BoI heroes of 2011 scripted future agenga, influenced some and inspired many

It was quite a rough and tough year for Indian bureaucrats. But there were a handful of bureaucrats who refused to give in to the unusual circumstances that overshadowed the corridor's positive developments. This lot of movers and shakers were ahead of the curve. And they demonstrated their ability, innovative ideas and leadership to race ahead of their peers. Here are the BoI heroes of 2011 who refused to fail:

Kuldip Narayan, IAS

In January 2011, even before Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar's deadline expired, two Bihar IAS of 2005 batch, Kuldip Narayan and Balamurugan D, set the ball rolling by declaring their assets and liabilities including minor details such as buying of televisions and mobile phones. It was a different matter that every bureaucrat across the country and even the ministers of Manmohan Singh's cabinet later had to declare their assets once the anti-graft campaign of Anna Hazare wooed lakhs of Indians to the streets.
Read

What did they declare?

Sudhir Chandra, IRS

When 1973 batch Indian Revenue Service officer Sudhir Chandra took over as the chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on December 31, 2010, he ordered the backdoor of his historically significant corner room of North Block opened. The door which remained closed for over 60 years leads to a balcony overlooking the monumental beauty of Raisina Hills --- The Rashtrapati Bhawan. The pillared balcony has reminiscence of history thanks to the emblem of Lord Mountbatten-headed South East Asia Command being carved on a plaque there. Some of his decisions turned controversial, but his firm direction for early refund rejoiced millions of Indian tax payers.
Read

North Block's corner room overlooking Rashtrapati Bhawan

Former Bureaucrats

As many as 83 distinguished Indian bureaucrats with a combined work experience of about 2,500 man-years are pinning hopes that a court verdict could put in place a mechanism that would insulate bureaucrats from political pressure. Former Union cabinet secretary TSR Subramanian and 82 other distinguished ex-bureaucrats petitioned in Supreme Court seeking urgent administrative reforms. A Supreme Court bench issued notice to the Central and state governments after showering praises on the petitioners that they raised some important questions.
Read

Who are these 83 bureaucrats?

Ranjan Mathai, IFS
It was not an easy decision, but the government zeroed in on  Ranjan Mathai, a 1974 batch IFS officer, as India's foreign secretary. The Ambassador in Paris was ahead of his peers and batch-mates in the race to replace Ms Nirupama Rao, a 1973 batch IFS, who later became India's ambassador to US post retirement. BoI (babusofindia.com) in a report dated as early as February 28, 2011 said why Mathai would clinch the coveted foreign secretary’s job.
Read

Mathai Vs Rest

Gautam Sanyal, CSS

Gautam Sanyal, a Central secretariat service officer, is the new poster boy of India’s babudom. Till a few months ago, he was the all-powerful OSD to Union railway minister Mamata Banerjee. But after Ms Banerjee became chief minister of West Bengal, Sanyal too took a flight to Kolkata and became the most important officer in Bengal’s power corridors giving heartburns to many IAS officers.
Read

Sanyal, Mamata's Pulok Chatterji

Sanjiv Bhatt, IPS

IS Gujarat’s much talked about IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt slowing becoming a real-life Singham, an Ajay Devgan-starred character of a police officer who finally motivates his seniors to join him in a fight against the evil? Bhatt who was arrested on September 30, 2011 on a compliant filed by police constable, is now getting a strong backing from fellow IPS officers of the state.
Read

Real-life Singham

Vini Mahajan, IAS

Vini Mahajan, one of the most influential bureaucrats in Indian Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and 1987 batch Punjab cadre IAS, will remain at the power centre of Delhi at least till April 2012 after she managed yet another extension. Despite being in controversy in the so-called "official" leakage of the 2G note dragging home minister P Chidambaram, Mahajan remained influential at the nerve-center of Raisina Hills. Her mentor TKA Nair may lose his sheen, but Ms Mahajan has not lost her ground.
Read

Unconditional Extension

Satyapal Singh, IPS
Satyapal Singh, Additional Director General of Police in Maharashtra and the man who was personally reviewing the security of anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare by visiting Anna’s native village in Ralegan Siddhi is an unusual police officer. His domain knowledge and understanding of Yoga, Vedas and Swami Vivekananda could make many religious experts envious.And he close to Baba Ramdev too.
Read

Anna's protector, Baba's friend

Neelam Sharma, IFS

Indian Foreign Service officer Neelam Sharma’s decision to marry her batch-mate (2009 batch) and Gujarat cadre IAS Kuldeep Arya was contested by Haryana's Khap Panchayat. It questioned how the IFS officer, a Brahmin, dared to fall in love with a man from another caste. Currently posted in Moscow, IFS Neelam Sharma stood her ground and managed the event like an able diplomat. 
Read
A diplomat's wedding

3 IAS Raided: Questions raised on political correctness of Karnataka Lokayukta's raid

Siddaiah

THE Karnataka Lokayukta’s raiding of three IAS officers in a single day may have generated hopes among anti-graft activists, but the very selection of the men from the elite service has also left a question mark. Is this an act of political vendetta or a genuine attempt to get rid of corruption? The question is more important in the backdrop of the creation of a Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas across the country.

Who was Raided?

Siddaiah, a 1986 batch IAS

* Worked as a secretary in CM’s secretariat (2004-06)

* Secretary to Deputy CM (2006-07)

* Commissioner, Bangalore Development Authority (2008-10)

* Commissioner, Bangalore Mahanagara Palike

Assets Found

Assets of Rs 1.90 crore

* Allegedly owns 120 acres of land in Badigere village near Harohalli

* A house on 4,000 sq ft plot in Dollars Colony

* 1.6 kg gold and 13 kg silver from his house

Question Mark

* Siddaiah unearthed Rs1,539-crore tender scam leading BJP corporators and MLAs gang up against him

* The whistle-blower IAS was unceremoniously shunted out of the BBMP on November 28, 2011.

* Siddaiah’s proximity to the opposition Congress is well known and there are rumours that he could be the Congress candidate from Nelamangala

Who was Raided?

MV Veerabhadraiah, promoted IAS

* Currently, Deputy General Manager, Upper Krishna Project

Assets Found

Assets of Rs 2.33 crore

* A commercial complex at Magadi Road

* Houses at Vijayanagar and Nelamangala

* Housing sites in Banashankari.

 Question Mark

* Close to JD(S)

* Sought voluntary retirement in 2008 to contest Madhugiri by-election on a Janata Dal (Secular) ticket. Denied VRS.

The third IAS raided was Karnataka Neeravari Nigama Ltd Managing Director Mohammed A Sadiq. The assets of Sadiq, a 1993 batch IAS, have been valued by Lokayukta at Rs 1.64 crore.

Action and Appointments

a) The ACC has approved the extension of appointment of Dr Prajapati Trivedi as secretary (performance management) and chairman, National Authority for Chemical Weapons Convention, Cabinet Secretariat, beyond January 1, 2012 and till Dr Trivedi attains the age of 60 years which is August, 2013.

b) Vijaya Kanth, a 1975 batch officer from Indian Railway Account Service (IRAS), has taken over as the new Financial Commissioner (FC) (Railways) and ex-officio secretary to the Government of India. Prior to her appointment as FC in Railway Board, Ms Kanth was General Manager, Northeast Frontier Railway (Construction) Organization, Guwahati.

Prime Minister bats for bureaucrats during Lokpal debate; refers to honest mistakes

Dr Manmohan Singh on May 22, 2004, the first day in office

INDIA'S Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has bated in favour of bureaucrats while admitting that bureaucracy has been at the receiving end from the time the debate on anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal began. “I don’t think all public functionaries need to be painted with the same brush just as all politicians should not be presumed to be corrupt,” said Singh while taking part in the Lokpal debate in Lower House of Parliament, Lok Sabha.

He has also termed the current environment as “environment of distrust”. “While I agree that public functionaries must be above board and that delinquents must be dealt with expeditiously and decisively, I must express my deep appreciation for many a public servant who have shown exemplary integrity in discharging their functions in an environment of distrust,” said Singh.

Also, PM talked about the need to distinguish “honest mistakes” that could have been committed by bureaucrats from patently illegal acts. In fact, chief vigilance commissioner Pradeep Kumar has been saying from the day 1 of his assuming office as CVC that he would make a distinction between corrupt officials and those who might have committed honest mistakes.

“Very often our public servants have to take decisions under conditions of uncertainty. The future being inherently uncertain, it is possible that an action which ex ante appears to be rational may ex post turn out to be faulty. Our systems of reward and punishment must not lose sight of this fact,” Singh said in the Parliament debate.

For the record, Prime Minister Singh remained a bureaucrat for 20 years till he was made India’s finance minister in 1991. Singh has been India’s Prime Minister for the last seven and half years now.

Action and Appointments

a) Rita Menon, a 1975 batch UP cadre IAS and currently textile secretary, has been appointed as chairman and MD of India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) for a period of two years.

b) PK Basu, a 1976 batch Bihar cadre IAS and secretary in the department of agriculture and cooperation, will hold additional charge of the post of secretary, animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries during absence on leave of Rudra Gangadharan, a 1975 batch Kerala cadre IAS from December 23, 2011 to January 8, 2012

c) Ajay Chadha, a 1977 batch AGMU cadre IPS, has been appointed as special secretary (internal security) in the ministry of home affairs.

d) Chandra Bhushan Paliwal, a 1981 batch UP cadre IAS and presently chief vigilance officer of Steel Authority of India Limited, has been appointed as MD of National Cooperative Development Corporation under the department of agriculture in the rank and pay of additional secretary in place of Govindan Nair, a 1978 batch UP cadre IAS who has retired.

Has CAG Vinod Rai saved his ex-boss Chidambaram by dropping Padma audit?

CAG Vinod Rai

Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai, who took a hawkish stand against the government policies both in 2G spectrum allocations and Commonwealth Games, decided not to enter into the policy turf this time and dropped the move to audit Padma Awards selection. Had Rai, a 1972 batch IAS officer, allowed Director General Audit Central Expenditure (DGACE) Roy S Mathrani to carry on the Padma audit, it would have been embarrassing for home minister P Chidambaram who was Rai’s boss when Chidambaram was finance minister and Rai the banking secretary.

Padma Awards were instituted in the year 1954, but it has become more and more controversial in the recent years. It’s alleged that awards like Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri are at times given to the persons who had helped the ruling party in one way or the other.

The Joint Parliamentary Committee members, particularly of the Congress, grilled Rai on two occasions questioning the CAG’s calculation of the presumptive loss of whopping Rs 1,76,000 crore for not auctioning the 2G spectrum in January 2008.

The home ministry is the nodal ministry to select Padma awardees. Interestingly, Rai’s batch-mate in IAS, and that too from the same Kerala cadre GK Pillai was the home secretary till June, 2011.
Also Read

20 ex-bureaucrats in support of CAG

Vinod Rai's closed door meet in Shimla

Vacancy of Adviser’s post in Brussels

For officers at the rank of deputy secretary and director in government of India, here is a chance to work in Belgian capital Brussels. The government has advertised for filling up the post of Adviser (Industry and Engineering) in Embassy of India, Brussels, under the department of commerce.

The mandatory qualifications include two years of work at the Centre under the Central Staffing Scheme. The officer should have at least “very good” service record and should not be over 54 years of age.

Experiences in bilateral and trade negotiations and exposure to international trade will be added advantages.

Action and Appointments

a) The Centre has accorded its approval for inter-cadre deputation of Manish Kumar Verma, a 2000 batch IAS, from Orissa cadre to Bihar cadre for a period of five years.

Corridors of Surrender, not Power: Those in white ambassadors begin to lose power tag

Flashback 2011. If the nervousness of Indian bureaucrats has anything to go by, India’s corridor of power is virtually turning into corridor of nervousness, and even corridor of surrender. This could ultimately prove to be a temporary phase, but as it stands now, the high and mighty in Raisina Hills are standing in front of the mirrors to figure out whether they are still the most powerful men and women in India.

It’s an unusual year when there is a near-consensus that Comptroller and Auditor General is actually more powerful than principal secretary to Prime Minister. And the men on the street, read Anna followers, are not hesitating to publicly ridicule appointment of the CBI chief, a trend that was earlier unheard of. Even top bureaucrats in Delhi can no longer risk themselves by guaranteeing anyone that “the work will be done”. Also, taking cue from others, even corporate leaders who had earlier refrained from making any public statement against bureaucrats, are talking about policy paralysis and making strong anti-bureaucrat statements. Have the men inside white ambassadors lost the power that they wielded till last year?

The majority of bright young Indians still want to join civil service not because of any fat salary packages but for prestige, social status and opportunity to make a difference to the society. According to an official Civil Services survey undertaken in 2010 with a large sample size of over 4000 serving bureaucrats including IAS, IPS, IRS etc. “visible symbols of power” was an “important” determinant to join bureaucracy, at least for 44 percent respondents. For 18 percent respondents, “visible symbols of power” was the “very important” reason for their joining the services. As high as 56 percent respondents also agreed that they chose to be civil servants because of the “prestige and social status associated with civil service”.

But the events in 2011 have definitely shaken Indian bureaucrats and attacked the very visible symbol of power associated with civil servants.

Also Read

Pulokavery Di: Bureaucrats sing soup song

Action and Appointments

a) Shankar Agarwal, a 1980 batch UP cadre IAS, has been appointed as additional secretary in the defence ministry.

b) Chirravuri Viswanath, 1981 batch Andhra Pradesh cadre IAS, currently joint secretary in the department of food and public distribution, has been appointed as additional secretary in the information and broadcasting ministry.

c) Suresh Chandra Panda, a 1981 batch Assam cadre IAS, presently development commissioner in SEZ, Noida, has been appointed as additional secretary and financial adviser in home ministry.

d) Deverakonda Diptivilasa, a 1981 batch UP cadre IAS, has been appointed as additional secretary in urban development ministry.

Corruption, Lokpal and Kautilya’s observations on officers embezzling funds

Kautilya's statue at an I-T office

CAN the current lot of Indian Parliamentarians bring about an effective Lokpal to eradicate corruption which prevailed since the days of Kautilya, also known by the name Chanakya or Vishnugupta. Kautilya alias Chanakya who was the prime minister of India’s first great emperor Chandragupta Maurya, wrote Arthashastra, a treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy.

Interestingly, the standing committee on Lokpal Bill chaired by Abhishek Manu Singhvi had a reference to Kautilya’s observation on corruption. Kautilya in Arthasastra, gave a detailed list at least 40 ways of embezzlement of funds by treasury officers during his time. The most common ways of corrupt practices as adopted by officers of his time included pratibandha or obstruction, prayoga or loan, vyavahara or trading, avastara or fabrication of accounts, pariahapana or causing less revenue and thereby affecting the treasury, upabhoga or embezzling funds for self enjoyment, and apahara or defalcation.

Kautilya who was known for pragmatism, did not however want people to be hundred percent honest. “Just as straight trees are chopped-down first, honest people are taken advantage of first,” he believed. This may not be the right preaching in today’s context as Parliamentarians have begun the debate of bringing an effective ombudsman. Yet, some of his quotes may be of use even today. He was highly critical of a weak administration. “Prostitutes don’t live in company of poor men, birds don’t build nests on a tree that doesn’t bear fruits and citizens never support a weak administration.” Maybe it’s still a lesson for the government of the day!

248 Independent Directors’ posts lying vacant in PSUs

There are 72 board level positions and 248 posts of Independent Directors in Schedule A and B Public Sector Undertaking (PSUs) lying vacant. A software has been developed to monitor vacancies in CPSUs. The administrative ministries have been issued instructions to ensure filling up of the vacancies in PSUs in a time-bound manner, and these are being monitored by holding regular meetings. In case of Independent Directors, the Central government has recently revised the procedure for selection and appointment of non-official directors on the boards of CPSEs in order to ensure timely appointment.

Talking Point: Interpol chief Ronald K Noble praises CBI, calls it impartial

Interpol chief Noble (right) with CBI director AP Singh

INDIA'S investigating agency CBI may get the flak from various quarters for allegedly being partial and too close to the ruling establishment, but director AP Singh and his team have managed the backing of Interpol chief Ronald K Noble in their claim of impartiality. Noble who visited New Delhi only a few days ago praised CBI for its “integrity, independence and impartiality”. The Interpol chief who also visited the CBI academy at Ghaziabad said that India should count on CBI’s ability to handle corruption cases.

The question over the agency’s inclusion into Lokpal has turned out to be a contentious issue as political consensus is still missing. The principal opposition party BJP often accuses the CBI as partial and ridicules it as Congress Bureau of Investigation. And Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal only recently criticized the entire selection process of its director saying the CBI director is selected in such a way that “he can only be used to save the coalition government”.

IPS probationers at CBI office

Though the draft Lokpal Bill says that the CBI director should be selected by Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition and Chief Justice of India, Team Anna often says only the Lokpal members should select him. Also, all political parties are not yet ready to make CBI accountable totally to the Lokpal with the fear that Lokpal itself would then be a monster posing threats to democratic checks and balances. Indian Parliamentarians are likely debate on the issue over the extended period of the winter session till December 29, 2011.

The CBI registered 1832 cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 between 2007 and 2011 (up to November 30).

Also Read

Arvind Kejriwal's take on CBI

59 IAS and IPS officers resigned since 2008

As many as 59 IAS and IPS officers resigned from services during the last three years (2008 to 2010 and the current year up to November 30, 2011). But according to the reply to a Parliament question, only 21 IAS and IPS officers resigned due to personal reasons whereas 38 officers, mostly IPS, resigned technically to join other services like IAS, IRS etc. A number of IAS officers have resigned from the service mainly to take up lucrative private sector jobs.

Who are the 2 IAS officers Mayawati showered praise at a public rally?

Navneet Sehgal

TWO UP cadre IAS officers, 1984 batch Durga Shanker Mishra and 1988 batch Navneet Sehgal, were showered praise by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Ms Mayawati at a public rally in Lucknow on Sunday forcing many to speculate why she did it so publicly and what does it actually mean. The bureaucrats usually work behind the curtains, and it’s a rare instance that a political leader praises her babus at a public rally.

Incidentally, both Mishra and Sehgal were on Central deputation during UPA-I. Mishra, a B.Tech engineer and MBA before joining as IAS, was a joint secretary in home ministry during early days of UPA-I. He then served as Chief Vigilance Officer in Airports Authority of India between 2006 and 2009. Sehgal, both a chartered account and company secretary be profession besides being an IAS, was a personal staff of Union steel minister before joining as Mayawati’s secretary in May 2007.

Ms Mayawati praised Navneet Sehgal for his attempts to make UP getting enough power by 2014. While addressing the rally, she expressed her "deepest gratitude" to Navneet Sehgal for his good work.  A case of Neta-Babu bonhomie?

Nirupama Rao on a secret mission in Kolkata?

When India’s ambassador to US Nirupama Rao was seen with West Bengal chief secretary Samar Ghosh in Kolkata on last Saturday, there were speculations of the agenda of the meeting. Did Rao, who headed towards America after her stint as India’s foreign secretary, try to persuade Mamata’s A-team on the need to have FDI in multi-brand retail, a reform which got held up because of West Bengal chief minister’s stiff opposition. Rao told her meeting with chief secretary Ghosh, a 1977 batch IAS, was “a part of her Bharat Darshan”!

The Kolaveri of dejected Indian bureaucrats: Why This Pulokaveri Pulokaveri Sir?

Pulok Chatterji

THE year 2011 is a story of Soup Indian Bureaucrats who are frustrated to say: Why did you do this to me? Soup is a Tamil word used for guys who fail in love. But for babus in corridors, it’s not about love but of continuous onslaught from all quarters: judiciary, media, civil society, investigators, protestors and Generation F (read Facebook). The bureaucrats, who have over the years successfully managed and even manipulated the system, are visibly on a back-foot. For the lazy ones, it has been a blessing in disguise as there is virtually no pressure on them to perform. But for the restless adventurous lot, it has been a frustrating year as the entire system has broken down, and the brighter ones too have succumbed to the safe formula of “no decision is good decision”.

Can Pulok Chatterji, principal secretary to PM and one of India’s most powerful bureaucrats, give a helping hand? The bureaucrats seem to sing alike: Why This Pulokaveri Pulokaveri Sir?

Only recently, a Tamil song Why This Kolaveri Kolaveri Di, meaning Why did you do this to me, got viral in the net and attracted over 24 million viewers in the You Tube within a month. Singer Dhanush, who incidentally is superstar Rajinikanth’s son-in-law, begins the song with words Soup song, Flop song…

Here are 7 things that are threatening to convert the great story of Indian bureaucracy a Soup song, Flop song.

1. Tihar Jail

Never before top Indian bureaucrats saw their colleagues heading towards Tihar jail for signing documents asked by ministers. Insiders who smelled wrong-doings while distributing 2G licenses, are convinced that Siddhartha Behura, a 1973 batch IAS, might not have a party to the entire conspiracy as he signed the documents barely 10 days after joining as telecom secretary. Behura has been languishing in jail along with his political master A Raja, India’s former telecom minister, from February 2 2011.

2. Wrong Companion

All bureaucrats who were directly or indirectly indicted for the wrongs in Commonwealth Games 2010 somehow escaped with very mild punishments like transfer to the parent cadre. But the developments post-Games sent scary signals to bureaucrats at large. The morale of the story is: A wrong company of political masters may lead you straight to the jail.

3. RTI

The bureaucrats knew it from Day one that Right to Information Act (RTI) would force them to be ultra-cautious in writing each word and taking every decision. But the way it has unfolded now, the bureaucrats are forced to raise more questions on the file so as to play safe in the event of the file-noting getting leaked through an official RTI.

4. CBI, CVC

Managing investigators is now a taboo. After all, CBI is often monitored by judiciary and I-T sleuths at times turn adventurous and target high and mighty among IAS.

5. Hunting The Retired

If the CBI raid on former telecom secretary Shyamal Ghosh is any indication, a bureaucrat may be hauled up for his decision even after a decade of retirement. In case of Ghosh, a 1965 batch retired IAS, CBI sleuths landed up at his residence nine years after retirement.

6. No Thanks to Plump Posts

The bureaucrats who till a few months ago wanted “plump posts” in economy ministries like finance, roadways, tourism, commerce and industry, are now shying away from grabbing those. What they want now are "safe" jobs in social sector ministries. On a bad pitch, saving the wicket is more critical than hitting fours and sixes.

7 Awarding contracts

A bureaucrat awarding a contract now must gather intelligence on a number of aspects which he could have conveniently ignored earlier. Is the company a front of a bigger entity? Has your minister entered into a conspiracy with one of the bidders? Will the company getting the award be merged on a future date with another company where your relative works? The bureaucrats now need to be visionary and at times even muster astrology to understand “presumptive losses” that would possibly be calculated 5 to 10 years from now!

The bureaucrats have found their Future Dark’ku… Here is what an Indian bureaucrat seems to say:

Hello Pulok Sirji… I am Singing Song…

Soup Song… Flop Song…

Why This Pulokaveri Pulokaveri Pulokaveri Sir?

Why This Pulokaveri Pulokaveri Pulokaveri Sir?

Rhythm Correct…

Why This Pulokaveri Pulokaveri Pulokaveri Sir?

Maintain This…

Why This Pulokaveri? Sir..

Anna’la Anna’nu Anna’nu

Anna’nu RTI’ru RTI’tu

Tihartu Background Night’tu Night’tu

Night'tu Tihar’ru Tihar’ku

Why This Pulokaveri Pulokaveri Pulokaveri Sir?

Why This Pulokaveri Pulokaveri Pulokaveri Sir?

CBI’tu CVC’nu CBI’lu CVC’lu

CBI’lu Heart’tu Black’ku

File’su File’su Meet’tu Meet’tu

My Future Dark’ku…

Why This Pulokaveri Pulokaveri Pulokaveri Sir?

Why This Pulokaveri Pulokaveri Pulokaveri Sir?

Government announces RTI fellowships worth Rs 2.5 lakh each; NGO activists, journalists eligible

THE government has announced four fellowships worth Rs 2.5 lakh each for researchers, media professionals, civil society members and RTI trainers to undertake field-based researches on any theme on Right to Information Act. The research output is expected to enhance understanding of the status of the implementation of the act, including its successes, constraints etc.

Who can Apply

The fellowship is open to professionals in the age group 25 to 40 from the field of journalism (newspaper/ magazine/ radio/ TV), civil society and research and training in the field of RTI. The applicant should have proven credentials in his or her professional areas, have some prior experience of work relating to the Right to Information and should have an aptitude for research.

Compensation

a) Each selected fellow will receive a stipend of Rs 2 lakhs (subject to tax deduction at source).

b) The fellowship will be disbursed on a monthly basis (Rs 50,000 per month). In addition, a grant of Rs 50,000 for books, research material, travel, printing, production of creatives etc. will be provided.

c) Final payment of Rs 50,000 will be made on the submission of the final output deliverable and its acceptance by the expert group.

For details, check the DoPT GUIDELINE

 

Action and Appointments

a) AB Mathur, a 1975 batch Manipur-Tripura cadre IPS and special secretary in cabinet secretariat has been appointed as secretary (security) in the cabinet secretariat in place of Pranay Sahay, a 1975 batch MP cadre IPS.

Come January, Indian bureaucrats will be on a wrestling ring in Delhi

A painting titled Wrestling Match (1649) by Michiel Sweerts

IMAGINE Indian bureaucrats, known for strategic mind and cautious action, playing an actual game of wrestling. An inter-ministry wrestling tournament will be held in New Delhi’s Brassey Avenue Sports Complex on January 19 and 20, 2012. And entries are invited from government employees on or before January 12, 2012.

The weight categories are: 56 kg, 60 kg, 66 kg, 74 kg, 84 kg, 96 kg and mind-boggling 120 kg. In a circular dated December 14, 2011, participants are requested to send their entries in the prescribed proforma to Central Civil Services Cultural and Sports Board, Room No 361, B Wing, 3^rd Floor, Lok Nayak Bhawan, New Delhi. The entry fee is just Rs 10.

According to Wikipedia, the origins of wrestling can be traced back 15,000 years through cave drawings in France. The Mahabharata has a narration of a famous wrestling encounter between Bhima and Jarasandha. But where are the references of two bureaucrats settling scores in a wresting ring?

Action and Appointments

a) Arun Kumar, a 1983 batch Assam cadre IAS, has been appointed as joint secretary in the ministry of mines. He will replace 1987 batch Jammu and Kashmir batch IAS Sundeep Nayak. Nayak was appointed as joint secretary in the ministry of women and child development.

b) Anuradha Mitra, a 1984 batch IDAS officer, has been appointed as joint secretary and financial adviser in the ministry of science and technology.

c) Ningthoujam Geoffrey, a 2007 batch Assam cadre IAS, has been transferred to Manipur-Tripura cadre (Manipur segment).

d) The Central government has accorded approval of inter-cadre deputation of Anil Kumar, a 1988 batch Haryana cadre IAS from Haryana cadre to AGMUT cadre for the appointment to the post of home secretary in Chandigarh administration.

Delhi monkeys target bureaucrat’s computer; Japanese monkeys hog limelight too

Sam was flown into space by NASA, landed safely

Rakesh Mehta, a 1975 batch AGMU cadre IAS and Delhi state election commissioner, has hogged the limelight all for wrong reasons. Hold your breath. It has nothing to do with any reports by Comptroller and Auditor General or Central Vigilance Commission. The attack has come from an unusual quarter: a few smart monkeys which have continuously ambushed Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s Nigam Bhawan that houses Mehta’s office. The monkeys have chewed the wires connected to his personal computer leaving him handicapped in the run-up to the municipal polls slated for 2012.

Mehta, a veteran bureaucrat managing a number of complex administrative issues during 36 years of his public life, has found no easy exit to this problem. After all, monkey catchers who are paid Rs 600 for catching one monkey each, have themselves become a rare breed. As is reported in a section of media, Mehta’s men are now trying hard to woo monkey catchers to fix this unusual problem. Most monkey catchers are based out of Delhi and hence they cannot be put into action with immediate effect!

Mehta had earlier served as chief secretary of Delhi and headed Delhi Transport Corporation and Municipal Corporation of Delhi too.

While Delhi monkeys have turned news-makers all for wrong reasons, international press including prestigious Wall Street Journal have been closely following the story of Japanese monkeys being used to track fallout at Japan’s Fukushima Nuclear Plant which witnessed the worst nuclear accident in Japan’s history last March. Till now, the radiation monitoring was conducted by using helicopters equipped with testing devices. But now, researchers from Fukushima University are enlisting over 1000 monkeys to obtain detailed readings of radiation levels in forests near Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Edelweiss Financial Services appoints ex-finance secretary Sunil Mitra as independent director

Sunil Mitra, a 1975 batch West Bengal cadre IAS and former finance secretary, has been inducted as an independent director of Edelweiss Financial Services Ltd, a financial services company engaged in asset management, capital markets, credit, housing finance, insurance services etc. Mitra who had served as disinvestment secretary and revenue secretary was designated as finance secretary only for a month after 1974 batch IAS Sushama Nath, incidentally the first woman finance secretary in India, retired in May 2011.

It was widely speculated that Sumit Bose would succeed Nath as finance secretary, but the finance minister Pranab Mukherjee chose to follow the seniority criteria and designated Mitra as finance secretary for a month. It was another matter that RS Gujral, then road transport and highways secretary and batch-mate of Sumit Bose had by then joined as revenue secretary and surprised everyone to become finance secretary on the strength of his higher position in 1976 batch merit-cum-seniority list.

Mitra was additional chief secretary of the West Bengal government before he moved to New Delhi to become disinvestment secretary in July 2009. Earlier, Mitra was on a Central deputation and was director in the ministry of defence between 1989 and 1991.

Action and Appointments

a) It is proposed to fill up the post of financial adviser in North Eastern Council (NEC) secretariat at Shillong in Meghalaya. The post will be at the rank of a joint secretary. The officers empaneled at the joint secretary level are eligible to apply.

b) Ms Kavita Gupta, a 1985 batch Maharashtra cadre IAS, has been appointed as additional Director General of Foreign Trade at the joint secretary level. She will be posted in Mumbai.

c) V Venkatachalam, a 1977 batch UP cadre IAS, has been appointed as special secretary in agriculture ministry.

Kejriwal ridicules CBI director’s selection process, narrates story on PM’s tea talk

Questions on Ashwani Kumar's (right) appointment

IN AN attempt to make a strong case to bring India’s top investigating agency CBI under the ambit of the proposed Lokpal, Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal questioned the current selection process of the CBI director and narrated a story of how an honest IPS officer, ML Sharma, was once deprived of becoming CBI director even after Prime Minister had invited him for a cup of tea and congratulated him. According to Kejriwal, Sharma, then a special director of CBI, distributed laddu (sweets) in the office only to find in the next day that it was not he but then Himachal Pradesh DGP and 1973 batch IPS Ashwani Kumar, who was appointed as director of the agency, Indian counterpart to American FBI. While speaking at a gathering at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Sunday, Kejriwal was referring to the incident that took place over three years ago when UPA-I led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was at the helms.

For the record, ML Sharma is a 1972 batch Rajasthan cadre IPS who had handled high profile cases like that of Priyadarshini Mattoo and Uphaar tragedy during his 17 years stay in CBI. Incidentally, Sharma is a batch-mate of another prominent Team Anna member and former IPS officer Kiran Bedi.

Here is how Kejriwal narrated the incident of PM’s invitation of ML Sharma for a cup of tea just one day before he was denied the post. A number of prominent political leaders including Arun Jaitley of BJP, AB Bardhan of CPI, Brinda Karat of CPI (M) were present when Kejriwal spoke during anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare’s one-day-long token fast at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on Sunday in support of a strong Lokpal law. Kejriwal said:

“Let me tell you how CBI director is selected. For CBI director, they (government) say there is an independent committee. That comprises Chief Vigilance Commissioner, DoPT secretary and home secretary, and these three men do the selection. Mr Ashwani Kumar became CBI director…let me tell you how he was selected. ML Sharma was a special director in CBI. He is considered to be very honest. He was already selected. After he was selected, he was invited by the Prime Minister for a cup of tea. He was congratulated. PM said, tomorrow you will get the order. Congratulations. In the evening he (Sharma) came back to the office and distributed laddu (sweets). The next day when the order was issued Ashwani Kumar’s name was there (as CBI director). ML Sharma’s name was missing. This is the selection process of the CBI director in our country. If CBI director is selected this way, he can only be used to save the coalition government. He can’t be used to weed out corruption. We want CBI director should not be selected through Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition…. CBI director should be selected by 11-Member Lokpal. CBI’s budget should be under Lokpal.”

Also Read

10 Things About Arvind Kejriwal

Internet hackers now target Indian bureaucrats’ mails, for documents and dollars

MORE and more Indian bureaucrats have become the target of sophisticated internet hackers who aim at collecting sensitive documents, or at time merely pocketing a few hundred dollars. Only two days ago, a senior Indian Railway Traffic Service official received hundreds of phone calls from his family and friends as many of his contacts received an email from his yahoo account narrating a sad story of the officer being robbed in Spain. What was urgently asked for was a help of 960 Euros. His official designation and contacts were pasted below the email to give it a more authentic look.

To give a sense of how the story was built, here is the fraud-star’s email: “Hello, Sorry I didn’t inform you about my trip to Spain for a program, I am presently in Spain and am having some difficulties here, it’s so hard for me to believe this happened to me, I was robbed on my way to the hotel. Cash and cell-phone and credit cards were also taken from me. Please I need you to help me with a loan of 960 Euros to pay my hotel bills and to get myself back home. I've been to the embassy and Police but they are not responding to the matter effectively, I will appreciate whatever you can afford to assist me with, I will return the money back to you as soon as I return, let me know if you can be of any help! I don’t have a phone where I can be reached. I am so confused right now. Please let me know immediately.” It was a harrowing time for the bureaucrat before he restored his mail account.

A year ago, the website of India’s leading investigative agency, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), was reportedly hacked by a group who called it “Pakistani Cyber Army”. The site was hacked again. A finance ministry site on public private partnership was also hacked, but it was restored immediately. Significantly, NIC is the root server which controls Indian government sites including that of CBI.

According to some reports, India’s Intelligence Bureau wanted all Indian government employees to use the official “NIC” email where the server is located in India only. The NIC has created over 3 lakh email accounts for government employees, but many officials prefer to use free emails like gmail, yahoo or hotmail because those are easy to access and are loaded with many more features than the sarkari NIC mail.

Bloomberg Businessweek, one of the most influential business magazines in the world, recently quoted a report by Information Warfare Monitor, a research group associated with the University of Toronto, to say that Chinese hackers attempted to access documents from India’s missile programs in April 2010.

Action and Appointments

a) Rajive Kumar, 1981 batch UP cadre IAS, has been appointed as additional secretary in the cabinet secretary.

b) Ms Ghazala Meenai, a 1985 batch Indian Audit and Accounts Service officer, has been appointed as joint secretary in the ministry of social justice and empowerment.

c) Sanjiv Gautam, a 1995 batch IRS officer, has been appointed as officer-on-special duty (OSD) in the personal staff of minister of state for home Jitendra Singh.

Who is babu blogger? A retired IAS attempts to imagine and draws a cartoon

babu blogger as imagined by an ex-IAS

FOR two and half years, there have been intense speculations about the identity of babu blogger who has broken news, spotted trends and analyzed hits and misses of India’s corridors of power. Amid the raging controversy over Indian government’s recent move to regulate online content, and social media’s continuous attack on communications minister Kapil Sibal who had announced the move, babu blogger has demonstrated how you can remain anonymous and yet become highly objective, formal and impartial.

But what’s about babu blogger’s identity? Is babu blogger a serving government officer with a passion to chronicle events of Raisina Hills? Or is he, or she, a retired babu who is well versed with power equations? Or is he/she a smart private secretary of a powerful politician? If not so, is babu blogger a female journalist with an easy access to high and mighty of Lutyen’s Delhi?

Hold your breath. Here is the first serious attempt to imagine how babu blogger looks like, and who he or she could be. And the guesswork is done by none other than a veteran ex-IAS officer. Look at this babu blogger’s caricature made by 1962 batch retired Maharashtra cadre IAS VS Gopalakrishnan who passionately sings, blogs and paints even after 16 years of retirement. Here is Gopalakrishnan’s guess: “The BB (babu blogger) is retired. So, not young looking. Wears specs (thick due to reading habits). Prefers polka-dot shirt. Hails from Bihar, worked in UP cadre and settled down in Delhi!”

babu blogger often receives emails with various guesses about who he or she could be. Everyone is convinced that babu blogger is well versed with action-packed Indian bureaucracy, and he or she is impartial and has also a nose for news. But is babu blogger an outsider, or very much a part of the Great Indian Babudom? Any guess? You can post your comments below this write-up, and also take part in BoI’s Guess Game placed at the left top corner of this site. Enjoy every moment of your visit to BoI action zone.

Officers must stand up to receive and see off a Member of Parliament, says circular

IF A Member of Parliament or a Member of Legislative Assembly visits an Indian officer, the officer can’t just afford to be casual and say a hello. A recent Central government office memorandum (OM) has reiterated that the concerned officer needs to be courteous and must stand up to receive and see off the political leader. The office memorandum dated December 1, 2011 which was issued by department of personnel and training (DoPT) further said that MPs must get invitations to public functions organized by the government in their constituencies. That’s not all. “Proper and comfortable seating arrangements at public functions and proper order of seating on the dais should be made for MPs/MLAs keeping in view that they appear above officers at the rank of secretaries to Government of India”, the office memo added.

The timing of the OM is significant as many bureaucrats have refused to push the files even at the diktat of their political masters. The reason? They could be the subject to a future investigation for no fault of theirs. Also, the government has of late received some complaints that the existing protocol of babu-neta relations are not being properly adhered to. The OM has been issued mainly to sensitize the government departments about this relations.

The 5-page-long office memorandum also gave minute details about the need to furnish information of local importance to MPs and MLAs whenever asked for, and acknowledgement of their letters within 15 days and reply in the next 15 days.

In fact, the Central Secretariat Manual of Office Procedure mentions some of the protocols officers need to follow while dealing with the political leaders. The recent OM has basically strengthened the instructions that exist under Rule 3(2A) of All India Service (Conduct) Rule, 1968 and Rule 3-A of Central Civil Service (Conduct) Rules, 1964.

Yet the OM has made it very clear that the government officer may not concede whatever the public representative asks for. “While the government servants should consider carefully or listen patiently to what the Members of Parliament and of the State Legislatures may have to say, the government servant should always act according to his own best judgment and as per rules”, it said. After all, conceding anything and everything that an MP or MLA asks for may guide the officer straight to the jail.

Beyond Babudom: IAS, IPS officers set to contest forthcoming Punjab polls

A NUMBER of serving bureaucrats and former bureaucrats in Punjab including IAS officers Darbara Singh Guru of 1980 batch and Ujagar Singh of 1977 batch, and IPS officers SS Virk, PS Gill and Mohammad Izhar Alam are seeking tickets to contest Punjab’s coming assembly polls. There has already been a huge media attention at non-descript Bhadaur assembly constituency in Punjab where there could be a straight fight between Darbara Singh Guru, principal secretary to the chief minister who will retire in May 2012 and Ujagar Singh, former principal secretary (finance) of Tamil Nadu government. Whereas Guru may get a Shiromani Akali Dal ticket, Singh is reportedly knocking at 10 Janpath to secure a Congress ticket.

That’s not all. Former Punjab and Maharashtra DGP SS Virk has asked for a Congress ticket to contest at Dasuya assembly seat. The other police officers who have made serious bids to get Shiromani Akali Dal tickets are ex-Punjab DGP PS Gill for Moga seat and ex-DGP (prisons) Mohammad Izhar Alam for Malerkotla constituency. In fact, ruling Shiromani Akali Dal is said to be serious in projecting Mohammad Izhar Alam for Malerkotla seat as the constituency is currently represented by Congress MLA Razia Sultana who is wife of another IPS officer, Additional DGP Mohd Mustafa.

Only last year, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s close aide and 1984 batch Uttar Pradesh cadre IAS Ram Chandra Prasad Singh or RCP, became an icon among serving bureaucrats when he clinched a berth in Rajya Sabha, India’s upper house of Parliament. Way back in 1984, BJP leader Yaswant Sinha left the elite IAS to join politics and went up the ladder to become the country’s finance minister. Former Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi is yet another example of a bureaucrat jettisoning cushy government job to get a taste of politics and emerge successful.

Netagiri could well be a serious career option for many more serving and retired Indian bureaucrats in days to come.

Office files in 12 Central govt ministries to move electronically by March 2012

Moving Towards Museum!

IF THE government has its way, the files as we see on an officer's table, will become museum items. Instead sarkari files will move from one officer to another electronically, as e-files. An officer’s desk will be clean and clear with no files, except a desktop and maybe an i-Pad. According to current plans, e-office will be implemented in 12 ministries by March 2012, and in 29 ministries during 2012-13, secretary of the department of administrative reforms RC Misra said in a conference recently. By March 2017, all the Central ministries and departments are proposed to be covered under e-office scheme under which files will move electronically, and other government areas such as budget management, leave management, tour management and messaging management etc. will be managed in a computerized manner. And that will improve efficiency, quality and effectiveness of government responses and reduce turnaround time. This will also increase transparency and accountability, and provide cost effective e-storage facility in an environment and eco-friendly manner.
Maybe, the government officers will miss the way they borrow files "unoffially" from one another.

Action and Appointments
a) Neela Gangadharan, a 1975 batch Kerala cadre IAS and presently secretary, department of justice, has been appointed as secretary in the ministry of women and child development.
b) Devender Kumar Sikri, a 1975 batch Gujarat cadre IAS, has been appointed as secretary, department of justice.
c) Shashi Shekhar, a 1981 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS and currently joint secretary in the ministry of new and renewable energy, has been appointed as joint secretary in the department of administrative reforms and public grievances.
d) Anand Singh, a 2000 batch Kerala cadre IAS, has been appointed as private secretary to the minister of state for external affairs E Ahmed, at the rank of a deputy secretary.

New norms prevent Chinese bureaucrats to use luxury office sedans

CHINESE government officials will no longer be able to use a Volkswagen Passat or a Toyota Camry as new rules require bureaucrats to buy vehicles with engines smaller than 1.8 liters. There has been public anger in China against government officials’ purchase of luxury cars that include Audi A6 or Mercedes-Benz E-Class, which are often used for private purpose too, according to reports appeared in western media.
The new rules issued jointly by the Communist Party and state agencies, come “amid rising public anger over corruption”, a Wall Street Journal report said. Also, rising fuel consumption has increasingly become an issue in China’s public debates.
Whereas India closely follows the Chinese models in most areas, whether it’s building roads or Special Economic Zones, the nation has never emulated China at least in purchasing cars for civil servants. Most Indian bureaucrats still use made-in-India white ambassadors, and only a select few like cabinet secretary get cars like Maruti SX4 which again is a below 1.8 liter-engine car.
According to new Chinese norms, the maximum amount that a mid-level government official can spend to buy his official car is 180,000 yuan (about $28,200, or Rs 14 lakh), a 10 percent reduction from earlier limit. In Indian context, however, the new Chinese limit is still very high.
China has also decided to buy new-energy vehicles like electric cars and plug-in electric hybrid cars for their babus provided those cars meet purchase rules.
Meanwhile, Chinese government has designated two dozen cities as model cities for new-energy cars so as to promote Chinese-produced green cars like e6 all-electric car and a plug-in hybrid version of the BYD F3. But there has been a short-supply of those green vehicles.
It’s time an Indian joint secretary should give his Chinese counter-part a joy ride in his old ambassador.

Forget plump Washington posting, here is a vacancy in exotic land of Myanmar

Imagining Myanmar!

WISHING to have a career break in a mystery land? Here it is. If you are an Indian government officer at the rank of a deputy secretary with engineering background, you may apply for a post in the exotic land of Myanmar. But once selected, you have to take up the job immediately. The posting will be for a period of three years.

The vacant post is that of first secretary, development corporation wing, Embassy of India, Yangon. The selected office will work on deputation to external affairs ministry. The officers at the level of deputy secretary under the Central Staffing Scheme as well as officers of the Central Secretariat Service are eligible for the post.

The mandatory qualifications include possessing prior experience in the field of project management and implementation and willingness to take up the appointment immediately. The work will include formulating project proposals, overseeing ongoing projects and working with various agencies involved in implementation of projects, liaising with concerned agencies etc.

It is also desired that the applicant is a post graduate or graduate in engineering, science or related disciplines, and should be below 45 years. The last date of application is December 30, 2011.

Action and Appointments

a) Dhruv Vijai Singh, a 1976 batch Manipur-Tripura cadre IAS and water resources secretary, will hold additional charge for the post of labour secretary from November 28, 2011 to December 14, 2011 in absence on leave of Mrutunjay Saranagi, a 1977 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS.

b) Augustine Peter, a 1982 batch Indian Economic Service officer, has been appointed as director in Petroleum, Planning and Analysis cell under petroleum ministry.

c) Ajay Vara Prasad Adithela, a 1986 batch Himachal Pradesh cadre IAS, has been appointed as joint secretary in the department of chemicals and petrochemicals.

Indian bureaucrats discover Bikini Model; reveal all but learn to hide too

How Not To Take Wrong Decisions

AS the winter session of Indian Parliament is heating up with Opposition parties seizing every opportunity to paralyze the government, Indian bureaucrats have discovered a new method, Bikini Model, to save the government. A widely circulated daily has run a story saying how bureaucrats decided not to reveal too much while replying to the questions asked by Members of Parliament. Joint secretaries of every Central government department anchor the preparation of answers to the Parliamentary questions. To make their political masters happy, the bureaucrats have now reportedly written answers as if everything is revealed whereas in reality, the real part is being hided, a typical Bikini Model phenomenon.

If observers in Raisina Hills are to be believed, Indian bureaucrats have, for the first time in the last 64 years of Independence, become so cautious in taking even the routine decisions. Many call it a perfect example of policy paralysis .The babus are now extra-cautious in writing each line on an official file, as file-notings are covered under the Rights to Information Act. This means there is a chance of bureaucrats being dragged into future controversies after interpreting the notings. After all, former telecom secretary Shyamal Ghosh has come under the CBI radar after nine years of his retirement. He was a part of a policy which according to the federal investigating agency caused a loss of Rs 508 crore to the exchequer. But the larger question is: why after nine years?

The level of fears among bureaucrats has gone to an extreme end. If a contract is to be given to a particular company, the bureaucrats taking the final call, do assessments whether that company could in near future be merged with a bigger entity, say Reliance or Adani. Will the concerned bureaucrat at a later stage be hauled up for being a part of a larger conspiracy to award a contract to a smaller entity, but knowing fully well that the entity would finally be bought over by a large conglomerate? Many bureaucrats say the command over astrology is now becoming as important part in decision-making as understanding the file correctly! The challenge is much more than tweaking rules that Indian bureaucrats have mustered over the years.

Action and Appointments

a) NK Nampoothiry, ILS and additional secretary in ministry of law and justice, has been appointed as special secretary in the department of legal affairs under the ministry of law and justice.

CBI raids at residence of SM Krishna’s ex-private secretary and UP cadre IAS K Dhanalakshmi Gowda

THE Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has raided the residences of K Dhanalakshmi Gowda, a 2000 batch UP cadre IAS and former private secretary to India’s foreign minister SM Krishna, in Delhi and Bangalore, and recovered assets of about Rs 3.15 crore including cash. Dhanalakshmi, who is currently a deputy secretary in the ministry of social justice and empowerment, has been on investigators’ radar as there were suspicions that the 39-old woman IAS officer could have been linked to a case related to allotment of land for Tronica city project in Ghaziabad at a throwaway price. She was then the joint MD of UP Small Industries Corporation, Kanpur. In that case, the CBI had earlier raided engineer Arun Kumar Mishra’s houses in which carpenters were engaged to saw off the beds so as to spot cash.

It is alleged that Dhanalakshmi acquired huge amount of moveable and immovable assets in the name of her mother as well. The officer, originally hailing from Karnataka, was Krishna’s private secretary between November 2010 and June 2011, after which she was placed under compulsory wait till August, 2011. A cost accountant by profession before joining IAS, Dhanalakshmi is still staying at the residential complex of ministry of external affairs. India’s foreign office has distanced itself from the minister’s former private secretary as she left Krishna’s office in June 2011. Also, it is believed that she might have acquired illegal assets during her posting in UP.

Action and Appointments

a) Amitabh Ranjan, a 1979 batch Maharashtra cadre IAS, presently additional secretary in the department of administrative reforms and public grievances, has been appointed as additional secretary in the department of revenue under finance ministry.

b) Madhusudan Prasad, a 1981 batch Haryana cadre IAS, has been appointed as additional secretary in the department of commerce.

c) Rajive Kumar, a 1981 batch UP cadre IAS, has been appointed as additional secretary in Cabinet Secretariat on in-situ basis.

Is new Pakistan envoy to US Sherry Rehman a competition to India's Nirupama Rao?

Sherry Rehman: A competition to Nirupama Rao?

THEN Indian foreign secretary and 1973 batch IFS Nirupama Rao’s appointment as India’s ambassador to America a few months ago was a calibrated move, and not a routine post-retirement placement of an efficient and loyal officer as some sidetracked IFS babus would like to believe. The South Block wanted someone highly articulate, and the one who is close to Prime Minister and also in sync with New Delhi’s US agenda.

Pakistani top establishment may or may not have similar reasons while appointing Sherry Rehman as its new envoy to Washington after Husain Haqqani’s resignation over the ‘Memogate’ controversy, but on several counts, Rehman is likely to be a tough competitor to Nirupama Rao in high-voltage diplomatic networking in US. Both are well educated women executives, and more significantly both are outstanding while articulating their views. Rao, a career diplomat, first came into prominence when she was the spokeswoman of India’s foreign office. She knows what to say, and also what not to say. Rehman, a close aide of slain ex-Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto, is a prominent media personality and former editor of a reputed magazine. Rehman resigned as Pakistan’s information minister in March 2009, reportedly because of her differences with President Asif Ali Zardari on imposing restrictions on the media.

Many hardliners in Pakistan are however obsessed with Rehman’s personal life and controversies, and some even dismiss her brightness as she is a woman.

India sponsored 1846 officers to study abroad in 10 years

As many as1846 Indian officers were sent for higher education abroad under the Domestic Funding of Foreign Training (DFFT) Scheme beginning 2000. Out of this selected lot, 938 belong to All India Services like IAS, IPS and Indian Forest Service, and 359 are from other Group ‘A’ Services, according to minister of state in Primn Minister’s Office V Narayanasamy who gave a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. There were 215 Central Secretariat Service officers among the selected lot.

Also Read

Funding officers for Harvard's Mason program

Vishwapati Trivedi is new mining secretary; Anita Choudhary on compulsory wait

Choudhary: Compulsory Wait

IN A major bureaucratic reshuffle at the Centre, the government has replaced mining secretary Subrahmanyam Vijay Kumar with home ministry’s Vishwapati Trivedi. Further, Ms Anita Choudhary, a 1976 batch Haryana cadre IAS has been placed on compulsory wait in the department of land resources under the ministry of rural development.

Here are the big ticket changes:

a) Subrahmanyam Vijay Kumar, a 1976 batch Himachal Pradesh cadre IAS, presently secretary in the ministry of mines has been appointed as secretary in the department of land resources under the ministry of rural development.

b) Vishwapati Trivedi, a 1977 batch MP cadre IAS, presently special secretary and financial adviser in the ministry of home affairs, has been appointed as secretary in the ministry of mines.

c) Anita Choudhary, a 1976 batch Haryana cadre IAS currently secretary in the department of land resources has been placed on compulsory wait in the department of land resources in ministry of rural development.

d) Parvez Dewan, a 1977 batch Jammu and Kashmir cadre IAS, has been appointed as secretary in ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs in place of A Didar Singh, a 1976 batch Punjab cadre IAS who has retired.

e) N Ravi Shankar, a 1980 batch Uttarakhand cadre IAS, presently additional secretary in the department of information technology, has been appointed as Administrator, Universal Services Obligation Fund in department of telecommunications (DoT), in the rank and pay of additional secretary in place of Ajay Bhatacharya, a 1977 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS.

f) Anil Swarup, a 1981 batch UP cadre IAS, has been appointed as additional secretary in the ministry of labour and employment with effect from October 3, 2011, by temporarily upgrading the post of joint secretary held by the officer.

g) Bhanu Pratap Sharma, a 1981 batch Bihar cadre IAS, presently joint secretary in the ministry of minority affairs, has been appointed as Establishment Officer and additional secretary in the department of personnel and training in place of IV Subba Rao, a 1979 batch Andhra Pradesh cadre IAS.

Also Read

Anita Choudhary in male bastion

Who is Subrahmanyam Vijay Kumar?