Pompa Babbar of Railways Accounts Service joins as financial commissioner

Pompa Babbar has taken over as the Financial Commissioner and ex-officio secretary of Indian Railways. Prior to this, she was General Manager of Integral Coach Factory, Chennai.

A 1975 batch Indian Railways Accounts Services officer, Ms Babbar had worked in various capacities as divisional railway manager (Alipurdar division of Northeast Frontier Railway), financial adviser and chief accounts officer in Western, Central and Northern Railways. She also worked as senior professor in Railway Staff College, Vadodara. She had earlier worked as General Manger (Accounts), while on deputation to Gujarat State Electricity Board between 1995 and 1998.

During her tenure as senior professor, Vadodara, she had conducted courses for financial management, training for trainers, communication skills, stress management, transactional analysis and team building, a railways release said.

She was instrumental in signing of MOUs between Indian Railways and Russian Railways. She also visited France in connection with accounting reforms, and visited Australia as part of a high level delegation for study of heavy hual system.

As advisor (finance), Railway Board, she had rendered financial advice on Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiatives and also of IR’s joint ventures.

7 new posts created under CBEC

The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved the creation of 7 posts of Indirect Tax Ombudsman to be located in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Calcutta, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Lucknow in the HAG plus scale of Rs 75,500-80,000 per month and the supporting staff. The Indirect Tax Ombudsman Guidelines, 2011, has also been approved. It is expected that the move will make grievance redressal mechanism in the customs, central excise and the service taxes offices under the CBEC more effective and transparent.

According to government releases, the Indirect Tax Ombudsman will have powers to receive complaints from tax payers on indirect tax matters and consider such complaints and facilitate their satisfaction or settlement by agreement through conciliation and mediation between the Customs, Central Excise and Service Tax department and the aggrieved parties or by passing an “Award” in accordance with the guidelines.

Civil Services interviews to be held on April 14

The Civil Services personality test or interviews will be held by the Union Public Service Commission on April 14, 2011 as scheduled. There is no change in the schedule of this examination though April 14, 2011 has been declared a closed holiday on account of the birthday of Dr BR Ambedkar for all Central government offices.

Cricket Holiday: Advantage Pakistan bureaucrats ahead of Mohali match!

NO one knows whether it’s advantage Dhoni or Afridi, but Pakistani bureaucrats have an edge over their Indian counterparts, at least on Wednesday afternoon! As India and Pakistan cricket teams would encounter in the much hyped-up world cup semi-final match at Mohali on Wednesday, Pakistani officers can go back home at noon and watch the big event of the decade.

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani who will watch the match live with his Indian counterpart Dr Manmohan Singh, announced a half working day for all Pakistani government offices on Wednesday. A statement issued by Gilani’s office emphasized that the half-day off would allow people to “watch the Pakistan-India cricket semifinal”.

When is the last time Indian babus got a chance to take off for cheering up the country’s cricket team?

Action and Appointments

a) Abhilaksh Likhi, a 1991 batch Haryana cadre IAS, who worked as Additional Director General in the Organizing Committee of the Commonwealth Games, has been appointed as joint secretary in the ministry of social justice and empowerment in place of Ms Purnima Singh, a 1978 batch IRS-IT officer.

b) Pankaj Joshi, a 1989 batch Gujarat cadre IAS has been appointed as joint secretary in the ministry of social justice and empowerment in place of Arvind Prasad, a 1980 batch Bihar cadre IAS.

c) Umesh Kumar, a 1983 batch Rajasthan cadre IAS has been appointed as joint secretary, in the department of financial services in place of Tarun Bajaj, a 1988 batch Haryana cadre IAS.

d) Upendra Prasad Singh, a 1985 batch Orissa cadre IAS has been appointed as joint secretary in the ministry of steel in place of G Elias, a 1982 batch Kerala cadre IAS.

e) Ms Nivedita Shukla Verma, a 1991 batch UP cadre IAS, presently director, cabinet secretariat, has been appointed as joint secretary, cabinet secretariat, by temporarily upgrading the post held by the officer.

Incredible! Punjab bureaucrats doled out revolvers at throwaway price

A NUMBER of weapons including Chinese revolvers and MM Mauser pistols, which were recovered by the Punjab police from terrorists and criminals during the last 20 years were allotted to political leaders and bureaucrats for a pittance, according to a report in The Times of India quoting a Bathinda resident who had filed an RTI application.

Bureaucrats and politicians were doled out .32 bore Chinese revolvers for Rs 25,000 each which were much lower than the market price of Rs 2 lakh each. As many as 79 such revolvers were sold at lower prices.

The report named former deputy commissioner of Bathinda KP Sinha and Faridkot DC Hussan Lal as beneficiaries of the state’s largesse. Both those bureaucrats were allotted German made .32 bore revolvers. The RTI further found that about a dozen DSPs in Punjab police and SDMs were also allotted the weapons at below market prices.

A DoPT clarification on PS

The government has clarified that the services rendered by an officer (of a service

participating under the Central Staffing Scheme) as private secretary or OSD to ministers will be treated as service under the Central Staffing Scheme, for the purpose of empanelment as additional secretary or secretary to the Government of India. The DoPT issued this CIRCULAR dated March 25, 2011.

I wanna be your PS: Union ministers choose IPS officers as their PS

NOW, IPS may have a new meaning: I wanna be your PS. If the recent trend in New Delhi’s corridors of power is anything to go by, a number of IPS officers have moved to Delhi to join various Union ministers as their PS or private secretaries.

The latest in the block are those senior police officers who chose to join ministers like Salman Khurshid, Virbhadra Singh and Jyotiraditya Scindia. According to rules, a minister may handpick his key staff members from any cadres -- IAS, IPS or Group A services etc., or even appoint someone with no experience in government at all.

Whereas a 1991 batch AGMUT cadre IPS officer, Ms Nuzhat Hassan, has been hired by minister of minority affair Salman Khurshid as his private secretary, Anand Pratap Singh, a 1997 batch Himachal Pradesh cadre IPS has been appointed as private secretary to the minister of micro, small and medium enterprises Virbhadra Singh. Mukesh Jain recently assumed charge as private secretary to minister of state for commerce and industry Jyotiraditya Scindia. Jain is a 1989 batch Madhya Pradesh cadre IPS officer.

Also, Alok Singh, a 1995 batch UP cadre IPS was recently appointed as private secretary at the level of a director to the minister of water resources Salman Khurshid.

No wonder, home minister P Chidambaram’s new Officer-On-Special Duty happens to be a 1996 batch IPS officer of Himachal Pradesh cadre --- Ajay Kumar Yadav. Yadav was working as Deputy Inspector General in CBI before joining as a key staff member of Indian home minister.

Secretaries In Action

The two day home secretary level talks between India and Pakistan begins in New Delhi on Monday. Indian side will be led by the home secretary GK Pillai whereas Qamar Zaman Chaudhary, secretary interior, Pakistan will lead the visiting delegation. Issues ranging from terrorism, narcotics control to counterfeit currency will figure during the talks.

IRS probationers pose questions on postings through video-conferencing

ABOUT 150 Indian Revenue Service (I-T) probationers now undergoing training at National Academy of Direct Taxes, Nagpur seized an opportunity to interact with CBDT chairman Sudhir Chandra and other members of the Board through video conferencing on Friday. During the last three months, this is the third video-conferencing session between Board in New Delhi’s North Block and I-T officials across India.

The young officers asked many a question regarding the criteria of their future postings, according to people present during the session. Whereas administrative needs would get top-most priority in deciding where the officers would be posted, there would be a few exceptions on compassionate ground, the probationers were told. I-T officers from 30 cities including far-flung centers like Guwahati and Shillong also got hooked into Friday’s video-conferencing.

Meanwhile, CBDT chairman Sudhir Chandra’s term has been extended by two months till May 31, 2011.

(File Photo: A section of 64^th batch of IRS in New Delhi recently)

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Action and Appointments

a) Vumlunmang Vualnam, a 1992 batch Manipur-Tripura cadre IAS has been appointed as director in the ministry of home affairs.

b) AN Srivastava, a 1988 batch Indian Ordinance Factory Service officer has been appointed as director in the ministry of new and renewable energy.

c) Dheeraj Kumar, a 1993 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS, has been appointed as a director in the ministry of minority affairs. 

Demolition Man Is Back: Former IAS KJ Alphons joins BJP; set to play bigger role in Delhi politics

IT’S a sharp change of track from left to right. Former IAS officer of 1979 batch KJ Alphons who was featured by Time magazine in 1994 as one of the 100 young global leaders for new Millennium, has joined the BJP. The former officer, who led the demolition of 14,310 unauthorized buildings in New Delhi as the DDA commissioner, left IAS in 2006 to contest Kerala assembly polls and became an independent MLA with Left’s support. Now, he has joined right wing BJP to play a wider political role in Delhi.

Though Alphons is known more as a demolition man, he is also credited with making Kottayam India’s first 100 per cent literate town.

Born in 1954 Alphons completed his post graduation from the Jawaharlal Nehru University before getting selected as an Indian Administrative Service officer. His autobiography, “Making a Difference,” is a best seller.

BJP president Nitin Gadkari said Alphons would be appointed as a member of the party’s national executive and would also be involved with the preparation of BJP’s India Vision Document.

SR Rao conducts probe on Tata-VSNL deal

Telecom department’s additional secretary and 1978 batch Gujarat cadre IAS, SR Rao will be conducting an inquiry into Tata-VSNL land deal after telecom minister Kapil Sibal raised concerns over the disinvestment of VSNL in 2002 and the way de-merger of 773.13 acres of surplus land of VSNL was handled.

A double MA in social work and rural development (UK), SR Rao is still known for his stint as Municipal Commissioner to a traumatized, plague-hit Surat city. He is credited with cleaning up the city and placing it back into normalcy.

Who are bureaucrats named by Hasan Ali?

DID Hawala operator Hasan Ali name a few bureaucrats during his interrogation by Enforcement Directorate? If a section of media reports are to be believed, Ali named four bureaucrats who are believed to be connected to Adarsh housing scam too.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra’s opposition parties have slammed the ruling coalition for suspending the DCP Ashok Deshbhratar who had earlier interrogated Ali in a fake passport case. The Opposition believed that the DCP who videotaped the interrogation was suspended because he knew too much about the entire episode. Ali who was recently interrogated by ED director and 1977 batch IAS Arun Mathur, reportedly named former chief ministers too for whom Ali laundered money. Ali’s tax liability as per the assessment of I-T department is at the tune of Rs 75,243 crore.

In another issue, former Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner Lalit Modi has recently threatened to name officials who asked for bribes to hush up his case. Three weeks ago, when Regional Passport Office in Mumbai revoked his passport, Modi tweeted from London, “Mere allegations, investigation agencies have come up with zilch, but all asking for bribes to hush up case, when I said no, passport cancelled.”

Canada’s Public Service Commission cautions bureaucrats on social media

Canada’s Public Service Commission has warned bureaucrats against using social media like Facebook and Twitter as their partisan comments risk tainting Canadians’ perceptions of the impartiality of the federal public service, Vancouver Sun reported. There are now debates on how such exposure would risk the non-partisanship of the public servants. The Commission also called for a code of conduct for ministerial staff and improved training.
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Adarsh Scam: Prithviraj Chavan for amending Article 311 to punish serving officials

Chavan (left) with PM during Civil Service Day (file photo) 

AS former Union minister managing DoPT, current Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan understands the nuances of babudom better than anyone else. Faced with the growing criticism that he had failed to take any action against IAS officers charged with irregularities in Adarsh housing society scam, Chavan has now talked about the need to amend the Article 311 of the Constitution which makes it difficult for the government to take actions against a serving official.

While replying in a discussion at the legislative council, Chavan said unless the Article 311 of the Constitution is amended, it’s difficult to take immediate action against any serving officials. He said that his government has so far taken action only against two retired officials.

Though 21 officials are connected with the case either for taking decisions or owning a flat in the building, the CBI has named only 14 accused so far. Seven of them are defence officials, two politicians, one a central government official and one a retired state official, the chief minister further added.

But the big question remains – will amendment of Article 311 if it is done lead to its misuse by politicians against bureaucrats?

Here is what Article 311 of the Constitution of India says:

Dismissal, removal or reduction in rank of persons employed in civil capacities under the Union or a State

1. No person who is a member of a civil service of the Union or an all-India service or a civil service of a State or holds a civil post under the Union or a State shall be dismissed or removed by an authority subordinate to that by which he was appointed.

2. No such person as aforesaid shall be dismissed or removed or reduced in rank except after an inquiry in which he has been informed of the charges against him and given a reasonable opportunity of being heard in respect of those charges:

Provided that where it is proposed after such inquiry, to impose upon him any such penalty, such penalty may be imposed on the basis of the evidence adduced during such inquiry and it shall not be necessary to give such person any opportunity of making representation on the penalty proposed: Provided further that this clause shall not apply-

a. where a person is dismissed or removed or reduced in rank on the ground of conduct which has led to his conviction on a criminal charge; or 

b. where the authority empowered to dismiss or remove a person or to reduce him in rank is satisfied that for some reason, to be recorded by that authority in writing, it is not reasonably practicable to hold such inquiry; or 

c. where the President or the Governor, as the case may be, is satisfied that in the interest of the security of the State it is not expedient to hold such inquiry.

If, in respect of any such person as aforesaid, a question arises whether it is reasonably practicable to hold such inquiry as is referred to in clause (2), the decision thereon of the authority empowered to dismiss or remove such person or to reduce him in rank shall be final.

Indian Forest Service Exam to begin from July 9, 2011

Union Public Service Commission will hold the Indian Forest Service Examination, 2011 commencing from July 9, 2011. For details, log onto http://www.jobcorridor.com/

Central government employees of performing ministries to get incentives from 2012

Woh! Incentive Bonus Soon

ALL Central government employees may get performance-related incentives as the UPA government is set to implement Performance Related Incentive Scheme (PRIS) as was recommended by the Sixth Pay Commission. The employees will start getting the incentives from April 2012. According to The Hindu newspaper quoting unnamed government sources, the announcement in this regard would be made in a few days.

BoI (babusofindia.com) in a report dated May 10, 2010 reported how Dr Prajapati Trivedi, secretary of the performance management division under cabinet secretariat, worked out a proposal under which senior administrators like secretary or additional secretary would get a bonus of no less than 20% of their salary provided his ministry meets 100% target and saves money from non-plan expenditure. The joint secretaries and other employees in Central government would also be major beneficiaries of the proposal which has the blessings of cabinet secretary KM Chandrasekhar and understandably of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. But if the performance of a department/ministry is 70% or less, the concerned officials won’t get a penny as bonus. (Read: BoI report on incentives to officers, May 10, 2010)

According to media reports now, a Committee of Secretaries (COS) chaired by Cabinet Secretary KM Chandrasekhar approved the Performance Related Incentive Scheme (PRIS) on March 8, and details would be worked out soon. According to the proposal, all Central government employees working in performing departments (meeting over 70% targets) stand to benefit. Whereas for junior officials and employees, their own performance would determine the amount of incentives, the performance of the ministries or departments would count more in case of officers at the level of joint secretaries and above.

Currently, the performance of only 62 government departments are being judged by RFD (Results Framework Documents) system. So, it remains to be seen how the government would determine the incentives for officers of non-RFD ministries like PMO, home, defence and external affairs?

14^th April declared a Holiday

The government has decided to declare April 14 2011 (Thursday) as a closed holiday on account of the birthday of Dr BR Ambedkar for all central government offices, including industrial establishments throughout India. It is being notified in exercise of powers conferred by Section 25 of Negotiable Instruments Act 1881 (26 of 1881). 

GRE-Style Screening: Can the same test work for IAS, IPS and clerks?

Woh! The government’s recruiting agency Staff Selection Commission (SSC) has continued to hog the limelight. After its northern regional office becoming the first ever ISO-9001:2008 certified government recruitment agency, the SSC has now proposed introduction of a GRE-style walk-in screening test which will be the same for IAS aspirants or those applying for a clerk’s job.

The candidates will be able to take this test as many times as they want, but their score would be valid for two years, according to the proposal. If the government gives its nod, the same test will determine who should apply for a banker’s job and who for IAS, IPS and other Group A and B officers. According to SSC chairman NK Raghupathy, as reported in a section of media, UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) need not even conduct the civil services (preliminary) aptitude test, and some candidates qualifying the SSC-conducted screening test can appear for the civil services mains examinations straight.

As each candidate applies for various jobs and appears in different screening tests, this new system is expected to take away the unnecessary pressure on the recruitment system.

The scores of the proposed system could be utilized for screening candidates for jobs in government departments, PSUs, banks and autonomous agencies etc.

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List of 671 officers who fail to declare assets

The government has made public the names of 671 Central Secretariat Service officers who have failed to provide the immovable property returns (IPR) for the year 2009 as yet. The names include officers at the rank of under secretary, deputy secretary, director and joint secretary etc. Earlier media reports have suggested that none other than the Prime Minister himself was very keen on making the names of the defaulters public.

Complete List of Defaulters

Action and Appointments

a) Rashmi Verma, a 1982 batch Bihar cadre IAS, presently working as joint secretary (Missile Systems), in the department of defence production has been appointed as joint secretary (Land Systems) in the same department.

b) PK Mishra, a 1984 batch IA and AS, presently working as additional financial adviser (joint secretary level) in the ministry of defence (defence Finance) has been appointed as joint secretary in the department of defence production.

c) Harpreet Singh, a 1992 batch Indian Postal Service officer has been appointed as director in the department of higher education under the ministry of human resources development.

SSC's north office turns first ever ISO-9001 certified govt recruiting body

THE northern regional office of the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) has become the first ever ISO-9001:2008 certified recruiting agency in the government sector in the country. The certification was conferred on SSC by the British Certification Inc in New Delhi on Thursday. The SCC which always plays the second fiddle to UPSC in recruitment process of the government, has come out first in regard to getting ISO-9001 certificates.

According to a cabinet secretary-headed meeting that took place on February 19, 2011, it was proposed that 62 government ministries or departments would have to procure ISO-9001 certifications compulsorily during the financial year of 2011-12. The key ministries such as PMO, finance, home, defence and external affairs, which are exempted from participating in target-based RFD (Results Framework Documents) are however exempted from mandatorily procuring ISO-9001 certificates.

With ISO-9001:2008 certificates, the SCC will now help in creating customer satisfaction for candidates and user departments. It will also help in optimal use of material and manpower.

The SSC is a premier organisation for recruitment of Group B Non-Gazetted and Group C Non-technical staff of various Central government ministries or departments all over the country. During 2010-11, the Northern Region has handled 15.60 lakhs job applicants and offered job opportunities to 7670 of them till March 15, 2011.

Meghalaya follows Bihar on babus’ assets

The government of the North-East state of Meghalaya is working on a policy to make it mandatory for bureaucrats to declare their assets annually. As tribal people of North East don’t need to file income tax returns, there is no mechanism as yet to assess the total assets of each government official. Bihar has recently made it mandatory for bureaucrats to declare their assets annually and put those in government websites.

Andhra for deputation allowance to IAS

Andhra Pradesh government informed AP High Court that it decided to pay deputation allowance to all its IAS, IPS and other officials who are working in state-owned corporations.
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No Idea! Govt has no record on OBC officers as JS, Additional Secretaries or Secretaries

THE government has said that it has no record to find out how many OBC officers are currently occupying the positions of secretaries, additional secretaries and joint secretaries.

In a reply in Lok Sabha, minister of state in the ministry of personnel, public grievances and pensions V Narayanasamy also reiterated that there is no provision for reservation for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Castes (OBCs) in those posts as officers occupy those on a deputation basis. According to available data, there are currently four ST secretaries and no SC secretary in Central government departments out of a total of 149 secretary level officers.

Among 108 additional secretaries, there are only two officers each from ST and SC community whereas there are 31 SC and 15 ST joint secretaries among 477 JS level officers. “As officers on the above posts (JS, additional secretaries and secretaries) are appointed on deputation basis from various cadres, the percentage of SC/ST officers on these posts need not be same as in their respective cadres,” Narayanasamy informed Lok Sabha in a written reply.

Action and Appointments

a) The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has cancelled of orders of appointment of 1978 batch Rajasthan cadre IAS Ram Lubhaya as secretary in National Commission for Scheduled Castes in the rank and pay of additional secretary. Instead, Ashok Thakur, a 1977 batch Himachal Pradesh cadre, presently special secretary, department of higher education has been appointed as secretary of National Commission for Scheduled Castes in the rank and pay of secretary.

b) KS Mehra, a 1978 batch UT cadre IAS, presently in the cadre, has been appointed as Member Secretary in NCR Planning Board, in the rank and pay of additional secretary in place of Noor Mohammed, a 1977 batch UP cadre IAS.

c) VP Baligar, a 1980 batch Karnataka cadre IAS, presently in the cadre, has been appointed as CMD, HUDCO, on deputation basis, for a period of 3 years.

BoI Extraa…

A statue to honour an IAS

IN an unprecedented move, Andhra Pradesh government has decided to honour an IAS officer SR Sankaran by installing his statue. The government approved a proposal to install the statue of Sankaran, who passed away last October. The statue will be installed on April 14, 2011, according to media reports. The government order issued on March 16 mentioned about his contribution to the society, and how he did not acquire any property except a single-room apartment for himself. 

CVC wants cases against secretaries or CMDs not to be forwarded to cabinet secretary-headed group

SOUNDS odd, but anti-corruption watchdog Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has virtually given license to junior officers of ministries or departments to take up probe and even ‘deal’ with secretaries of government of India facing complaints. In an order dated March 14, 2011, the CVC directed that all such cases against secretaries or chief executives of public sector enterprises and financial institutions should not be forwarded to the cabinet secretary-headed committee of secretaries.

It was found that many of such cases sent by CVC to concerned departments for inquiries were in turn referred to the cabinet secretary-headed committee.

“The Commission would, therefore, make it clear that all complaints referred by the Commission to the Ministries/Departments against the above categories of officials (secretaries of government of India and CEO of public sector enterprises and CMDs of public sector banks and financial institutions) are to be dealt or inquired into and reports submitted to the Commission by the respective authorities to whom complaints are sent by the Commission and such complaints should not be forwarded or referred to the Group of Secretaries or Group of Officers for consideration”, the CVC Circular said.

Significantly, the government in an office order dated January 14, 2010 decided that complaints against secretaries, whether anonymous or otherwise, would first be scrutinized by a group of secretaries headed by the cabinet secretary and the group was entrusted the power to close the complaint if it was found to be frivolous. But the move raised doubts that it was one way to end many a case against senior bureaucrats thereby forcing the DoPT to issue a clarification on March 8, 2010.

In that corrigendum, the CVC was allowed to look into complains including the anonymous ones against secretaries. The cabinet secretary was however empowered to scrutinize those complaints against secretaries which come to DoPT or PMO. But if any person sends the complaint to CVC, the cabinet secretary would not be able to scrutinize it, let alone closing it.

461 Delhi Police women personnel given commando training

The government has provided commando training to women personnel of Delhi Police to tackle the law and order situation in Delhi. Commando training is being provided to women personnel of Delhi Police with effect from January, 2011 and as many as 461 woman constables of Delhi Police have been imparted commando training till February 28, 2011.

Action and Appointments

a) The Central government has approved the extension of inter-cadre deputation of Khade

Nitin Kumar Shivdas, a 2004 batch Assam cadre IAS, from Assam-Meghalaya to Maharashtra cadre for a further period of two years beyond March 17, 2011.

b) Ashish Bahuguna, a 1978 batch Rajasthan cadre IAS, presently additional secretary, department of agriculture and Cooperation has been appointed as additional secretary and

financial adviser in the department of agriculture and cooperation.

c) Guljari La1 Bansal, a 1992 batch IA and AS officer has been appointed as director in the department of expenditure under the ministry of finance.

DoPT nominates 26 officers for urban management programme in Singapore

INDIAN government’s Department of Personnel and Training, or DoPT, has nominated 26 officers to attend a programme on “Urban Management and Public Service Delivery” at the Lee Kuan Yew School in Singapore from March 17 to 25, 2011.

Established in 2004, the LKY School of Public Policy educates the next generation of Asian policymakers and leaders. Based in Singapore, a neutral observation ground to witness the historic rise of Asia, the LKY School is rated very high in training public servants. The selected officers are from various states including Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi and Maharashtra to name a few. (Photo Courtesy: LKY School)

List of selected officers

RK Sudhansu (vice chairman, MDDA, Dehradun, Government of Uttarakhand), Hari Chand Semwal (secretary, Lake Development Authority, Nainital, Uttarakhand), Ms Anu George (deputy commissioner, Corporation of Chennai), Ashutosh Joshi (director, ministry of urban development), Dr Darez Ahamed (deputy commissioner, works, Corporation of Chennai), Ms Smita Pandey (special secretary, Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority), VK Jha (chief engineer, civil, NDMC), Manoj Sethi (director, finance, NDMC), Dr Arun Kumar Tripathi (scientist, ministry of new and renewable energy), SK Gupta (chief engineer, planning, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation), Sasanka Sarmah (deputy chief personnel officer, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation), Ms Ashwini Satish Bhide (joint commissioner, MMRDA, Government of Maharashtra), Aseem Kumar Gupta (additional municipal commissioner, Greater Mumbai), Bimal Kumar (under secretary, ministry of Development of North East Region), Gitte Kirankumar Dinkarrao (DM and Collector, Dhalai district, Tripura), K Ilambarithi (zonal commissioner, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Commissioner), K Manicka Raj (commissioner, municipal corporation, Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh), Bhupinder Singh (senior joint commissioner, ministry of water resources), Ms Nidhi Sharma, (deputy director, LBSNAA), SE Rizvi (under secretary, department of telecom), Ms Nirmala Dev (under secretary, department of telecom), Rajeev Gangal (director, department of information and technology), Rakesh Ranjan (director, urban development, Planning Commission), BB Mohapatra (director, ministry of road transport and highways), Sumit Kumar (executive engineer, ministry of road transport and highways). 

No hard cash, Bihar bureaucrats own cows, rifles, TVS Scooty!

IF YOU thought you would spot billionaires by scanning asset declaration papers of Bihar bureaucrats you are wrong. As declaration of assets including movable ones are being uploaded in state government websites, you would instead notice how bureaucrats in Bihar have a wide range of asset class from cash and jewellery to cows and rifles.

Most of the assets are traditional in nature --- flats, GPF, NSS, postal savings, LIC policies, vehicles etc. with a little exposure to equity market.

Significantly, state water resources secretary and 1979 batch IAS Afzal Amanullah owns a rifle, a revolver and a double barrel gun. Amanullah was the principal secretary in the department of home between 2006 and 2009. Also, Magadh division commissioner and 1989 batch Bihar cadre IAS Vivek Singh also owns a revolver. Thanks to his writing skills, he earns Rs 1 lakh per year as royalty from his earlier publications.

Another interesting entry in asset class is possession of cows and calves by bureaucrats. Muzaffarpur DM and 1997 batch IAS Santosh Kumar Mall cannot match Lalu Prasad’s possession of domestic animals, but his wife seems to have a passion for pets as she possesses two cows and two calves! Banka DM and 2006 batch IAS Adesh Titarmare too owns two cows and a TVS Scooty!

Babus in Demand: Indian bureaucrats wanted for mentoring Afghan civil servants

IF YOU are a civil servant with 10 years of work experience, you have a chance to venture out to Afghanistan for a year’s project and mentor Afghan civil servants. The government is looking for suitable civil servants for sending to Afghanistan under the National Institute Building Programme (NIBP) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The deputation will be for a period of one year. India has been assisting the government of Afghanistan in capacity building progammes of the war-ravaged Asian nation.

The requirement under the project will be for areas like policy and strategy development, project management, financial management, procurement, human resource management and other technical areas. The focus of the NIBP shall be on advisory services for policy development and systems and procedures improvement apart from coaching and mentoring as a tool for capacity development of Afghanistan civil service.

The DoPT issued a circular dated March 4, 2011 with the regard and gave copies to all secretaries of Government of India and chief secretaries of the state governments.

Some of the eligibility criteria include the candidate’s ability to carry out tasks independently, develop concepts, action plans, strategies, programmes etc. Also, fluency in one of the Afghan languages such as Dari and Pashtu is considered to be assets.

Action and Appointments

a) Anup Wadhawan, a 1985 batch Uttarakhand cadre IAS has been appointed as joint secretary in the department of commerce in place of Anil G Mukim, a 1987 batch Gujarat cadre IAS who has been appointed as CVO of HUDCO.

b) Ms G Madhumita Das, a 1996 batch Indian Postal Service officer has been appointed as director in the department of revenue under the ministry of finance. 

Culture minister Kumari Selja denied to get the PS she chose; proposal of appointing a 1991 batch IAS rejected

Not An Easy Pitch!

IN ONE of the rare instances, minister of culture Kumari Selja was denied to have the private secretary she wanted. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister, has rejected the proposal of ministry of culture for the appointment of Dr G Anupama Kumar, a 1991 batch Haryana cadre IAS officer currently working as director in the department of tourism as private secretary to the minister of Culture and Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Kumari Selja. Originally hailing from Andhra Pradesh, G Anupama Kumar was a doctor by profession before she joined IAS in 1991. She was in the cadre till she joined as a director in the tourism department in November 2009. In the letter of rejection, however, no reason was mentioned.

The DoPT has published the rejection letter, dated March 4, 2011, (Read Letter) in its website and sent a copy of the letter to Prime Minister’s Office, cabinet secretariat, ministry of tourism, Haryana chief secretary among others. Significantly, in the letter, the word “rejected” was highlighted with an underline, but that’s considered to be a normal practice.

Meanwhile, the appointment of PK Kesavan, a 1986 batch Kerala cadre Indian Forest Officer, has turned lucky as he was appointed as private secretary to the minister of state for Power C Venugopal at director level with effect from the date of assumption of charge of the post and for a period up to June 12, 2013.

31 women employees of Railways honoured

Thirty one outstanding women employees of Indian Railways were honoured on the occasion of Women’s Day celebrations organized by Railway Women’s Welfare Central Organization (RWWCO) in New Delhi on Tuesday. They include PT Usha who is working in Southern Railway, former captain of Indian women national cricket team Diana Edulgee of Western Railway and Neelam Katara, social worker and wife of a senior railway officer, a government release said.

In 1986, RWWCO decided to organize Women’s Day on 19th November every year to commemorate the birthday of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. But this year, the function is being held on March 8 that coincides with the International Women’s Day rather than Indira Gandhi’s Birth Day. 

Govt may soon ask bureaucrats to disclose assets in public

ON ITS guidance for 2011, BoI (babusofindia.com) wrote on December 31 that sooner or later, Indian bureaucrats may have to place the movable and immovable assets in public domain in the same way as Indian politicians currently do. The government has reportedly decided to go ahead with a proposal to make it mandatory for Indian civil servants to put details of their assets in government website, according to media reports. The decision is likely to be conveyed by cabinet secretary to secretaries in a meeting convened in New Delhi on March 8, 2011.

Such a decision has been in the pipeline for almost two years now, but many high-ranking bureaucrats opposed to such a move earlier. Their main contention is that if they put their asset details in public domains, their privacy would be intruded upon.

But with the government facing a series of scams and NDA-run Bihar forcing bureaucrats declare assets compulsorily, the Central government does not want to delay the move any further, according to sources.

Already, asset details of about 1000 bureaucrats, mostly IAS and IPS, are kept web-ready, according to a report.

Also Read

First 2 Bihar bureaucrats declaring assets 

Madhya Pradesh acted ahead of Bihar, but did not follow up 

Cameron calls bureaucrats Enemies of Enterprise

British Prime Minister David Cameron has vowed to tackle those bureaucrats in government departments who are making “life impossible for small firms.” Cameron’s anti-bureaucracy public comment came at the Conservative Party’s spring conference in Cardiff recently. “I can announce that we are taking on the enemies of enterprise. The bureaucrats in government departments who concoct those ridiculous rules and regulations that make life impossible for small firms,” said British Premier.

SC takes up petition of 83 former bureaucrats on civil services reforms

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. Last Friday, a Supreme Court bench issued notice to the Central and state governments after showering praises on the petitioners that they raised some important questions.

Petitioners include ex-ambassador to US Abid Hussain, ex-CECs TSK Murthy and N Gopalaswamy, former Delhi police chief Ved Marwah, National Advisory Commission member and 1964 batch IAS NC Saxena, former ambassador to UN Arundhati Ghose, former Trai chairman Nripendra Misra, ex-IB director Arun Bhagat, ex-finance secretary Ajit Kumar, former Maruti MD Jagdish Khattar to name a few.

The petitioners want creation of independent Civil Services Boards or Commissions both at the Centre and state and fixed tenures for civil servants mainly to minimize political pressure on bureaucracy. They also wanted judiciary to direct that every civil servant formally records all instructions received from administrative and political superiors.

Whereas the government has made many a half-hearted attempt to bring in administrative reforms and insulate civil servants from their political masters, a judicial intervention may create a fool proof system.

Read BoI Surveys on bureaucracy

Only 9% says bureaucrats are excellent

Singapore has the best bureaucrats 

Action and Appointments

a) Girish Shankar, a 1982 batch Bihar cadre IAS has been appointed as joint secretary in the department of food and public distribution in place of Rakesh Garg, a 1980 batch UP cadre IAS who has been appointed as additional secretary in the ministry of culture.

b) Devinder Kumar Bhalla, a 1986 batch Nagaland cadre IAS has been appointed as joint secretary in department of food and public distribution in place of Nilanjan Sanyal, a 1979 batch Orissa cadre who has been appointed as additional secretary in the ministry of women and child development.

FM wants IRS officers to think beyond Chanakya's Koso Moolo Dandah theory

INDIA’S finance minister Pranab Mukherjee quoted Arthasaastra’s author Chanakya while addressing the 64th batch of Indian Revenue Service (IRS) probationers in New Delhi recently, but wanted them not to blindly follow what has been practiced in tax collections. He wanted the young I-T officers to keep in mind that the assessee is not an adversary and committed taxpayers are the engines of the nation’s economy and hence they are important clients of the revenue department.

Mukherjee said, “When Chanakya says Koso Moolo Dandah in the Arthasaastra, he makes the important point that the treasury and its inflows are the source of a nation’s might. Historically, the focus of the direct tax administration has been on maximal enforcement of the Statute so as to maximize tax revenue and the collections. Both theory and practice has shown that this did not bring in the intended results.”

Mukherjee reminded the probationers that tax assesses need to be treated as clients, but deliberate evaders and offenders must be punished. “We need to constantly adapt to ongoing changes and update, improve and innovate our systems and practices as well as adopt the best from the rest of the world”, he says.

Also, Mukherjee asked the IRS probationers to remain consistently creative throughout their life in public service. Creativity is one attribute that enhances the quality of leadership, and willingness to learn and humility is imperative for the ready acquisition of effective knowledge and skills, he added.

So what’s the final take away? Has the FM advised IRS probationers to go beyond Chanakya and his Koso Moolo Dandah theory of 23 hundred years ago?
Also Read
10 Chanakya quotes for bureaucrats

Govt looks for an officer for post of Adviser to Executive Director, World Bank

IT does not matter whether you call it a cool posting or a hot assignment. But the government is looking for an officer of the deputy secretary or director of government of India to fill up the post of Adviser to the Executive Director, World Bank, Washington, USA, for a period of three years.

The officer must have worked for at least two years at the Centre under the Central Staffing Scheme, and should not be over 54 years of age. The desirable qualifications include familiarity in dealing with the multilaterals in policy dialogue at the government of India and degree in economics or MBA or international trade or public finance. The last date is April 4, 2011.

For details check out the DoPT CIRCULAR, dated March 3, 2011

Private Party continues!

From ministers to Kamal Nath to Salman Khurshid, it’s the time to get fresh faces as private secretaries. Whereas Khalid Bin Jamal, a 1994 batch IAAS officer has been appointed as private secretary (director level) to Kamal Nath, the minister of urban development, a 1991 batch AGMUT cadre IPS officer Ms Nuzhat Hassan has been hired by minister of minority affair Salman Khurshid as his private secretary. Also, Dr Arja Srikanth, a 1987 batch IRTS has been appointed as private secretary (director level) to the minister of state for heavy industries and public enterprises A Sai Prathap. In a similar appointment, K Satish Nambudiripad, a 1991 batch IIS officer, currently working as director in the ministry of human resource development has been appointed as private secretary to the minister of state for consumer affairs, food and public distribution Prof KV Thomas.

Action and Appointments

a) Ram Prakash Sisodia, a 1991 batch Andhra Pradesh cadre IAS, presently working as director in the department of higher education has been appointed as joint secretary in the department of school education and literacy.

b) Shaktikanta Das, a 1980 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS has been promoted as additional secretary in the department of economic affairs.

c) Shailesh Kumar Singh, a 1991 batch Jharkhand cadre IAS, presently working as land and development commissioner in the ministry of urban development has been appointed as joint secretary in charge of urban transport in urban development ministry. 

Who is PJ Thomas? Supreme Court quashes CVC's appointment

WITH the Supreme Court quashing the appointment of PJ Thomas as Central Vigilance Commissioner, the government now faces many an unanswered question regarding Thomas’ appointment. The apex court rejected the contention of the government that the appointment of the CVC cannot be brought under judicial review.

Apart from serving as chief secretary of Kerala between September 18, 2007 to January 22, 2009, Thomas had served as secretary in the ministry of Parliamentary Affairs between January 2009 and September 2009 and then as secretary in the Department of Telecom. He was also a strong contender for the cabinet secretary’s post, but it did not materialize when incumbent KM Chandrasekhar got an extension in May 2010.  

Profile of PJ Thomas

Service: IAS

Cadre: Kerala

Batch: 1973

Date of Birth: January 13, 1951

Place of Domicile: Kerala

Mother Tongue: Malayalam

Educational Qualifications

a) Graduate (Physics, chemistry and match) First div

b) PG in Physics, First div

c) PG in Economics, Second division

Major Postings

a) District Magistrate (Deputy secretary level), Ernakulam

(From June 1, 1982 to April 1, 1984)

b) Secretary (Deputy secretary level)

Finance (From April 1, 1984 to July 1, 1985)

c) Chief Electoral Officer (Joint secretary level)

State Election Commission

(From February 1, 1998 to January 22, 2005)

d) Principal secretary (Additional secretary level)

Human Resource Development

(From January 22, 2005 to September 13, 2005)

e) Director, Additional secretary level, IIM

(From September 13, 2005 to February 1, 2006)

f) Additional chief secretary, Human Resource Development

(From February 1, 2006 to September 17, 2007)

g) Chief secretary (secretary level) Kerala

September 18, 2007 to January 22, 2009)

h) Secretary, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, New Delhi

(From January 23, 2009 to September 30, 2009)

g) Secretary, Department of Telecom, Ministry of Communications & Info Tech, New Delhi

(From October 1, 2009)

h) Appointed as CVC on September 3, 2010

Foreign Training

One year course in public administration at IIPA, Paris (1987)

US could have saved billions by streamlining its bloated bureaucracy, says report

WHY do you always blame Indian bureaucracy as wasteful and inefficient? A recent report from America’s Government Accountability Office has said that the US government could have saved billions of dollars annually by streamlining its bloated federal bureaucracy.

The 345-page long report has listed 34 areas where programs have overlapping objectives or provide similar services apart from outlining 47 other areas where the government could take steps to improve the efficiency of federal programs and agencies.

The report, however, did not hand out an estimated figure unlike in case of India’s CAG in 2G scam, but it did say that the savings and revenues could result in tens of billions of dollars in annual savings provided right actions were taken.

Republican Senator Tom Coburn who requested the report, estimates that the duplicative programs cost the government at least $100 billion annually.

The time has come for the Indian government to do a scientific assessment of loss of resources thanks to the overlapping of work by various departments.

Also Read

UN's bloated bureaucracy

Apex Court to pronounce verdict on Thomas’ appointment

The Supreme Court on Thursday will pronounce its verdict on appointment of PJ Thomas, a 1973 batch retired IAS, as the head of the country’s anti-corruption watchdog Central Vigilance Commission. The apex court will pronounce its verdict on a petition by the Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) Thomas’ appointment.

Maha transfers of IAS

In a major bureaucratic reshuffle, the Maharashtra government transferred 17 IAS officers on Tuesday. The officers included seven officers at the secretary level and above. The officers include Anna Dani, Ashwani Kumar, S K Goel, Vikas Deshmukh, Sanjay Chahande and CN Dalvi etc.

Hostage Crisis: Some Orissa politicians blame Patnaik for giving in to IAS lobby

DAYS after R Vineel Krishna, 2005 batch Orissa cadre IAS and district collector of Malkangiri was released by the Maoist extremists, a section of opposition political leaders in the state have questioned Naveen Patnaik government why it gave bureaucrats, mainly the IAS officers, a free hand to negotiate with the Naxals. The CPI leaders are the most vocal among the lot who claimed that the Orissa government had surrendered before the IAS lobby. The CPI in the state further questioned the government whether the authority would have followed up the case with the same rigour had only the junior engineer been abducted.

CPI state secretary of Orissa Dibakar Nayak told reporters that the democratic processes were subverted as the Patnaik government allowed bureaucrats to hold talks and make all announcements without taking politicians into confidence. According to him, the elected representatives including the ministers were ignored during the hostage episode. The party went to the extent of saying that the episode was dangerous for democratic set up.

Also Read
Abduction of Orissa IAS

Action and Appointments

a) Ms Vijayalakshmi K Gupta, a 1974 batch IDAS officer has been appointed as secretary (defence finance) in the ministry of defence in place of Nita Kapoor, a 1973 batch IDAS, on her retirement on March 31, 2011.

b) RG Nadadur, a 1980 batch Karnataka cadre IAS, presently Director (PP and PM), Indian Space Research Organisation under the department of space has been appointed as additional secretary and financial adviser in the department of space in place of G Balachandran, a 1977 batch West Bengal cadre IAS. It was also directed that in so far as his work relating to financial adviser is concerned, he should work under the supervision of the Member (Finance), Space Commission.

c) R Desikan, Trustee, Consumer Association of India (CAI) has been appointed as Member of the Civil Aviation Economic Advisory Council(CAEAC). The CAEAC was constituted by the ministry of civil aviation on December 9, 2010 to look and advise the ministry on economic issues relating to the civil aviation sector.