Know Your Babu: DRS Chaudhary appointed as India's new steel secretary

THE Indian steel industry often faces the wrath of Maoist violence, and whether it’s a coincidence or a planned intervention, the bureaucrat who knows the Naxal issue the best will now anchor the steel ministry. DRS Chaudhary, a 1977 batch MP cadre IAS with a successful three years stint in the ministry of home affairs, has been appointed as secretary, steel. And the appointment was announced on the day when National Green Tribunal suspended the environment clearance granted to $12 billion Posco project in Orissa...

Why it makes sense for DIPP secretary PK Chaudhery to be Haryana chief secretary

PK Chaudhery, a 1977 batch Haryana cadre IAS currently working as DIPP secretary, will replace Urvashi Gulati as chief secretary of Haryana after state chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda wrote to union personnel ministry seeking his repatriation, according to reports published in a national daily.

Chaudhery, who was additional secretary and then special secretary in the ministry of commerce, was a major contender for the commerce secretary’s post when...

Global Window: Bureaucracy bashing gains currency ahead of US presidential poll

Mitt Romney, the front-runner for the Republican nomination in US presidential poll, has resorted to bureaucracy bashing understandably to make huge political gains ahead of this year’s presidential poll. Romney, who is an American businessman and politician, has blamed President Barack Obama and “the thousands upon thousands of bureaucrats that work in Washington” for their attack on free enterprise and economic freedom....

Vini Mahajan, Last of the Mohicans in Manmohan Singh’s PMO to leave soon

The Last of the Mohicans as illustrated by FT Merrill

COME March 30, Vini Mahajan, The Last of the Mohicans in Manmohan Singh’s PMO, is leaving South Block. Ms Mahajan, a 1987 batch Punjab cadre IAS, will be heading towards her cadre after completing almost eight years of uninterrupted Central deputation tenure. A confidante of PM’s adviser TKA Nair, Ms Mahajan has been continuously serving in Prime Minister’s Office since June 2005, first as a director and then as joint secretary. She had a stint in finance ministry before moving to South Block.

According to an order of Appointments Committee of the Cabinet dated March 22, 2012, Mahajan’s repatriation to her cadre is “ahead of the completion of her extended tenure”. She got her last extension for six months beyond October 29, 2011, which means she could have continued till end of April.

BoI is calling Ms Mahajan The Last of the Mohicans in Manmohan Singh’s B-Team (Bureaucrats’ Team) as she is the only bureaucrat, except Nair, who has become a part of the continuity from UPA-I’s honeymoon period to the turbulent days of UPA-II. Even PMO veteran Pulok Chatterji actually took up a World Bank job ahead of May 2009 general elections, probably with an anticipation that UPA won’t come back to power and a BJP-led government could push him to an inconsequential department.

Now, Ms Mahajan’s place in PMO would be occupied by her batch-mate and old PMO hand BVR Subrahmanyam. He is a Chhattisgarh cadre IAS who served as senior adviser to Pulok Chatterji in World Bank. In fact, Subrahmanyam, an engineer and MBA (from London Business School) was PM’s private secretary during UPA-I. He will now be a joint secretary in PMO for three years “in relaxation of the relevant rules and provisions of the Central Staffing Scheme and consolidated deputation guidelines as a special case”, according to an ACC order.

Backroom boy of FDI in retail RP Singh a top contender for Trai chairman’s post

RP Singh

RP Singh, ex-industry secretary and one of government’s key backroom boys pushing FDI in retail, is back in action. Singh’s name has been doing the rounds as one of the two top contenders for the prestigious TRAI chairman’s post, as a selection committee comprising cabinet secretary Ajit Seth and principal secretary to PM Pulok Chatterji is finalizing the man who would play a crucial role in coming 2G auctions following the cancellation of 122 telecom licences by India’s apex court.

The telecom regulator Trai chairman’s post will lie vacant in May. The other IAS contender for the post is defence production secretary and 1977 batch IAS Sekhar Agarwal. Agarwal has been in defence ministry since February 2008, and he was RP Singh’s colleague in the ministry when Singh was in South Block. Singh then moved to Udyog Bhawan as secretary, department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP).

Those who know RP Singh from very close quarters say he is a doer, and does not really care about political interventions. Unlike most of his suave and diplomatic IAS colleagues, Singh is talkative and highly informal in most occasions.

Many within the government were also surprised when Singh as the DIPP secretary first made the discussion paper on FDI in multi-brand retail public in July, 2010. He asked his junior officials to transparently place all comments on the discussion paper public too. Interestingly, Kamal Nath as commerce and industry ministry first tried to open up FDI in multi-brand retail during the UPA government. But it was UPA chairwoman Sonia Gandhi who stopped the move then by writing a formal letter to Nath.

No taker of plum post in Washington DC! DoPT asks secretaries to nominate officers

Indian Embassy in Washington

Gosh! The government is struggling hard to find a joint secretary level officer willing to take up a plum post in Washington DC. The designation called “minister, economic” in Indian Embassy at Washington DC, is also fancy. But over seven months after applications were first invited from JS level officers, the DoPT in a letter dated March 22, 2012, wrote to government of India’s secretaries and state chief secretaries asking them to nominate suitable officers for the post still lying vacant.

Officers in the past had lobbied very hard to get postings in Indian missions of US and UK and even in World Bank or IMF. That raises a question why JS level officers did not apply this time round. The DoPT, however, did not spell out the number of applicants which it said is not sufficient.

The DoPT letter says: “Sufficient nominations were not received to finalize the selection of filling up the Joint Secretary level post of Minister (Economic) in economy wing, Embassy of India, Washington DC, under the Department of Economic Affairs, which fell vacant on November 9, 2011”. The DoPT’s earlier advertisement was dated August 4, 2011.

The officers empanelled as joint secretaries, and with two years of experiences at the Centre are eligible to apply for the post. The minimum age is 54 years. The applicant should have prior experiences in trade, commerce, industry, finance, foreign investment, export promotion etc.

The officers who had applied earlier must reapply, the letter said. Significantly, the applicants need to write a 250-word brief stating why he or she is suitable for the job.

Action and Appointments

a) DoPT secretary PK Mishra will continue to hold the additional charge of post of steel secretary for one more month beginning March 17 or until further orders. It indicates that the government has made up its mind to choose the next steel secretary from 1978 batch.

b) Manoj Jhalani, a 1987 batch MP cadre IAS, has been appointed as joint secretary in the health ministry.

Did Mamata’s trusted bureaucrat Gautam Sanyal know about rail fare hike?

IF sacked railway minister Dinesh Trivedi’s claims are correct, Mamata Banerjee’s secretary Gautam Sanyal, a Central secretariat service officer, knew in advance that rail fare would be hiked. Trivedi has not named Sanyal but told a news channel that he kept Mamata’s closest bureaucrat posted about an imminent rail fare hike. Everyone could guess that the concerned bureaucrat would have to be none other than Sanyal.

Those outside Kolkata’s corridors of power are not very familiar with Sanyal, the new poster-boy of India’s babudom. In June 2009, Sanyal became joint secretary in food processing ministry. But this Central Secretariat Service officer fast-tracked his career once he landed up in Rail Bhawan as OSD to Mamata Banerjee. Once Ms Banerjee became chief minister of West Bengal, Sanyal too took a flight to Kolkata. He retired, but Didi stunned the IAS lobby by keeping Sanyal as her key secretary. There were rumours that Sanjay Mitra, former PMO official would move to chief minister’s office as secretary to CM after Sanyal’s retirement. But that did not happen.

Secretary to CM in any state is a highly powerful post, but in case of West Bengal it commands a lot of respects too. After all, some of the distinguished bureaucrats held that rank in the state. For example, bureaucrats like Bhaskar Ghose (who later become information and broadcasting secretary), Subir Dutta (later became Union defence secretary) and SN Menon (became Union commerce secretary) were all secretaries to CM.

In October 2011, BoI wrote: “Gautam Sanyal to Mamata is what Pulok Chatterji is to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. Sanyal is Mamata’s Pulok”.

Applications invited from JS level officers to take up assignment in Canada

A Flight to Montreal

FOR joint secretary level officers, here is a chance to board a flight to Canada, quite literally. The government is proposing to fill the post of Representative of India in Council of International Civil Aviation Organization at the level of a joint secretary. The selected candidate will be based out of Montreal in Canada.

If a joint secretary level officer has completed at least two years under Central Staffing Scheme and is below 54 years, he or she will be eligible for the post, according to a DoPT circular dated March 19, 2012. The other eligibility criteria include two years of experience in the field of civil aviation. If a joint secretary level officer is already on a foreign assignment, he or she will not be eligible to take up this assignment. The post will be vacant on July 22, 2012.

The desired qualifications include experiences in dealing with UN bodies and other multilateral organizations.

Who Gain in UP’s Bureaucratic Rejig

Anurag Yadav: This 2000 batch IAS will now take over as the new DM of Lucknow. He was earlier DM in Jaunpur. He is currently working as additional commissioner in rural development department.

MP Agarwal: This 1997 batch IAS who was serving as Faizabad DM has become new Kanpur DM. Agarwal who is armed with a MA degree in governance from an UK university is replacing Hari Om.

Santosh Kumar Yadav: This 1995 batch IAS will be new Commissioner, Meerut.

As many as 30 IAS officers, including 11 DMs, were transferred in a major bureaucratic rejig undertaken by new UP government on Sunday. Mohindar Singh, chairperson of NOIDA and Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority was also transferred.

Why this musical chair for ED’s post? Ranjan, Rakesh Singh and finally Katoch…

Rajan S Katoch

CALL it a musical chair to decide who is becoming new Enforcement Director. After the retirement of Arun Kumar Mathur in February end, the government was apparently confused in identifying his successor. And mind it. ED is no ordinary post. His directorate has been investigating multi-billion dollar 2G spectrum allocation case in addition to handling cases like ex-Jharkhand CM Madhu Koda and IAS couple Tinu and Arvind Joshi.

Before the government zeroed in on Dr Rajan S Katoch, a 1979 batch Madhya Pradesh cadre IAS, there were two appointments in just 15 days. First, Amitabh Ranjan, a 1979 batch Maharashtra cadre IAS was named as ED for a month. In less than a fortnight, the decision was altered, and another finance ministry official Rakesh Singh was made ED for month.

Ranjan who had earlier worked in personnel ministry under Prithviraj Chavan was picked up by Maharashtra CM to be state’s home secretary. Then, Rakesh Singh, a 1978 batch Punjab cadre IAS who is currently an additional secretary in the department of financial services, was chosen to handle the post for one month or until further order, according to an order dated March 13, 2012. Finally, Katoch currently additional secretary and financial adviser in ministry of commerce was named as ED. Katoch who sports a French cut beard is known in Udyog Bhawan as a suave and soft spoken bureaucrat. He will have a tough job ahead in trailing the scam money that might have landed up in tax havens.

There were unconfirmed reports claiming that finance ministry and PMO were not on the same page in choosing the ED. Arun Kumar Mathur who had served as ED from August 2008, had a fairly long innings but remained largely non-controversial. Only after he retired, a news report quoting an anonymous letter to Supreme Court which was reportedly written by ED officials themselves, claimed that a finance ministry bureaucrat tried to influence ED asking him to go slow on 2G case. The finance ministry issued a rebuttal saying that the allegation was baseless as the 2G investigation was being done jointly by the CBI and the Directorate of Enforcement under the close supervision of Supreme Court.

Babu Marriage

Ms Shanmuga Priya R, a 2010 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS, has been transferred to Madhya Pradesh cadre on ground of marriage to her batch-mate Ganesh Shankar Mishra, a 2010 batch Madhya Pradesh cadre IAS.

Action and Appointments

a) Ravindra Singh, 1979 batch UP cadre IAS, presently in the cadre, has been appointed as additional secretary in the ministry of culture in place of Rakesh Garg, a 1980 batch UP cadre IAS.

Batchmates’ Budget: How officials ensure that Budget does not get leaked

Gopalan (L), Gujral, Bose (R). FM's adviser Omita Paul is seen

IT’S a rare occasion that preparations of this general Budget were anchored by three IAS batch-mates. Call it a mere coincidence. RS Gujral, finance secretary in charge of revenue department, Sumit Bose, expenditure secretary and R Gopalan, secretary, department of economic affairs (DEA) are in fact 1976 batch IAS. The other two North Block secretaries, financial services secretary DK Mittal and disinvestment secretary Mohammad Haleem Khan are both one batch junior to them.

The job of preparing the Budget that begins in November every year is handled by DEA. But departments like revenue and expenditure give critical inputs to the document and become part and parcel of the entire Budget making process. The finance minister can undertake changes in the document till it goes for printing six days before it’s to be presented in Parliament. As high degree of secrecy is maintained, the Budget document is printed at the press located in North Block’s basement itself.

Most officers working in finance ministry have no idea whether there will be any tax cut or increase in excise duties! Also, a secretary in charge of one department does not know what’s in store for issues related to other departments. The one person who reads the Budget from top to bottom is the DEA joint secretary in charge of the Budget. He along with a few junior officials stay round the clock in North Block at least for the last 10 days. They need to ensure that nothing gets leaked before it’s presented in Parliament on the B-Day. The guys working in the printing press are not allowed to go home when the document is being printed. Packed lunch and dinner, brought from outside, are served there.

But should there be such an aura of secrecy when many policy announcements and even hikes of petroleum prices are done outside the Budget? Once the Direct Tax Code is in place, there will be no surprise tax front in any future Budget. The reality is that in days to come, the Budget may no longer be such a high secret affair!

Dinesh Trivedi praises Railways' IIT, IIM brains; wants designer clothes for railmen

Dinesh Trivedi on B-Day

THE political aftershocks of Dinesh Trivedi’s rail budget might have overshadowed what he said and proposed in the budget, but the fine-prints clearly suggest Trivedi’s outlook towards the rail babus was out and out positive. The man who had a history of using the harshest possible comments against bureaucrats, actually showered praise on 14-lakh-strong Rail Parivar for their “dedication, hardwork, loyalty and sacrifice” and proposed to recruit one lakh more employees during 2012-13.

“This talent-rich organization (Indian Railways) includes the best brains from IITs, IIMs, medical colleges and other professional institutes,” said Trivedi in his budget speech. In an attempt to increase the brand value, he wanted rail men to wear designer clothes. He informed the Parliament that he had requested Ahmedabad-based NID to design “appropriate outfits for various categories of workforce”.

Here are a few excerpts from his speech:

A dedicated Rail Parivar

I am grateful to each and every member of 14-lakh-strong Rail Parivar which has not only given confidence to me but has also shown the direction. It is through their dedication, hardwork, loyalty and sacrifice that the railways have scaled great heights…Right from the Board Members to the gangman, it is only this unity which has overcome various challenges and has made the country proud.

Recruiting 1 Lakh More

These (vacancies) have an adverse impact on operational and safety performance of the organisation. I am happy to inform that during the year 2011-12 we have recruited over 80,000 persons to fill up some of such vacancies. During 2012-13, more than one lakh persons are proposed to be recruited. With these recruitment, Indian Railways will also be wiping out the backlog vacancies of SC, ST, OBC and physically challenged persons and complying with the instructions of DoPT.

Restructuring Railway Board

…my railway family is extremely committed, professional and fully capable of delivering desired results. It is a dream organization to work for the young generation and provides excellent job satisfaction. This talent-rich organization of almost 14 lakh employees includes the best brains from IITs, IIMs, medical colleges and other professional institutes. While it has made outstanding contribution in nation building, I feel the current structure needs to be altered to meet the challenges of changing times. This vast organization has pockets of both excellence and anachronism. The Board should be structured along business lines rather than on functional lines in sync with corporate objectives.

2 New Members

I have decided to induct two new Board Members viz. PPP/Marketing and Safety/Research. The new Members will be charged with the responsibility of finding ways and means of augmenting resources and providing further focus on safety.

Also Read

Why "ineffective, college kids type" bureaucratswaited for Trivedi’s budget

Corridor’s other Manmohan Singh: Andhra Pradesh cadre IAS is in the dock

What's in a Name?

THE Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to Dr Manmohan Singh on a petition alleging that he helped Kadapa MP YS Jaganmohan Reddy in accumulating illegal assets. Surprised? Utterly confused? Just hold your breath. This Manmohan Singh is not the Prime Minister of India but a 1985 batch Andhra Pradesh cadre IAS.

In fact, the apex court issued notices to six Andhra Pradesh ministers and eight bureaucrats including Manmohan Singh. The other IAS officers who were also issued notices by SC were SV Prasad, now retired, 1980 batch IAS CVSK Sarma, 1978 batch IAS M Samuel, 1988 batch IAS Y Srilakshmi, 1987 batch IAS Aditya Nath Das, 1981 batch IAS K Ratna Prabha and 1983 batch IAS B Sam Bob. K Ratna Prabha incidentally is a Karnataka cadre IAS.

Significantly, IAS Manmohan Singh, originally hailing from Madhya Pradesh, was a veterinary doctor before getting into IAS. So, according to DoPT records, he is Dr Manmohan Singh. And that’s technically correct. Armed with a diploma in French, Singh is also an MBA from UK. In late 1990s, Singh was a deputy secretary and then director in rural development ministry at the Centre. Currently, he is principal secretary in charge of housing in Andhra Pradesh.

Babu Tweets

Amitabh Kant, a 1980 batch Kerala cadre IAS, has joined the world of micro-blogging. On Monday, he tweeted from Istanbul: “President of India terms the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor project as iconic and highlights the significant progress made by it”. Kant heading the USD 90 billion DMIC project was in Istanbul to deliver a talk on future trends in travel and tourism.

Action and Appointments

a) PK Das, a 1983 batch IRS (Central Customs and Excise) officer, has been empanelled to hold the post of a joint secretary and equivalent. His batch-mate Asif Iqbal is however not eligible to hold joint secretary’s post “because of incomplete ACRs”, a DoPT circular said.

b) The name of Nikunja Bihari Dhal, a 1993 batch Orissa cadre IAS, has been recommended by the state government for Central deputation.

c) Vijayendra Kumar, a 1995 batch Haryana cadre IAS, has been appointed as director in school education in HRD ministry.

d) Jagdish Prasad Meena, a 1983 batch Assam cadre IAS, has been shifted to the ministry of food processing as a joint secretary on a lateral basis. He is currently working as a JS in National Human Rights Commission.

“Ineffective, college kids type” bureaucrats wait to watch Dinesh Trivedi’s rail budget

Can Trivedi Make Indian Railways a Modern Transport System?

AS railway minister Dinesh Trivedi is getting ready to present his first ever Railway Budget this week, many a bureaucrat who was hurt by his earlier comments against Indian bureaucracy is waiting to see how “effective” his rail budget is going to be! Will his Budget incorporate out-of-the-box ideas to take the mammoth Indian railways to the next level, or will it be an ordinary document prepared by rail babus which probably “a young man fresh out of college” can fluently read out! Is IR moving towards a debt trap? Or, will Trivedi be able to do any magic to save this massive government department as he presents the Rail Budget on March 14?

As the minister of state for health, Trivedi aired probably the harshest comment against Indian bureaucrats. He called bureaucrats “ineffective” and said college kids would run the health ministry better than the bureaucrats. “Young people fresh out of college would be able to run the health ministry better that these bureaucrats,” he said. Trivedi said bureaucrats are not innovative and they don’t understand technology.

The minister’s anger was directed towards then health secretary K Sujatha Rao over sanctioning of a Rs 140-crore health portal, but Trivedi generalized his comment and hurled it against entire bureaucracy. Then health secretary Sujatha Rao countered the charges saying that Indian bureaucracy “was among the most scrutinized in the world”.

Only recently, the railway minister created another row when he talked about the possibility of a mid-term poll which his leader Mamata Banerjee later distanced herself from. Trivedi too clarified saying that his comment was “personal” which he aired “as a student of political science, and not as a minister”.

62-year old Trivedi is a B Com from St. Xavier College of Calcutta and MBA from University of Texas, USA. He was first elected to Rajya Sabha in 1990.

Keshav Chandra takes over as Member (Mechanical), Railway Board

Keshav Chandra, an officer of the 1975 batch of Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME), took over on Saturday as new Member (Mechanical), Railway Board. He will be an ex-officio secretary to Government of India. Prior to this appointment, Chandra had served as General Manager, Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), Guwahati. He will continue to hold the post of GM, NFR Railway in addition to his present post until further orders.

He is credited with first set of successful trials for DMRC rakes. Based out of Berlin, Chandra also worked as Railway Adviser for Europe. He wrote a paper titled ‘Donate Once In A Life Time’ and authored a book “One track Mind’.

Narendra Kumar's Lone Fight: Who will emerge as Singham to save IPS brigade?

Ajay Devgan as Singham

UNDER the big story of young IPS officer Narendra Kumar getting killed by mining mafia in Madhya Pradesh on the day of Holi festival, the bizarre incident of a lathi attack on yet another MP cadre IPS officer got a natural burial. Jayadevan, a 2008 batch IPS officer, was reportedly attacked by supporters of a local politician and liquor barons at Bhind area of Madhya Pradesh when he tried to shut liquor shops, found open on the dry day of Holi. Whether it’s the lathi attack or mowing down an officer by a tractor, the behind-the-act thoughts were identical. A section of the society is getting convinced that an honest police officer can be crushed to death so long as there is money power and political patronage. The honest officers who have the guts to take on organized crime modules are increasingly getting marginalized not just in Madhya Pradesh but in most states of the country. It actually does not matter whether a particular state is ruled by the BJP or Congress. The menace of mining mafia is now a national problem.

It’s a déjà vu of Ajay Devgan starred Bollywood blockbuster Singham. In Singham, the protagonist is all alone as most of his fellow police officers including his immediate seniors are in hand in glove with the political bigwigs who dictate a mafia raj. But in the end, as it always happens in idealistic Bollywood movies, better sense prevails among senior police officers, and they all unite to fight a corrupt politician.

The Killer Tractor

Will that happen in real-life neta-babu equations too? In Gujarat, many IPS officers were not comfortable with the arrest of anti-Modi IPS Sanjiv Bhatt last year because the arrest was done on a compliant filed by a police constable. When Bhatt’s wife Shewta complained to Union home minister P Chidambaram that her husband was kept in the same cell with criminals and his life could be at danger, many of his colleagues realized what happened to Bhatt could happen to them and their families too. The Gujarat IPS Officers Association immediately passed a resolution not only to support the family of the arrested IPS officer but backed Bhatt in his "fight for truth". At least 35 police officers who attended the meet to pass the resolution actually took a risk of antagonizing a powerful political establishment in the state.

Unlike in Kashmir or Manipur, an IPS officer in Madhya Pradesh does not need to encounter highly trained AK-47 wielding rebels. A brave IPS officer, like Narendra Kumar, will expect to go out all alone, chase and stop a lorry or a tractor filled with illegal stones, and bring the culprits to book. But likes of Narendra Kumar are getting increasingly alienated across India. Even Manoj Gujjar, the driver of the killer tractor at Morena, probably judged that killing of a police officer could be passed as an accident.

The IPS community needs a few Singhams to change the conventional rule-books and take on a few dishonest but highly influential political heavyweights.

Babu Marriage

a) Inderjeet Singh, a 2010 batch Assam cadre IAS, has been transferred to Rajasthan cadre on the ground of marriage to Neha Giri, a 2010 batch Rajasthan cadre IAS.

Action and Appointments

a) Manoj Joshi, a 1989 batch Kerala cadre IAS, has been appointed as joint secretary in department of personnel and training (DoPT).

IPS Narendra Kumar killed for taking on illegal mining in MP; his IAS wife pregnant

Narendra Kumar, IPS

IN A shocking incident on the day of Holi, the festival of colours, an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of 2009 batch Narendra Kumar was allegedly killed by mining mafia. The 30-year-old sub-divisional officer, posted at Banmore town in Madhya Pradesh’s Morena district, was trying to stop a tractor carrying illegal stones. But the driver, one Manoj Gujjar, ran over him. Kumar succumbed to his injuries. The driver was later taken into custody.
Narendra Kumar’s wife Madhurani Teotia, originally hailing from Delhi, is a 2008 batch MP cadre IAS. She was a doctor by profession before joining the IAS cadre. Mrs Teotia, posted in Gwalior, is expecting a baby.

The killing of the police officer has made the entire bureaucracy in MP angry and upset. But they have remained silent so far. Deputy inspector general (DIG) of Chambal Range DP Gupta however told a section of media that illegal quarrying had recently increased and Kumar was at the forefront in taking it on.

The state Congress has too taken up the issue. Leader of the Opposition Ajay Singh in a statement took a potshot at prevailing law and order situation in Madhya Pradesh “where people are so emboldened that they can think of killing an IPS officer”. The issue of illegal mining cropped up in Madhya Pradesh too, but that did not get the kind of attention as it received in Orissa, Karnataka or Goa.

As the killing of the IPS officer took place on the day of Holi, one BoI reader informed immediately: “Narendra Kumar of 2012 reminds me of a similar “Holi” day killing of Vinod Mehta IPS (71 batch Bengal cadre) on 16th March 1984”. In fact, many alleged that Mehta was killed by a mob in broad daylight in Kolkata as his fellow policemen remained inactive and intentionally let the killing take place.

Bureaucrats, their sons and daughters take a plunge into UP’s dusty politics

SP's new icon Abhishek Mishra

TILL yesterday, Jai Shanker Mishra would have passed as yet another IAS officer serving as CEO in Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC). But not anymore. This 1980 batch Uttar Pradesh cadre IAS has added one more identity. He is father of Abhishek Mishra, who dared to quit a faculty position at IIM-Ahmedabad to join Akhilesh Yadav and his Samajwadi Party. In the fiercely fought UP elections, Abhishek Mishra emerged as the winner defeating his nearest Congress rival in prestigious Lucknow (North) seat. If Akhilesh Yadav is new poster boy of Indian politics, MIT product Abhishek is also an inspiration for sons and daughters of top bureaucrats not just to prepare for IIM or UPSC but to take a plunge into dusty world of politics. The son of a babu has become a neta.
In neighbouring Lucknow (East) seat, daughter of former UP chief secretary Akhand Pratap Singh took a similar risk, but she is not as lucky as Abhishek Mishra. Juhie Singh, also from Samajwadi Party, gave a tough fight to BJP heavyweight Kalraj Mishra but did not succeed.

Juhie Singh: Down But Not Out

And it’s not just Samajwadi Party which mobilized sons and daughters of bureaucrats to lead from the front. Former UP DGP Yashpal Singh’s son Yashraj fought elections from Gonda in UP on a Peace Party ticket. He lost. The Peace Party which became a news-maker for snatching prestigious seats like Rae Bareli, did a wonderful branding exercise by welcoming former bureaucrats into its fold.
Peace Party’s vice-president Rama Shanker Singh is a former IAS. Ex-DGP Yashpal Singh and ex-IPS IP Singh are Peace Party’s prominent faces.
Congress MP PL Punia, a 1971 batch former IAS, is already an inspiration for UP bureaucrats to game for real politics.

Action and Appointments

a) The Central deputation tenure of Meena Agarwal, a joint secretary in the department of expenditure in finance ministry, has been extended for three months till June 6, 2012. Mrs Agarwal is a 1981 batch IRAS officer and wife of OP Agarwal, a 1979 batch ex-IAS, now in a senior position at World Bank.
b) Ratan P Watal, a 1978 batch Andhra Pradesh cadre IAS, will continue as secretary in Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board for three months beyond March 2, 2012.

Mayawati's bureaucrats refrained from speaking their minds; some piloted fast rise

Bee Smart: Bureaucrats to Speak Up

EARLY 2010, police in Uttar Pradesh had to undertake one of the most bizarre investigations ever. State chief minister Ms Mayawati was furious and wanted cops to find out how and why a swarm of bees hovered around her during a rally in Lucknow on March 15, 2010. The investigation report prepared by a DIG level officer said 1.5 lakh bees disturbed the chief minister during her birthday rally. That was not all. The report showered lavish praise for Mayawati’s “calm and composure” during the bee attack! It was the same controversial rally when a garland made out of Rs 1000 notes (with a value of around Rs 5 crore) was presented to Mayawati. When it came to her bureaucrats, Mayawati was a street smart. She valued those bureaucrats who she thought were critical to her administration and punished those who she believed were inefficient and not loyal to her. But that probably turned suicidal to her politically.
For example, Shashank Shekhar Singh, a former pilot held a unique post called cabinet secretary and enjoyed the rank of a cabinet minister. Singh has been Ms Mayawati’s favourite bureaucrat from day one of her coming back to power in 2007. According to a state order, cabinet secretary would enjoy the same power as chief secretary who is invariably an IAS officer. But in Lucknow corridors, you don’t need to muster rocket science to understand Singh’s clout vis-à-vis that of chief secretary. The issue of creating an all-powerful cabinet secretary’s post in the state undermining the established role of a chief secretary even cropped up to Supreme Court.
Mayawati also tried to change the political rule book of praising babus in public rallies, a highly unconventional practice. Two IAS officers, 1984 batch Durga Shanker Mishra and 1988 batch Navneet Sehgal, were showered praise at a public rally in Lucknow in mid-December last year. Mishra, a B Tech engineer and MBA before joining as IAS, was a joint secretary in home ministry during early days of UPA-I. Sehgal, both a chartered account and company secretary besides being an IAS, was praised for his attempts to make UP getting enough power by 2014.
But not all IAS officers were as lucky as Mishra and Sehgal. Senior IAS of 1976 batch Promilla Shanker, who was suspended and then reinstated, is a case in hand. She alleged Mayawati government of unleashing “a reign of terror and fear in the administration and officers who speak their mind” and wanted the Centre to “protect the morale” of all-India services officers.

Technically, no woman IAS could become cabinet secretary for next many years

FOR many more years, no woman bureaucrat could become cabinet secretary, India’s top bureaucrat by rank and pay. The reason is more of technical in nature than competence and capabilities of corridor’s top women. In summer of 2009, it was a narrow miss for 1972 batch Kerala cadre IAS Sudha Pillai who was then the senior most IAS, and then cabinet secretary KM Chandrasekhar’s two-year term was to end. But it’s a different matter that Chandrasekhar got serial extensions which not only denied Mrs Pillai her ‘due’ to become country’s top most bureaucrats, but also disappointed at least two other contenders a year later. For the record, cabinet secretary plays a key role in top level appointments of bureaucrats, pioneers changes in administrative laws and rules, and helps the Prime Minister in key decisions and cabinet meetings. Cabinet secretary in a month receives Rs 10,000 extra than other secretaries and he is entitled to live in an earmarked bungalow at Prithviraj Road, one of the posh localities in the heart of Lutyens’ Delhi.
Currently, a number of influential women secretaries are at the helms of various departments, but key ministries like cabinet secretariat, home, defence and finance don’t have any women secretary. Though two women diplomats, Chokila Iyer and Nirupama Rao, reached the top to become foreign secretary, the highest post for an Indian Foreign Service officer, no IAS has ever made into cabinet, defence or home secretary’s job.
The women secretaries from 1975 batch IAS include woman and child development secretary Neela Gangadharan, school education secretary Anshu Vaish, textile secretary Kiran Dhingra and sports secretary Sindhushree Khullar. All are armed with decades long experiences in administration, top class educational degrees and rich network among political leaders. Sindhushree Khullar, for example, did her masters in public administration from Harvard University while she was on the job. Anshu Vaish had a degree in developmental administration from a UK university.
But all of them will retire before current cabinet secretary Ajit Kumar Seth’s two-year term ends in May 2013. And if the earlier trends are factored in, Seth’s term will be extended at least till general elections of 2014 making it impossible for 1976 batch IAS officers too, to reach the top.
The top women officers of 1976 batch include higher education secretary Vibha Puri and land resources secretary Anita Chaudhary. Ms Chaudhary of Haryana cadre was once considered to be a big bet for home secretary’s post, but she would retire before incumbent RK Singh’s two years term ends next year. Ms Chaudhary had a three year stint in the North-Block and went up to the position of special secretary in home ministry.
Among the 1977 batch IAS, Vilasini Ramachandran and Sangita Gairola have been elevated to the full-fledged secretaries. Mrs Ramachandran who had experiences in finance ministry is now drinking water secretary, and Mrs Gairola from Rajasthan has just become culture secretary.
In addition to luck and influence, the factors that work at securing the coveted cabinet secretary’s post are age, high ranking in merit-cum seniority list and at times prior experiences in key ministries.

CEC SY Quraishi’s midnight passion is a wake-up call to tech-illiterate bureaucrats

ON Thursday night, babu blogger posed a direct question to chief election commissioner of India Dr SY Quraishi on Twitter: “What’s your overall rating of the current round of elections? How much do you want to give out of 10?” Past midnight, the reply came through the same micro-blogging platform: “We couldn’t have asked for more! Very satisfying, don’t you think?”
Unlike babu blogger who posed a relatively easy question to CEC, someone in Twitter posed a tougher one: “EC’s achievements: a) Clean chit 2 Salman K, Beni b) Clean chit 2 Pratibha Patil’s son… Thanks”. But Dr Quraishi did not shy away from replying to that not-so-comfortable question. He tweeted: “Pl check your facts. Salman was indicted. Beni case fixed for hearing on 2 mar evening. Maharashtra municipal poll not ECI!”
You may or may not fully agree with Quraishi’s claims, but he has a point to make. He has an answer for all. As this highly busy civil servant answers queries on his iPad past midnight, should young bureaucrats continue to remain technology illiterate? This 1971 batch IAS who had served as Union sports secretary before moving to Election Commission, is demonstrating how a 65-year-old bureaucrat can convert himself into a tech-savvy babu. For hundreds of bureaucrats who are highly satisfied with dictating notes to their PS and signing centuries-old nada wali files (typical government files with thread), it’s time to introspect.
Many bureaucrats still feel that nada wali files will never go away despite the Central government began an experimentation that those files need to be replaced with smart e-files where a babu will first log in, digitally sign it, write file-notings and electronically send it to the higher level. But many bureaucrats are not so happy about this experimentation that is already taking place in ministries like rural development, commerce etc.
Quraishi, incidentally the first Muslim chief election commissioner, has never worked in a tech-department like IT or DoT. But thanks to his photographer son, he says he has “surrendered” to Twitter. Quraishi also authored two amazing papers “Islam, Muslims and Family Planning in India” and “Islam and AIDS”.

Action and Appointments

a) UK Sangma, a 1978 batch Jharkhand cadre IAS and secretary to North Eastern Council, has got an extension for three months beyond March 2, 2012.
b) AK Choudhary, a 1986 batch Indian Telecom Service officer and director in statistics and programme implementation ministry, has got an extension for six months beyond February 29, 2012.

From MHA to culture secretary Sangita Gairola's journey sails smooth

THOSE were the turbulent days when Jet Airways was linked to underworld. It was fiercely denied, but then telecom and disinvestment minister Arun Shourie picked up an intelligence report when the issue of civil aviation ministry’s proposal to allow Jet Airways and Air Sahara to fly international, cropped up in cabinet in February 2004. And the woman who handled that and many other highly sensitive matters in the home ministry was then joint secretary Sangita Gairola, a 1977 batch Rajasthan cadre IAS. Ms Gairola was an influential joint secretary in the ministry of home affairs for five long years when LK Advani was at the helm of North Block.
Now, Sangita Gairola has been appointed as India’s new culture secretary. This is however not to suggest that Ms Gairola, an MA in English literature, is a firebrand lady with no experiences in tourism and culture. In fact, she was principal secretary of tourism, art and culture in Rajasthan government in 2004-05. In April 2008, she joined Union social justice and empowerment ministry as an addition secretary. Later, she was elevated to the rank of a special secretary. Beginning her career as a sub-divisional officer at Alwar in late 1970s, Gairola first joined the Central government in 1989 as a deputy secretary in Union agriculture ministry. She had also served as chief electoral officer of Rajasthan government.

New ED for a month

Amitabh Rajan, a 1979 batch Maharashtra cadre IAS, has been given additional charge as Director Enforcement for one month. As director ED, Rajan incidentally has to look into the case of two of his own IAS batch-mates, Tinu Joshi and Arvind Joshi. The ED has already attached Joshi couple’s properties of over Rs 6 crore. According to estimates by Income-Tax department, Joshis are worth Rs 240 crore. While talking to local media, Arvind Joshi contradicted such claims.

Babu Tweets

Dr SY Quraishi, a 1971 batch Haryana cadre IAS and India’s Chief Election Commissioner, has joined the Twitter bandwagon. @DrSYQURAISHI is his address in the world of micro-blogging. And he was pretty active yesterday night replying to a number of tweets on assembly elections that are currently taking place in five Indian states. “Right friends. Good bye and good night for now. Lots of files to clear” was Dr Quraishi’s last tweet yesterday night. You can also spot babu blogger’s tweeting action at twitter.com/babublogger