More about private secretaries of 3 ministers -- Amit Shah, Smriti Irani and Jitendra Singh

THE Central government last week appointed private secretaries of three prominent ministers — home minister, Amit Shah, textiles minister, Smriti Irani and DoPT and DoNER minister, Jitendra Singh. Here below are the details:

What next for 2005 batch IAS OP Choudhary? Is he contesting assembly poll on a BJP ticket?

Choudhary while receiving the PM's award (File Photo) 

IN A major development in Chhattisgarh last week, 2005 batch IAS officer OP Choudhary resigned from the elite service, making his peers surprised and also raising speculations about his next move. If the media reports are to be believed, Choudhary who was the Raipur district collector till recently, may join the ruling party, BJP, and contest from the assembly constituency of…

5 non-IAS officers appointed as deputy secretaries, directors; Income-Tax officer Ritu Sharma to head National Gallery of Modern Art

Courtesy: National Gallery of Modern Art

LATE last week, the union government appointed five director/deputy secretary-ranked officers in various ministries. All happened to be non-IAS. Whereas an IRS-IT officer was chosen as the director of National Gallery of Modern Art, an Indian Trade Service officer found a berth in the department of justice. Also, the ministry of coal will now have an Indian Ordnance Factory Service officer as deputy secretary. Here below are the details of five officers:

IPS Nishant Kumar Tiwary appointed in UIDAI; IRS Customs officer finds berth in steel ministry

ON Thursday, the government approved the appointment of a customs officer in the ministry of steel, and then an Indian Police Service officer in UIDAI, and also extended the tenure of an Indian Postal Service officer in the department of chemicals and petrochemicals. Girraj Prasad Meena, 2004 batch Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise) officer, was appointed as…

AGMUT cadre IAS Niharika Rai to be Gadkari’s PS in Ganga rejuvenation

THE Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on Tuesday approved the appointment of Niharika Rai, a 2005 batch AGMUT cadre IAS, as private secretary to Nitin Gadkari, the minister for road transport and highways, shipping and water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation. She will be the minister’s PS in the ministry of water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation. She will be ranked as…

After India's entry into Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Govt appoints there 2 IFS officers — Anand Prakash, Krishna K

TWO Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officers — Anand Prakash of 2005 batch and Krishna K of 2012 batch — have been appointed in Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) secretariat, Beijing, for three years. Whereas Prakash will be Adviser (first secretary/counsellor level), Krishna K has been appointed as Attache (second secretary level). Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is an...

IAS reshuffle in Chhattisgarh: 3 Bastar districts to get new collectors; 2005 batch IAS Mukesh Kumar brought into CM’s Office

Niharika Barik: Now posted as secretary, Gramodyog

IN A major reshuffle of bureaucrats in Chhattisgarh, Naxal-hit Bastar districts — Bastar, Narayanpur and Sukma— will get new district collectors. 2010 batch IAS Jai Prakash Maurya is appointed as the new Sukma collector whereas Topeshwar Verma will be new collector of Narayanpur district. Meanwhile, Mukesh Kumar, 2005 batch IAS and current collector of Rajnandgaon district, has been appointed as joint secretary to the Chief Minister's Office. Here are some of the major bureaucratic reshuffle in Chhattisgarh:

Why Navi Mumbai residents turn angry with the transfer of 2005 batch IAS Mundhe Tukaram

NAVI MUMBAI Municipal Commissioner Mundhe Tukaram Haribhau’s transfer order has not gone well with its residents. The ordinary citizens adjoining the area have adopted a massive signature campaign to stall Mundhe’s transfer order as they feel, the removal of the 2005 batch IAS officer from that post was arbitrary in nature, and was possibly done at the behest of the builders’ lobby among others. Mundhe is considered honest, straightforward and highly popular, and has taken on the…

More about Eenam Gambhir -- the diplomat who challenged Nawaz Sharif’s speech at the United Nations

Eenam Gambhir (Photo Courtesy: Facebook)

SINCE Thursday morning, Indian television and social media were abuzz with the way an Indian diplomat —a 2005 Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer Eenam Gambhir — gave an apt response to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s speech at the United Nations where the Pak PM had earlier raised the issue of Kashmir and hailed slain Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani a “young leader” from Kashmir. “The land of Taxila, one of the greatest learning centres of ancient times, is now host to the Ivy League of terrorism. It attracts aspirants and apprentices from all over the world”, she said in UN while describing Pakistan as the “global epicentre of terrorism”. Here are a few things you may like to know about this young Indian diplomat. 

IAS R Alice Vaz and IPS SS Yadav: This couple has to wait longer before they can be together

THIS IAS-IPS couple has to wait longer before they can work in the same cadre and stay together. 2005 batch IAS Ms R Alice Vaz is posted in West Bengal, and she won’t be getting a transfer to AGMUT cadre where IPS husband of 1997 batch, SS Yadav, is posted. The DoPT after a detailed examination on March 31 decided to process the case of Ms R Alice asking for a cadre change to AGMUT on grounds of marriage, only after…

Did you miss Khemka’s “Sicilian mafia” comment? And guess why Shailaja Chandra was so happy on Tuesday

Ashok Khemka

DID you miss how Haryana IAS Ashok Khemka compared Vyapam of Madhya Pradesh with Sicilian mafia? Or what former Kerala IAS K Mohandas witnessed in London last week?  And guess which of the two --IAS or IPS Association -- actually condemned “threats and intimidation” of Amitabh Thakur? Finally, why was former IAS Shailaja Chandra so happy on Tuesday? Read on:

More about Patna Municipal Commissioner Kuldip Narayan, his proposal of rail ticket auction, other “fuzzy thoughts”

Kuldip Narayan: "A simple person in wilderness"

THE Patna High Court on Monday stayed the suspension of 2005 batch IAS Kuldip Narayan as Patna Municipal Commissioner, giving relief to the officer known in his circle as honest and the one who took on the city’s builders lobby. Though the officer was suspended for his inability to spend allocated fund for two consecutive financial years, it was highly suspected that he became the victim of the powerful political-builders nexus. As the case is on, with the High Court asking the state government to submit papers related to the case on Tuesday, BoI here attempts to know the officer more: how he proposed auctioning of cinema and railway tickets (like spectrum) and how he openly criticised the...

Know more about Kuldip Narayan, IAS; Is his suspension a handiwork of Patna builders’ lobby?

Kuldip Narayan

IN A late night order on Friday, Bihar government suspended chief executive officer-cum-commissioner of Patna Municipal Corporation Kuldip Narayan for his failure to utilize allotted fund meant for development of civic amenities in FY2012-13 and FY2013-14. But, as it seems apparent, this 2005 batch IAS officer known for honesty and integrity, has become a victim of all-powerful builders’ lobby in Patna. The Bihar chapter of IAS officers’ association which had earlier met chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi is demanding security cover to Narayan for alleged threat on him by…

Hostage Drama: Know Orissa cadre IAS RV Krishna abducted by Maoist extremists

AS ALL back channel efforts are continuing to release 30-year-old IAS officer R Vineel Krishna, abducted on Wednesday by a group of 50 Maoists in Orissa, Union home minister called up Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik to ensure the safety of the abducted IAS officer. RV Krishna, a 2005 batch IAS officer and district collector of Malkangiri was abducted by Naxals who now sent out a set of demands for the release of the officer. This is the first instance of abduction of an IAS officer by Naxalites in Orissa.

Originally haling from Andhra Pradesh, Krishna was a civil engineer from Chennai before entering into IAS. He had earlier served as a director of District Rural Development Agency in Orissa before taking up the job of a district collector of Malkangiri district in January 2010. He was also the sub-collector of Champua and Baliguda respectively.

Union home secretary GK Pillai said that it might take some time to get the abducted officer out of Maoists, but he was confident that the officer would be released. Meanwhile, the state government contacted Naxal sympathiser Varavara Rao and social activist Swami Agnivesh to get the collector freed.

BoI Extraa…

IAS officer acts as a Show host

A young IAS officer and Rajnandgaon collector KS Pardesi turned a programme host of a function organized by Lanco Infratech Limited a few days ago. Though the company hired a well-known anchor for the job, chief minister Raman Singh called Pardesi and whispered a few words in his ear, according to media reports. Understandably at the instruction of the CM, the IAS officer took control of the show, but the question remains: Why did the CM want the officer to anchor the show?

Two young IAS officers of 2005 batch set the ball rolling by declaring assets including jewellery, cars, TV and mobile

AS Bihar government’s January 31 deadline for all officers to declare their assets drawing near, two IAS officers of 2005 batch, Kuldip Narayan and Balamurugan D set the ball rolling by declaring their assets and liabilities including minor details such as buying of televisions and mobile phones.

Significantly, Saran district magistrate Kuldip Narayan and Gopalganj district magistrate Balamurugan D have put up their declaration in official websites for public view. Hailing from UP, Narayan is a mechanical engineer from IIT Kanpur whereas Balamurugan D from Tamil Nadu is an agriculture graduate.

In his four-page declaration, Narayan mentioned about the current valuation of his mutual funds at Rs 1.15 lac and shares worth Rs 40, 069. Neither he nor his wife possesses any agriculture land. Narayan has Rs 5.85 lac in PPF whereas his wife has Rs 2.47 lac in PPF account. He has also mentioned the valuation of his wife’s gold ornaments, a Samsung TV and even a mobile handset.

Balamurugan D, another 2005 batch Bihar cadre IAS, mentioned in his publicly displayed return how his father and his younger brother have not divided their properties in their ancestral house in Tamil Nadu. Balamurugan D too gave details about cash in hand (mere Rs 1,160) and deposits in bank account (Rs 32,534) accounted up to January 19, 2011.

In April 2007, Kuldip Narayan, a Brahmin, hogged the limelight when he got married an Indian Economic Service official, Renulata who happens to be an OBC. The media highlighted the marriage as it defied Bihar’s caste logic in matrimonial and political alliance. (In Picture: Kuldip Narayan and Renulata, 2007)

Whereas it’s much easier for these two young officers to declare their assets publicly, it remains to be seen whether those who have amassed wealth would find it comfortable to do the same.

The Nitish Kumar government in Bihar has asked all officials not just to declare assets of self and immediate relatives but to put those in public domain. This has further put pressure on other state governments and even the Central governments to issue such dictates amid allegations of corruption in public life.

View

Kuldip Narayan’s property return

Balamurugan D’s property return

An officer with intrinsic merit may still disqualify to be a joint secretary at Centre

CONSIDER yourself an officer with intrinsic merit? Yes, you could be rightly so, but that does not guarantee you for getting an easy empanelment for joint secretary in government of India. In fact, the government in a recent empanelment guideline said that “empanelment should be considered not as a reflection of the intrinsic merit or otherwise of an officer but the suitability of an officer to occupy senior levels in the Central government”.
A section of the guideline reads as if it is designed to reiterate the fact that those serving the state government are no less inferior than their counterparts leading the Central government ministries. “Given the background and experience of an officer, she or he may be highly suited to occupy senior positions in state government. Likewise, another officer, in view of the background and experience, may be considered more suitable for Central government posts,” it said.
The guideline has further talked about how an expert panel will be required to examine the ACRs, and what’s about missing ACRs. “In case the selection process does not lead to adequate representation of categories like SC/ST, women, the North East and from particular state cadres in the panel, the criteria for empanelment would be suitably relaxed to give due representation to these categories” the guideline said.
At present, there are 473 joint secretaries at the Centre.
Read in full the Empanelment Guidelines

Probe against 57 years old IAS for allegedly seeking sex from a widow
Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa ordered on Wednesday a probe into allegations of a senior IAS officer demanding sexual favours from a young widow Yamini Rao. It could be a fast-track investigation on mass education department director, D K Rangaswamy, who was promoted into IAS in 1996. He is 57 years old.

Action and Appointments
a) Inter-cadre transfer of Vijayendra Bidari, a 2005 batch Rajasthan cadre IPS from Rajasthan to Tamil Nadu cadre has been approved.
b) The inter-cadre deputation of Samuel Changkija, a 2003 batch JK cadre IFS from Jammu and Kashmir to Nagaland cadre for a period of 5 years has been approved.

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

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

Know Your IPS

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

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