of which 31 were from public sector banks, 29 from ministry of railways, 13 from MCD, 7 each from DDA, CBDT & FCI. Recoveries to the tune of Rs 90 lakh were effected after Commission conducted technical examination of some departments.

Indian diplomats need to introspect & change art of diplomacy, says foreign secretary Nirupama Rao

SOUNDS odd, but India’s seasoned diplomats received a lesson or two on diplomacy in New Delhi on Monday. In the second conference of heads of missions held in New Delhi, 112 mission heads who are posted in various embassies or high commissions around the world, gathered to listen to external affairs minister and foreign secretary amongst others, and also to discuss what should be India’s strategic goals in coming days. While talking to India’s seasoned diplomats being posted across the world, external affairs minister S M Krishna said development, inclusive economic growth and alleviation of poverty need to be India’s foremost strategic goals. “The main purpose of our foreign policy is to assist in the fulfillment of these goals by providing an enabling external environment which ensures our security, promotes trade, nurtures our key bilateral relationships, safeguards our national interest and enhances our influence in the world,” the minister said. Earlier, foreign secretary Nirupama Rao welcomed the heads of mission. (Some of them are seen in the picture, enjoying a joke possibly cracked by India’s ambassador to US Meera Shankar, 2nd from right). Ms Rao said the Indian diplomat today needed to introspect on how his or her practice of the art of diplomacy and the tools used for it, must adapt, or change, in response to the challenges in the world and the decentralization of the international landscape. Wish to study RTI, get yourself enrolled on a government course The department of personnel and training (DoPT) has launched an online certificate course on RTI for various stakeholders targeting mainly public information officers (PIOs), assistant public information officers (APIOs), appellate authorities, representative of civil society organisations and media. The proposed online course can be taken in batches of 15 days, and the registration for the first pilot batch would commence on August 24, 2009 and close at 5 pm on September 3, 2009. The course starts on September 7, and the examination can be taken from 9 am on September 19, 2009 to 9 pm on September 21, 2009. If you have any doubt, send a mail on occhelpdesk@cgg.gov.in

Also read, "Babus Under Check: Government finally gives clarification on disclosure of file noting by bureaucrats under RTI" posted on June 25.

Top five babuz: India’s 5 most powerful bureaucrats are Pulok Chaterji, TKA Nair, KM Chandrasekhar, Ashok Chawla & M Ramachandran

THE list of babuz, 09, is finally out. These 5 master bureaucrats have the power and ability to fix problems, manage crises, push agenda and get things done. They have clouts not just because of their posts and positions, but for their sharp managerial skills, leadership qualities and last but not the least their sound relationship with India’s political heavyweights. Methodology of Selection After taking feedback of over 30 senior bureaucrats and politicians who have mustered in understanding ups and downs of actors in Delhi’s power corridor, babu blogger has finally zeroed in five top babuz, or five most powerful bureaucrats in the country. Consensus and Controversy Whereas there was a consensus on Pulok Chaterji being the most powerful bureaucrat despite being stationed in US now, there was a tie between cabinet secretary K M Chandrasekhar and finance secretary Ashok Chawla for the third position. Also, there were anonymous comments in the blog saying that none of the Indian babuz has the intellectual caliber of Henry Kissinger after babu blogger had claimed that these powerful bureaucrats were Dr Manmohan Singh’s Kissinger-type master bureaucrats. babuz No 1: Pulok Chaterji A 1974 batch IAS from Uttar Pradesh cadre, he is now posted in Washington DC as an executive director of the World Bank. A secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) till recently, Mr Chaterje’s personal equation with Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s family can’t be ignored by anyone in the government including those who are senior to him. The buzz is that the man who had a say in virtually every appointment of the government during Dr Manmohan Singh’s first innings, may soon come back to power pockets of Raisina Hill. Also read, “babuz no 1: Pulok Chaterji is India’s most powerful bureaucrat; find out who are no 2, 3, 4 & 5” posted on August 17, 2009. babuz No 2: TKA Nair Retired over a decade back, this 1963 batch Punjab cadre officer and principal secretary to Prime Minister, was also the secretary to former prime ministers I K Gujral and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. As babu blogger had written earlier, “And his immense clout explains why Reliance Industries’ (RIL) chairman Mukesh Ambani or Jet Airways chairman Naresh Goyal knows who to meet in the Raisina Hills to explain their side of the story on recent gas row and misery of aviation sector respectively,”. babuz No 3: K M Chandrasekhar A 1970 batch IAS of Kerala cadre, K M Chandrasekhar is well regarded among top echelon of civil servants in India. He was the architect of government’s 100 days agenda which various ministries were forced to initiate even before the new government was formed. babuz No 4: Ashok Chawla A 1973 batch IAS from Gujarat cadre, finance secretary Ashok Chawla would have been equally powerful today, had the BJP come to power after the last general election. A former civil aviation secretary, Mr Chawla served as secretary of department of economic affairs (DEA) only to be elevated as finance secretary eight months later. He is a contender to be the next cabinet secretary. babuz No 5: M Ramachandran Urban development secretary M Ramachandran, a 1972 batch Uttaranchal cadre IAS, is gathering clout in power corridors as he is the top contender to be the cabinet secretary next year. Known for following rule books to the core, Mr Ramachandran is pioneered reforms in India’s urban sector. Also read, “Chandrasekhar gets extension; Ramachandran & Chawla to be key contenders for cabinet secretary’s post next year” posted on June 2, 2009.

Maya Once More: UP CM spells out stricter missive to senior officials

SPIRITED by the recent success in Uttar Pradesh bye-polls, chief minister Mayawati has made it clear once more that she wanted senior officials of the state to be more responsible in delivery of welfare measures and law and order mechanism. But that comes with a strict warning --- seniors officers would be held responsible if their juniors fail to come up to the mark. UP chief minister called senior officials of the state to her residence on Saturday and gave a piece of her mind amid tea and biscuits. Among those who were present during the interaction were cabinet secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh, additional cabinet secretary Vijay Shankar Pandey, principal secretary (home) Kunwar Fateh Bahadur, DGP Vikram Singh, ADGs (law and order) Brij Lal and AK Jain and ADG (Intelligence) to name a few. Ms Mayawati also asked the officials make necessary arrangements in view of coming festivals of Ramzan, Ganesh Chaturthi, Haritalika Teej etc. UP chief minister is known for being very strict with officials, and she does not hesitate to randomly pick up transfer as a tool to punish them. Read the post “Maths, Stats & Maya” dated June 10. Also read, “All about Maya: IAS, IPS face transfers in UP” posted on May 25, 2009.

Delhi’s power corridor feels the heat of monsoon fury; normal work paralyzed

THE work in many government offices in Delhi got disrupted as heavy rains accompanied by strong wind lashed the city Friday afternoon. Whereas a number of appointments and meetings got cancelled, and many bureaucrats were caught up in hours long traffic jams across Lutyen’s Delhi, premises of many key ministries including commerce and industry, steel, urban development and power witnessed severe water logging forcing even the powerful babus encountering real-time monsoon of the current season. The only area that escaped the virtual flash flood was the relatively higher zone of North and South Blocks housing several important ministries such as home, finance, PMO and defence though the officers who were out in the city at that point of time faced the nightmare of Delhi’s one of the worst traffic jam situationa during the recent time. Though falling of trees were seen in premises of many government offices in the capital, none of the buildings witnessed a similar fate as that of Indira Gandhi international airport where a part of the roof in the departure terminal was blown off by the wind, which raised many a question regarding the design of the airport being modernised on a public private partnership mode with GMR group holding the majority stake. Govt may adopt a new agenda for administrative reforms The government may adopt a new agenda for reforms in administration to meet the challenges of the changing times, minister of state for personnel, public grievances & pensions Prithviraj Chavan hinted while inaugurating a day-long conference of state secretaries of the administrative reforms held in New Delhi on Friday. The institution of Prime Minister’s Awards which recognize the best practitioners of administration in wide ranging areas from education, transportation, health, service delivery, policing, environment and urban governance, has given an impetus towards bringing many of the ‘Best Practices’ in administration to limelight, he added. Secretary of administrative reforms and pension Rajni Razdan said that the thrust areas in government reform included transparency, accountability and efficiency among others. Read: "ARC recommendations to be implemented with speed, says Prime Minister; RTI Act to be improved" posted on August 15, 2009.

Action & Appoitments a) The appointments committee of the cabinet (ACC) has rejected the proposal for inter-cadre deputation of Praveen Kumar Raghav, IFS (J&K, 2000) from Jammu & Kashmir to Uttar Pradesh. b) Central deputation tenure of 1981 batch IAS of MP cadre Amar Singh, joint secretary, ministry of rural development has been extended for a period of three months. c) M G V K Bhanu, a 1985 batch Assam cadre IAS, presently on inter cadre deputation to the state of Andhra Pradesh, may be repatriated to his parent cadre of Assam-Meghalaya by the end of September 2009.

State officers meet in New Delhi today to brainstorm on administrative reforms

IN THE first ever get-together to brainstorm on issues related to administrative reforms, secretaries of departments of administrative reforms of various states and union territories are taking part in a conference to be held in New Delhi on Friday. The conference will focus on the implementation of second Administrative Reform Commission (ARC) recommendation pertaining to the states. The conference, to be inaugurated by Prithviraj Chavan, minister of state for personnel, public grievances and pensions, aims to create a national platform to share experiences of the states in the field of reforms or initiatives undertaken by the department of administrative reforms in the states. According to a government release, this is a part of an agenda to improve public service delivery, make the administration effective, transparent and accountable. The conference will provide a forum for the various states to highlight the issues being faced by them in the area of administrative reforms, the release said. Issues that are likely to come up for discussion include organizational structure of the administrative departments in the states, budget allocation and reform activities in addition to brainstorming challenges faced by them in the execution of reforms activities and assistance required by them from the Centre. babu blogger in his post “Quick fix: Govt discusses cutting down of file movements” dated June 27, 2009, said how the number of level through which a file passes for a decision would not exceed three if a 26-page note that was doing the rounds in power corridors had its way. Govt issues yet another memo on prevention of sexual harassment Issuing yet another office memo, the government reiterated its commitment regarding prevention of sexual harassment of women in government. The memo issued recently by department of personnel and training (DoPT) was related to CCS (Conduct) Rules, 1964 - Guidelines regarding prevention of sexual harassment of working women in the workplace. It had earlier issued a memo dated July 21, 2009. In fact, a provision was added in 2004, on inquiry procedure which was laid down in the Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1965. Also read, “DoPT reminds government officers and staff of guidelines on “sexual harassment” dated July 25, 2009. Spotting the babuz With the announcement of the fifth most powerful bureaucrat in the country, the BoI (Babus of India) list of 5 top babuz will be completed. Watch out this space to get the complete list of India’s 5 most powerful bureaucrats based on feedback received from senior bureaucrats and politicians.

babuz no 4: Finance secretary Ashok Chawla is India’s fourth most powerful bureaucrat

HE IS one of the rare breed of senior officers in India who is a darling both to the Congress and the BJP leadership. Finance secretary Ashok Chawla, a 1973 batch IAS from Gujarat cadre, would have been equally powerful today, had the BJP come to power after the last general election. Yes, he is babuz no 4, or India’s fourth most powerful bureaucrat, according to feedback received by babu blogger from senior bureaucrats and politicians who have a direct knowledge about equations in Delhi’s power corridor. Former civil aviation secretary, who had earlier played a successful innings in North Block first as a an additional secretary and then as a special secretary in the ministry of finance, Mr Chawla returned to Finmin in September 2008 as a secretary of department of economic affairs (DEA) only to be elevated as finance secretary eight months later, leaving his batch-mate and revenue secretary P V Bhide behind. No wonder, Mr Chawla who is in full charge of the department of financial services which is now headed by an additional secretary level officer, was also given additional charge of the ministry of disinvestment for sometime. Significantly, Mr Chawla and urban development secretary M Ramachandran are the two key contenders for cabinet secretary’s post to be vacant next year. Babu blogger had first reported on April 28, 2009 that DEA secretary Ashok Chawla would be India’s finance secretary a fortnight before the announcement of his appointment. Read, “DEA secretary Ashok Chawla likely to be next Finance Secretary”. Also read babu blogger’s post on June 23, 2009, “Finance secretary Ashok Chawla given additional charge of disinvestment; now controls 3 out of 5 Finmin departments”. Babus on course: Last date of application for a training programme in Japan extended Here’s a warning bell for those officers who are eligible to apply for a two-month-long training programme on solid waste management in Japan, but have not sent their applications so far. In fact, department of personnel & training (DoPT) has issued a circular announcing that the last date of applying for the course to be held in Japan from October 4 to November 27, 2009, had been extended, but officers should now apply immediately. To cross-check whether you are eligible to apply, please long on the website, persmin.nic.in

Babuz no 3: Cabinet secretary K M Chandrasekhar is India’s third most powerful bureaucrat behind Pulok Chaterji & TKA Nair

A WEEK before the announcement of Parliamentary results in May this year, cabinet secretary K M Chandrasekhar, a 1970 batch IAS of Kerala cadre, ordered all secretaries to prepare a 100 days agenda for their respective ministry or department. By then, it was strongly anticipated that Congress would lead a coalition government, and by the time the government was actually formed, its 100 days agenda should be ready. No wonder, once Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh began his second innings from his South Block office, he had no qualm about Mr Chandrasekhar getting a one-year extension. Yes, K M Chandrasekhar who is well regarded among top echelon of civil servants in India is India’s No 3 most powerful bureaucrat. He is babuz no 3, just behind 1974 batch IAS from Uttar Pradesh cadre, Pulok Chaterji and principal secretary to PM TKA Nair, according to feedback received by babu blogger from senior civil servants and politicians. Also, read “babuz no 1: Pulok Chaterji is India’s most powerful bureaucrat” and “babuz no 2: principal secretary to PM TKA Nair is India’s second most powerful bureaucrat” posted on August 17 and 18 respectively. A former ambassador & permanent representative of India in World Trade Organization (WTO) and revenue secretary in the ministry of finance, Mr Chandrasekhar has a post graduation degree in management studies from the University of Leeds in United Kingdom. In fact, Mr Chandrasekhar had a close tie with another secretary three batch junior to him for the third position as many senior IAS officers in power corridors have rather vouched for the latter to be more powerful than the cabinet secretary. Anyway, the 1973 batch officer is babu blogger’s choice as the fourth most powerful bureaucrat in India. Watch out this space in the coming days to check out who are babuz no 4 & 5.

State secretaries to discuss urban issues in New Delhi today Principal secretaries or secretaries of urban development of states and union territories would meet on August 19 in New Delhi to discuss project completion in 65 Mission Cities under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), submission of Quarterly Project Reports (QPRs), utilization of funds and projected requirement of funds etc. The state government officials will also discuss other urban schemes such as national urban sanitation policy, pilot project on implementation of service level benchmarks and accelerated urban water supply programme (AUWSP) etc.

babuz no 2: Principal secretary to PM TKA Nair is India’s second most powerful bureaucrat; find out who are no 3, 4 & 5

RETIRED from IAS 12 years ago, 1963 batch Punjab cadre officer is the most powerful bureaucrat in the PMO now, and the second most powerful in India, according to babu blogger’s list of powerful bureaucrats based on feedback of senior civil servants and politicians. Mr TKA Nair, who was secretary to former prime minister I K Gujral and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, had also served in Planning Commission. From day one, Dr Manmohan Singh was very keen on taking him on board as PM had always believed in creating a core team of master bureaucrats to make an impact on overall administration and delivery of services. Read, “babuz aaj kal: India’s most powerful civil servants are being spotted; Indian PM too has Kissinger-type master bureaucrats” posted on August 13, 2009. The man who attended the first cabinet meeting of Dr Manmohan Singh government in May, 2004, has been calling the shots in the PMO for over five years now. He commands high respect from all officers in government today. And his immense clout explains why Reliance Industries’ (RIL) chairman Mukesh Ambani or Jet Airways chairman Naresh Goyal knows who to meet in the Raisina Hills to explain their side of the story on recent gas row and misery of aviation sector respectively. Yes, TKA Nair is India’s Kissinger-type master bureaucrat. Also read, “babuz no 1: Pulok Chaterji is India’s most powerful bureaucrat” posted on August 17, 2009. Watch out this space in coming days to find out who is babuz no 3, 4 & 5. Action & Appointments a) The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the request of Dr A K Banerjee, IA&AS (1973 batch) for relieving from the post of chairman, National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority, with the condition that he may continue for three months, by which time a substitute can be in place. b) Edwin Kulbhushan Majhi, a 1989 batch Kerala cadre IAS has been appointed as Mission Director-cum-joint secretary in the department of agriculture and cooperation, in the pay band of Rs 37400-67000 (PB-4) with a grade pay of Rs 10000. c) The proposal of the ministry of railways (railways board) for extension of Central deputation tenure of P K Mehta, IPS (1977 batch Haryana cadre), and chief security commissioner, Northern Railway, has been approved for a period of three months beyond August 8, 2009. d) R K Jain, a 1981 batch Himachal Pradesh cadre IAS has been appointed as chief (joint secretary level), national manufacturing competitiveness council (NMCC) under the department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP) in the pay scale of Rs.18400-22400 (pre-revised), for a period of three years.

babuz no 1: Pulok Chaterji is India’s most powerful bureaucrat; find out who are no 2, 3, 4 & 5

IN GOVERNMENT, no one feels he is unimportant. From the person who signs and receives a letter to the secretary of a department who takes all major decisions, everyone in power corridor seriously attempts to make his or her presence felt. After all, each individual in the government is powerful enough to speed up a process, or paralyze it completely. If everyone in the system is so powerful, who should qualify to be babuz or India’s most powerful bureaucrats? According to the feedback received by babu blogger from at least 30 senior bureaucrats in the country, 5 babuz or 5 most powerful bureaucrats in India have been chosen. While selecting the list of top 5 babuz, more weightage is given to the clout that he or she has on the system rather than the significance of the post that the bureaucrat is currently holding.

Pulok Chaterji, babuz no 1 A 1974 batch IAS from Uttar Pradesh cadre, Pulok Chaterji could now be posted far away in Washington DC as an executive director of the World Bank, but his one phone call carries more power than many important files doing round the power corridors of Delhi. But what makes him so special and powerful? A secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) till recently, Mr Chaterje’s personal equation with Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s family can’t be ignored by anyone in the government including those who are senior to him. After all, he served as district magistrate of Rae Bareli in early 1980s, a director in the PMO during Rajiv Gandhi’s time, a secretary (joint secretary equivalent) in Rajiv Gandhi Foundation in early 1990s, and then a private secretary to Sonia Gandhi when she was the leader of the Opposition. What’s more, he is a highly efficient officer with a clear focus on delivery. There is already a buzz that the man who had a say in virtually every appointment of the government during Dr Manmohan Singh’s first innings, may soon come back to power pockets of Raisina Hill. Watch out this space in the coming days to find out who are the babuz no 2, 3, 4 & 5. Read "BoI announcement on Spotting The babuz" posted on July 28, 2009. Other News: Over 3000 vacant posts of judges to be filled up The government may soon expedite the process of filling up vacancies of judges in various courts including those in High Courts, Prime Minister indicated it in a joint conference of chief ministers and chief justices in New Delhi on Sunday. “The existing vacancies in High Courts are quite high in number and need to be filled up urgently. I would urge the Chief Justices of High Courts to initiate proposals for quickly filling up these posts, he said. Also, the process will begin to fill up about 3000 posts of judges in the country which are now vacant because of delay in recruitment, he indicated.

ARC recommendations to be implemented with speed, says Prime Minister; RTI Act to be improved

IN AN attempt to make public administration more efficient, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh made a commitment in his Independence Day speech that the government would speed up implementing recommendations of the Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) to strengthen governance. Prime Minister also said that Right to Information (RTI) Act would be improved further so that it becomes more effective in bringing in accountability and transparency in public life. “We will act with speed on the recommendations of the Administrative Reforms Commission to strengthen governance,” he said while emphasizing the need to make public administration more efficient. In fact, 2nd Administrative Reforms Commission or ARC, chaired by Veerappa Moily came out with a number of reports on administrative reforms, but most of its recommendations have not been implemented so far. Significantly, Prime Minister Dr Singh devoted a large part of his Independence Day speech on the need to have better administration, decentralization and effective delivery of public services both in urban and rural areas. “Renewed efforts will be made to decentralize public administration through the Panchayati Raj Institutions and to ensure greater involvement of people in it. Initiative will be taken for a new partnership between the civil society and the government so that tax payers’ money is better spent,” he said. He said the government would make special efforts to strengthen the administrative machinery for rural programmes. “Those who live in villages and semi-urban areas should get services similar to the residents of urban areas. Communication and Information Technology can go a long way in achieving this objective. Recently, we have set up the Unique Identification Authority of India. This is a historic step to link up the whole country through a high quality administrative arrangement. We expect the first set of identity numbers to be available in the next one to one and a half years,” he said.

Will Dr Manmohan Singh prescribe 62 as retirement age for govt employees? If it happens, who gain & who lose…

IF Prime Minister of India Dr Manmohan Singh announces raising of Indian civil servants’ retirement age to 62 years in his Independence Day speech on August 15, as is speculated by a section of media, over one lakh government employees who would have retired during the next two years, will gain immediately. Whereas majority would stand to gain by this move, provided it materializes, the proposal would make a few babuz unhappy too. babu blogger here makes an attempt to analyze who among the top bureaucrats will gain whereas who will actually lose thanks to this decision. Why Govt May Announce It In a drought-hit year which will continue to witness impacts of continuing global economic meltdown, the government may like to lessen its financial burden by this innovative mechanism. Whereas government’s salary budget will go up, it may save more money by not paying the retirement benefits such as gratuity etc. Also, it may earn goodwill among the government employees. Who among top bureaucrats gain? Though every officer will gain out of the decision, it’s better for 90 IAS officers who would have retired between August 15 to December 31, 2009. They can now postpone their post-retirement plans by two years. According to babu blogger’s calculation, 509 IAS will be retiring in the next two years beginning August 15 this year, and this could be the happiest lot. For the record, there are 1,237 IAS officers in the age group of 56-60 years. Also, if retirement age is increased to 62, Kerala cadre IAS of 1972 batch and secretary in Planning Commission Sudha Pillai, will again be a contender for the cabinet secretary’s post once the present incumbent K M Chandrasekhar’s term ends next year. Read "Pati, Patni and Post: It's Sudha Pillai vs. G K Pillai for next cabinet secretary", published on May 11, 2009. Who among top bureaucrats lose? As many of the present secretaries will remain on their posts, if the retirement age is increased by two years, those in 1976 batch would have to contend with posts like special secretaries who don’t get a chance to manage a department or ministry independently. Also, 1979 batch IAS officers who would have been additional secretaries soon will have to wait longer to get vacant slots. Raise Of Retirement Age In The Past For the record, the age of superannuation was increased from 55 to 58 following the 1962 war with China during Jawaharlal Nehru’s time. It was then raised to 60 in 1998 by the NDA government.

babuz aaj kal: India’s most powerful civil servants are being spotted; Indian PM too has Kissinger-type master bureaucrats

IN THE process of finalizing babuz, or the most powerful bureaucrats in the country today, babu blogger scanned through some of the major international news items which talked about powerful bureaucrats around the world, and finally spotted a very interesting titled "Nixon designs new bureaucracy" published in the St. Petersburg Times, on November 22, 1972. The news report said how then US president Richard Nixon was quietly but stubbornly designing a radically new federal bureaucracy which will centralize power inside the White House to a degree never attempted before. The paper in its seemingly breaking news, 37 years ago, further said that the proposal was to create four or five new Kissinger-type master bureaucrats working directly under the President. They would exercise fully as much control over their old-line departments as Kissinger exercised over the State Department through National Security Council. Nixon wanted to take direct control of the sprawling and often immovable bureaucracy into his own hands, operating through his new master bureaucrats, the report added. Mr Nixon (1913 –1994) was the 37th President of the United States (1969–1974) who had earlier served as Vice President of the United States (1953–1961). Significantly, Henry Kissinger is a German-born American political scientist who served as National Security Advisor and later concurrently as Secretary of State in the Nixon administration. During the Nixon and Ford administrations, he was a flamboyant figure and according to Wikipedia, he described himself as perhaps the only National Security Advisor to have a fan club on his own. Any clue who should top the list of babuz, or India’s most powerful bureaucrats? Write at babu.blogger1@gmail.com

All about Maya & Mamata: Babus under pressure in UP; Rly officials in deputation may not get extension

IAS and IPS officials occupying key posts in Uttar Pradesh are continuing to work under severe strain as they could be the next scapegoats for anything that goes wrong in chief minister Mayawati’s fiefdom. Whereas random transfer has become a common tool in the state to punish officials, chief minister has now said that senior officers including superintendent of police and deputy inspector generals would now be held accountable if the law and order situation in UP does not improve. Though the dictate sounds fine at the theoretical level, officials in the state feel that this could be yet another weapon to punish officials who are not toeing chief minister’s political line. The only good takeaway from the chief minister Mayawati’s recent initiative is the creation of another post of an additional director general of police (law and order). Now, ADG Brij Lal will look into law and order in west UP, whereas ADG AK Jain will take charge of eastern districts of the state. Only two days ago, 16 officials, including three senior IAS officers, were suspended for their alleged involvement in the irregularities in the allotment of plots to hospitality groups in Noida for building hotels for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. The case is under investigation. Read "All about Maya: IAS, IPS face transfers in UP" posted on May 25, 2009. Meanwhile, railway officials posted on deputation are fearing of an early comeback to their parent ministry as railway minister Mamata Banerjee may not allow them to continue on deputation beyond their three years term. Though most officials usually manage an extension of their deputation up to five years, officers on deputation are concerned of a new rule that may stop railway officers to continue on deputation beyond three years. babu blogger has learnt that Ms Banerjee had already rejected a few cases of extension beyond three years for which parent department’s permission is mandatory.

Why do Goan Netas hate babus? State politicians demand separate IAS, IPS cadre only for Goa

TENSIONS between Netas and babus in India are well known, but it has reached the climax in Goa where politicians have openly criticized their bureaucrats as inefficient and non-cooperative. Tensions have reached the stage when the government of Goa has begun consultation with the Central government to create a separate cadre for the state of Goa only. Currently, Goa (See picture) is a part of the AGMUT cadre (Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories), where bureaucrats are transferred among those states and union territories. But if there is a separate cadre only for Goa, local politicians will have the power to transfer them at their will. State chief minister Digambar Kamat said in a written reply tabled in the assembly recently that the possibility of having an independent cadre of IAS (Indian Administrative Service) and IPS (Indian Police Service) officers only for Goa was being explored in consultation with the government of India. According to media reports, sole Rajya Sabha MP from the state Shantaram Naik had even accused IAS and IPS officers posted in the state of being inefficient and uncooperative, and added that it was very difficult to get rid of bad, uncooperative officers as that comes under the jurisdiction of the Union home ministry. Read "Netagiri & babudom: A new set of instructions issued to help officers communicate with MPs" posted on August 7. Files To Fields Feeling bored at going through the unexcited files! Here’s a smart alternative. Come autumn, a series of sports events will make civil servants working in various Central government ministries and departments of Delhi engaged allowing them to temporality junk files and join their colleagues in fields. Whereas inter-ministry chess tournament will be held at Nirman Bhawan from September 15 to 25, 2009, the volleyball encounter will take place at Brassey Avenue, Delhi from September 9 to 11. And that’s not all. Central civil servants cultural and sports board in collaboration with Gujarat government is organizing another volleyball tournament from October 6 to 8, 2009 at Gandhinagar. Also read, "WATERLOO: Civil servants may show their talent in a Water Polo event in Delhi" posted on July 29, 2009. Action & Appointments 1) R K Jain, a 1981 batch IAS of Himachal Pradesh cadre has been appointed as chief (joint secretary level), National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council (NMCC) under the department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP) in the pay scale of Rs 18400-22400 (pre-revised), for a period of three years. 2) K M Acharya, a 1974 batch MP cadre IAS and secretary in the ministry of social justice and empowerment will hold additional charge of the post of secretary in ministry of women and child development from August 29, 2009 to September 6, 2009, and for any extended period of the spell of leave of Anil Kumar, a 1973 batch UP cadre IAS.

Campus Calling: A railway officer chugs along the memory lane and rediscovers life at royal stables

A NUMBER of railway officers have opened their hearts and minds in response to babu blogger’s request for all officers to share their story of campus life at Railway Staff College. Read: “Sorry sir! Life is fun at Railway Staff College, Vadodara” dated August 2, 2009. Here is the byline of Mohan Menon, IRPS and currently chairman, Railway Recruitment Board, Thiruvananthapuram. And the dateline? 13th Feb, 1988, Vadorara. Mr Menon remembers his first day at the campus: When we set foot on Pratap Vilas palace, Lalbagh, Rajeevan and myself were not a pair of greenhorns, but battle-scarred probationers, as it turned out, bankers-turned railway bureaucrats! The old hostel in the 55- acre compound that housed us during the two subsequent years of centralised training, reminded us of the trappings of colonial grandeur when we stepped in those days. However, the hostel caretaker blew away any such misplaced notions or delusions of grandeur. During an informal chat, he disclosed that the "old hostel" housed thoroughbreds from the royal stables, with a disdainful look, which read 'Guys, in place of those horses, you’ve well and truly arrived. …Our PT instructor, a middle-aged man, while physically demonstrating the "oopar Thali bajao" exercise, left enough chinks in the armour, one in which we had to take off from terra firma, with legs spreadeagled like an inverted V and simultaneously bring both hands together, well above shoulders and give a resounding clap. During such graphic demo acts, momentary lapse of alertness let some of the more enterprising guys standing behind, to perform the "houdini act", from prying eyes of the PT master. They used to disappear in to the woods close by the square, with a few peacocks and stray monkeys who bear stoic witnesses to the "great escapades from PT", only to surface at Labha, a small restaurant outside RSC, for a steaming cup of morning tea! An excellent post Mr Menon. I am sure you have made many of your fellow railway babus nostalgic and romantic. I have mere four words to add: Party hard, work harder!

Nominations for Web Ratna Awards to close on 15th August Web Ratna Awards, which recognize those ministries and departments of the Centre and states which have made significant contributions towards the implementation of electronic governance, will close for nominations by next Saturday. Who is eligible: All Central and state government ministries, departments, offices, institutions, district administrations and Indian Missions abroad How to apply: All entries should be submitted online through Web Ratna Awards website http://webratna.india.gov Award Categories Citizen Centric Service Public Participation Initiative Outstanding Web Content Innovative Use of Technology Comprehensive Web Presence-Ministry/Department Comprehensive Web Presence-State Last Date: 15th August, 2009

Orissa IPS officer booked for torturing wife; faces serious allegations of accepting Rs 40 lakh in cash as dowry

IN YET another case of an Orissa cadre bureaucrat turning a newsmaker for wrong reasons, a criminal case was registered against Nayagarh district’s Superintendent of Police Jaynarayan Pankaj after his wife Mrinal Agarwal had alleged that she was physically and mentally tortured by her husband, according to media reports quoting sub-divisional police officer G C Mallick. In fact, Mr Pankaj, a 2005 batch IPS officer and the current SP of Nayagarh, has faced another serious allegation as his wife alleged that her parents gave Rs 40 lakh cash as dowry during their marriage about two years ago. The investigation has begun after the case was registered under various sections of Indian Penal Code, including under dowry prevention act. The case involving an Orissa civil servant has surfaced barely a week after Jagada Nanda Panda, a 1983 batch IAS of Orissa cadre, allegedly killed his family members and himself in Bargarh district of Orissa after a CBI team had raided in his house. Read, “Who is IAS Jagada Nanda Panda?” posted on August 1, 2009. Orissa media has published the names of a number of bureaucrats from the state who have become newsmakers, all for wrong reasons. A very senior IPS officer came into news recently after he was allegedly spotted with a Bengali speaking lady at a government-run guest house in Cuttack. The names of two other very senior IPS officers were also dragged by local media reports for wrong reasons.

Know Your IPS

Name: Jai Narayan Pankaj Batch: 2005 IPS Cadre: Orissa Place of domicile: Bihar Date of Birth: March 5, 1976 Current Posting: SP, Nayagarh Pay Scale: Rs 15600-39100, with a grade pay of Rs 7600

Action & Appointments a) The proposal for the grant of pay scale of Rs 80,000 (fixed) to R R P N Sahi, a 1973 batch IPS, presently serving as Commissioner of Security (Civil Aviation) in the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security under the ministry of civil aviation, has been approved with effect from November 25, 2008. b) Amrit Lal Meena, a 1989 batch IAS of Bihar cadre has been appointed as joint secretary in the ministry of food processing industries, in the pay band of Rs 37400-67000 (PB-4) with a grade pay of Rs 10000, for a period upto July 27, 2011 or until further orders. c) Anuj Kumar Bishnoi, a 1981 batch IAS of UP cadre, has been as director, Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) at the level of joint secretary under the ministry of corporate affairs for a period of five years from the date of assumption of charge of the post or until further orders. d) Subhash Chandra Garg, a 1983 batch IAS has been appointed as joint secretary in the department of agriculture and cooperation in the Pay Band of Rs 37400-67000 (PB-4) plus grade pay of Rs 10000, for a period of five years.

Netagiri & babudom: A new set of instructions issued to help officers communicate with MPs

IN YET another tale of Netagiri and babudom, Indian political masters have recently imposed a set of additional instructions on how officers should behave with the Members of Parliament. This set of detailed instructions issued recently on the conduct of government servants in official dealings and correspondence with the Members of Parliament are in addition to the provisions in the Conduct Rules, and the Manual of Office Procedure, minister of state for parliamentary affairs & planning V Narayansami said in written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha on Thursday. Though the details of the instructions were not mentioned in the minister’s reply, it was added that the need for observance of the instructions was reiterated from time to time as and when felt necessary. The minister further said complaints were received on a few occasions, and they were taken up and pursued with concerned authorities. The names of the officers against whom MPs have complained so far, were not mentioned. In fact, political masters often blame the bureaucrats for non-performance and at times cover up their own inability and corrupt practices by making the officials scapegoats. For bureaucrats, the biggest menace is random transfer which is a major political tool to punish officers and at times even de-motivate them. Aradhana Johri of NACO to participate in Bali conference on AIDS Aradhana Johri, joint secretary, National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) and other senior officers will accompany minister of state for health & family welfare Dinesh Trivedi to participate in 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific being held at Bali in Indonesia from 9 – 13 August, 2009. Ms Johri is a 1980 batch IAS from UP cadre and a key official in AIDS control initiative of the government. The theme of the congress is, “Empowering people. Strengthening networks”. Preceding the visit to Bali, Mr Trivedi and his team of officials will visit Yogyakarta of Indonesia on August 7 and 8, 2009 to see the HIV prevention interventions undertaken by NGOs in that island state. Govt wants ST, SC & women Judges in Courts The government favours giving representation to persons from the Bar, belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, Minorities and from amongst women, who may be suitable for appointment as High Court Judges, minister of law and justice M Veerappa Moily said in the Lok Sabha on Thursday in a written reply. In fact, appointment of Judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts is made under Articles 124 and 217 of the Constitution of India respectively, which do not provide for reservation for any caste or class of persons.

Action & Appointments: Ashok Chawla to hold additional charge of revenue department for 11 days

a) ASHOK Chawla, a 1973 batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre and current finance secretary, will hold additional charge of the post of Secretary, department of revenue under the ministry of finance during the period from 17th August, 2009 to 28th August, 2009 when revenue secretary P V Bhide, a 1973 batch Andhra Pradesh cadre IAS, will remain on leave. b) The extension of appointment of Dr C Chandramouli, a 1985 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS as OSD in the Office of the RGI, in the rank and pay of Joint Secretary has been approved for a period of three months beyond July 9, 2009. c) The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved, ex-post-facto, for entrusting additional charge of the post of Development Commissioner, Dahej Special Economic Zone under Department of Commerce to S N Patil IOFS (1988), Joint Development Commissioner, Kandla SEZ, in addition to his own charge, for a period of three months beyond June 15, 2009 or till such time as the post is filled up on a regular basis. d) The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has not approved the proposal of the Ministry of Coal for extension of tenure of Rajiv Sharma, a 1976 batch IAS and additional secretary in the ministry of coal. e) The inter cadre deputation of Ajoy Sharma, a Punjab Cadre IAS of 1999 batch from Punjab to AGMUT cadre for appointment as Joint Secretary (Finance), Chandigarh for a period of three years, has been approved. f) The Inter-Cadre deputation of Har Sahay Meena, a 1997 batch IAS of Tamil Nadu cadre, from Tamil Nadu to Rajasthan cadre has been approved for a period of 3 years. g) The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the proposal of the ministry of home affairs for in-situ upgradation of the following officers belonging to the 1974 and 1975 batches of the Indian Police Service as Director General of Police in the pay scale of Rs 75500-80000. They are: (i) R K Mathur, IPS (CH, 1974), presently working as Director, NCRB(ADG level) (ii) R Bagchi, IPS (WB, 1975), presently working as Additional Director in IB. (iii) A B Mathur, IPS (MT, 1975), presently working as Additional Secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat. (iv) O P S Malik, IPS (UP, 1975), presently working as DG, NCB (ADG level).

A top cop of 1974 batch joins MHA as special secretary, internal security

A SENIOR IPS officer Utthan Kumar Bansal is joining the ministry of home affairs (MHA) as special secretary, internal secretary, in the vacancy of Raman Srivastava, IPS. An Indian Police Service officer of 1974 batch Uttar Pradesh cadre, Mr Bansal was recently posted at Chandigarh as the ADG, (West) in Border Security Force (BSF). As the special secretary in-charge of internal security, his first challenge will be to curb the growing Naxal violence in many parts of the country. G K Pillai, a 1972 batch Kerala cadre IAS, is the home secretary of the country. Meanwhile, the continued assignment of additional charge of the post of DG & Mission Director, Unique identification Authority of India to R Bhattacharya, IAS (AP, 78), who is now a senior adviser in the Planning Commission, has been approved beyond June 30, 2009 and until the successor to the post of DG & Mission Director, UIAI joins. Know Your IPS Name: Utthan Kumar Bansal Cadre: Uttar Pradesh cadre IPS Batch: 1974 Educational Qualifications: MSc (Mathematics) Date of Birth: November 8, 1952 Date of Joining: July 22, 1974 Police medals: PM-1995, PPM-2001 Pay scale till recently: Rs 37400-67000 with a grade pay of Rs 12000 Email ID: ukbansal@mail.svpnpa.gov.in BoI extraa… Should bureaucrats of the country occasionally wear Khadi dress, thereby encouraging GenNext to use that form of textile? A symbol associated with India’s freedom struggle, Khadi is widely used by politicians of the country. The government announced on Wednesday a rebate up to 20% of all Khadi dress sold at the outlets run by Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC). If you know IAS and other civil servants using Khadi, kindly mail at babu.blogger1@gmail.com

Japanese bureaucrats face highest ever bonus cuts; Indian babus are still lucky

THE Central government employees of Japan face the largest-ever bonus cuts this year, according to news agency Bloomberg quoting a report published by Yomiuri newspaper. The National Personnel Authority plans to recommend to the country’s Parliament that bonuses be cut by about 8.9 percent, according to the Yomiuri. This is done in tandem with the wage cut and trimming of bonuses of the employees working in private organizations. This means Indian civil servants are a lucky lot as their salary and allowances (DA) have risen continuously during this era of financial turbulence, thanks to the implementation of the 6th pay commission recommendations and the government’s conscious attempt to woo the Central government employees by generously enhancing the dearness allowances before the general elections. In fact, the Labor Ministry of Japan has recently reported that wages for the average Japanese worker fell at the fastest pace during the month of June as companies cut bonuses to protect ever-declining profits. According to reports, monthly pay including overtime and bonuses dropped 7.1% from a year earlier to 430,620 yen ($4,500). Bonuses fell by whopping 14.5%. Full-time workers in Japan get about 25% of their annual salary in two lump payments, one in summer and the other in winter. Union steel minister Virbhadra Singh booked in a corruption case registered by a retired IAS Union steel minister and former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh and his wife have been booked in a corruption case by the state vigilance bureau after it was alleged that an audio CD released two years ago contained the voice of Singh and his wife talking to a retired bureaucrat Mohinder Lal about alleged corruption. Mr Lal has since died. The case was registered on a complaint by a retired IAS officer S M Katwal. Mr Singh has termed the FIR a cheap gimmick which shall collapse under its own weight. UPSC prelims results out, Mains from October 23 Union Service Public Commission (UPSC) has announced the result of the civil services (preliminary) examination, 2009 held on May 17, 2009. The successful candidates have qualified for admission to the civil services (main) examination, scheduled to be held from October 23, 2009. For any clarification, one can make a phone call at 011-23385271, 011-23381125 and 011-23098543. The result is available on the UPSC website www.upsc.gov.in

Action & Appointments: A yoga practitioner cum taxman & 3 others join as Members in CBDT & CBEC

NARINDAR Singh, a 1972 batch of the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer who is also known among his friends as a keen follower and practitioner of yoga, has become a Member, Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). Mr Singh, who was earlier director general of Income Tax (Exemptions) supervising taxation of trusts and NGOs in India, is likely to bring in his expertise to the Board when finance minister Pranab Mukherjee proposed in his Budget speech that the government would encourage formation of political trusts which could keep the donors’ identity secret. Mr Singh, who served as chief commissioner of Income Tax in Kolkata and as commissioner of Income Tax in Haryana, Punjab and Gujarat, is one batch senior to present CBDT chairman S S N Moorthy. Here is babu blogger's discliamer: The picture above is symbolic and is not of Mr Singh Meanwhile, P N Vittal Das, Sumit Dutt Majumdar and Y G Parande have joined as Members, Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC). Mr Vittal Das belongs to the 1974 batch of IRS (C&CE) and was chief commissioner of central excise at Vishakapatnam zone. Mr Majumdar, who also belongs to the 1974, was the director general, DGRI. Mr Parande is an IRS (C&CE) officer of 1975 batch, and was the director general, directorate general of systems and data management, prior to joining the Board. Govt to amend RTI Act to give more power to Information Commissions The government finally said it was considering suitable amendments to the RTI Act, 2005, in order to enable the Commissions to function through Benches. The issue is significant as babu blogger in the post dated June 25, 2009, pointed out how uneasy tension between India’s personnel ministry and Central Information Commission (CIC) was continuing, as department of personnel and training (DoPT) highlighted a circular which said that under the provision of Section 12(4) of the RTI Act, the chief information commissioner was not empowered to constitute Benches for taking decisions on complaints and appeals. The department of personnel & training (DoPT) also initiated action on a proposal to review the Act which contains the names of security and intelligence organizations exempt from its purview, with a view to strengthen the RTI Act. It is being examined whether some of the organizations could be deleted from the Schedule. Also read, "Babus Under Check: Government finally gives clarification on disclosure of file noting by bureaucrats under RTI" dated June 25, 2009.

Post-retirement plan for MCA secretary Anurag Goel & personnel secretary Rahul Sarin firmed up in advance

TWO secretaries to government India, Anurag Goel of ministry of corporate affairs (MCA) and Rahul Sarin of ministry of personnel, have already charted out their post-retirement engagements. Mr Goel, a 1972 batch UP cadre IAS, is joining Competition Commission of India (CCI) as a Member and Mr Sarin, a 1974 batch Jharkhand cadre IAS, will join as a Member of Competition Appellate Tribunal, a newly-constituted appellate to which appeals against the CCI’s order can be made. M L Tayal, a 1976 batch Haryana cadre IAS and currently the principal secretary to the Haryana chief minister, may also become a CCI Member. According to sources with direct knowledge of the developments, appointment committee of cabinet (ACC) has already given nod to those appointments. Mr Goel will join the CCI only in November this year after his retirement from the government. Mr Sarin may join next month as he is retiring in the end of this month. For the record, Anurag Goel, who is an MSc in physics, completed a year-long Pearson Programme from Canada in 1988 besides attending a short-term training session in USA and completing an eight-week-long course on government administration in Japan. Mr Sarin did an MSc on administrative studies from the University of York in UK in addition to participating in a two-week-long programme called Leaders in Development from USA.

Sorry sir! Life is fun at Railway Staff College, Vadodara

IF YOU thought, babu blogger has made fun out of an esteemed professor who trains railway officers at Vadodara, you are making a mistake. I just picked up the photo from the “Railway humour” section of the official website of the Railway Staff College, Vadodara. The caption is “The Evolution of Professor Railway Staff College”. I feel, life is fun at the college spreading over 55 acres of garden and wooded land brought over from Vadodara’s erstwhile ruler Gaikwads. Calls of peacocks and migratory birds further enliven life out there. If you are a railway officer, and had good time during your campus life there, kindly share your experiences with babu blogger. Please send your mail at babu.blogger1@gmail.com

Babus In Demand: A high profile post on offer for WTO, Geneva

THE government has been looking for locating the right candidate to fill up a high profile post to be based out of Geneva in Switzerland. In fact, the department of personnel and training (DoPT) has issued letters to all state chief secretaries and secretaries of Central government ministries and departments to get an officer at the rank of deputy secretary or director to be posted as Counsellor (Services) in the Permanent Mission of India (PMI), World Trade Organization (WTO), Geneva. The vacancy will arise on arise on November 21, 2009. Officers applying for this post should have the following qualifications and experience: 1) Officers having 2 years cumulative work experience in Commerce, trade and industry. 2) Should be familiar with the functioning of the WTO and have knowledge of the legal agreements. 3) Must have worked for at least 2 years at the Centre under the Central Staffing Scheme. 4) Should not be over 54 years of age. 5) Should be at least 3 batches below the next batch to be considered for empanelment as joint secretary. Last Date of application: August 30, 2009

Action & Appointments a) V Sridhar, IRS (Customs & Central Excise) of 1973 batch has been appointed as chairman, Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) in the department of revenue, ministry of finance. Mr Sridhar who is presently Member, CBEC succeeds P C Jha, IRS (C&CE) who superannuated as Chairman, CBEC on Thursday. b) Pradeep Kumar, a 1972 batch Haryana cadre IAS today took over as the defence secretary on Thursday. Read “Know Your Babu: New defence secretary Pradeep Kumar” posted on July 15, 2009.

Who is IAS Jagada Nanda Panda?

JAGADA Nanda Panda, a 1983 batch IAS of Orissa cadre and his family were found dead under mysterious circumstances in Bargarh district of Orissa on Thursday night. Mr Panda, his wife, his father and two sisters had bullet injuries on their bodies. Mr Panda, who worked as Protector General of Emigrants in the ministry of overseas affairs in New Delhi was believed to be upset over a recent CBI raid in his residence. A section of media has claimed that Mr Panda out of depression killed his family members before ending his own life. The investigation is going on. Here’s is the bio-data of the man in news: Name: Jagada Nanda Panda Cadre: IAS, Orrisa Batch: 1983 Date of Birth: 6 September, 1955 Mother Tongue: Oriya

Educational Qualifications MA in political science & M Phil in international relations Major Postings a) Collector & D M, Mayurbhanj (From January 1, 1990 to March 1, 1991) b) Collector & D M, Ganjam (From March 1, 1991 to July 1, 1992) c) Collector & D M, Ganjam (From July 1, 1992 to December 1, 1992) d) Director, (dy Secy Level) social justice & empowerment welfare (From August 1, 1996 to June 1, 1997) e) Director, agriculture & cooperation fisheries (From December 1, 1997 to July 31, 1999) f) Special Relief Commissioner (JS Level), Home (From June 1, 2006 to October 4, 2006) g) Protector of Emigrants, (Joint Secretary Equivalent) Ministry of overseas Indian affairs, New Delhi (From October 4, 2006 till death) Foreign Training Details Nil