Black and White: Cabinet secretary reaches out to civil servants on image make-over

CALL IT Tinoo and Arvind effect! Cabinet secretary KM Chandrasekhar has written an official letter to all government of India secretaries and state chief secretaries insisting on the need of an image make-over of India’s civil servants. Though Mr Chandrasekhar has not referred to any of the recent instances of Income-Tax raids in IAS officers’ premises, the tone and wordings of the letter have made it crystal clear that the recent incidents have a bearing on India’s top bureaucrat shooting off a letter to his junior colleagues around the country on the need to refurbish the image of civil servants.

Both the letters dated March 3, 2010, however mentioned how the recent “disturbing incidents” called for “serious introspection by civil servants”, and reminded the officers of the government’s policy of zero tolerance on corruption. “Preventive vigilance should be strengthened. Transparency must be introduced in decision making and in all our systems. Stringent action must be taken against officers found guilty. Disciplinary proceedings must be expedited”, he warned.

He also listed integrity, honesty, objectivity, impartiality, transparency, accountability and devotion to duty as the core values which every civil servant should cherish.

Cabinet secretary’s LETTER on INTROSPECTION, dated March 3, 2010

Behind-the-scene saga of tax hounds targeting IAS officers

IAS officer with 220 bank accounts

Cash in hand: Arvind and Tinoo Joshis' date with Delhi ministries 

PM gives nod to new format of civil service exam

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has given nod to the proposal for introduction of Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) in place of the existing Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, introducing a new era of preparation for becoming the country’s top civil servants. The new format of exam, designed to keep the civil service exam in tandem with changing environment, is expected to come into effect from Civil Services Examination, 2011. This information was given by the minister of state in the ministry of personnel, public grievances and pensions, Prithviraj Chavan in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

Action and Appointments

a) Dr Amar Singh, a 1981 batch MP cadre IAS has been appointed as Executive Director (Transport) in the Food Corporation of India (joint secretary level) for the period upto October 6, 2011.  

b) Nandkishor Digambar Deshpande, Smt.Rekha Prakash Sondur Baldota, and Kailashchand Uttamchand Chandiwal have been appointed as Additional Judges of the Bombay High Court.

c) Jora Singh has been appointed as an Additional Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

d) Akhilesh Chandra, Gopal Prasad and Mungeshwar Sahoo have been appointed as Additional Judges of the Patna High Court.

e) Benedict Victor Pinto, Bijoor Manohar, KGovindarajulu and Hosahalli Sheshadri Kempanna have been appointed as Additional Judges of the Karnataka High Court.