Vivek Rae who simplified defence procurement is now petroleum secretary

Vivek Rae with AK Antony (File photo)

CALLING for speedy indigenization in defence production to eliminate corruption in procurement process, defence minister AK Antony on Wednesday said imports of defence products should be the last resort. Two years ago, the minister unveiled the first ever defence production policy stating that domestic entities would get preference in defence procurement. And Antony presented the first copy to then Director General (Acquisition) Vivek Rae, a 1978 batch AGMUT cadre IAS and the man behind...

Defence minister admits he receives complaints on pension for ex-servicemen; urges his officers to expedite process

IN A serious bid to ensure timely disbursal of the revised pensions and arrears for retired Armed Forces personnel, India’s defence minister AK Antony has asked the defence finance officials to expedite and streamline the pension system. While inaugurating the controllers’ conference of the defence accounts department in New Delhi on Wednesday, he further said, “Even now, I am getting a lot of complaints from people that they are not getting pensions... Considering the past, things have improved, but even then complaints are there still... So you must take all steps possible so that they get their dues at the earliest,”. He also said that how the government had made an attempt to infuse more transparency in the huge defence outlay, which is over Rs1.52 lakh crore for the current financial year itself.

Secretary of defence finance Ms Indu Liberhan (In Picture with AK Antony) stressed the need for continuing institutionalized interaction between the defence finance and the three Services. The Comptroller and Auditor General of India Vinod Rai, a 1972 batch IAS, also addressed on the occasion.

Anil Ambani meets TKA Nair

ADAG chairman and younger of the Ambani brothers, Anil Ambani, on Wednesday held a separate meeting with Principal Secretary to the PM, TKA Nair for about 10 meetings before he met with the PM. Mr Ambani lost the recent case Supreme Court case on gas disputes to his elder brother and RIL chairman Mukesh Ambani. The government was also a party to the case. What transpired in the meeting is not known.

Action and Appointments

a) Mr Rajiv, an UP cadre IPS officer of 1975 batch, has been appointed as Director General of National Disaster Response Force and Civil Defence (NDRFCD).

b) Chairman of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) Brijeshwar Singh said that achieving the target of building 20 km road every day would be possible with speedier acquisition of land for which chief secretaries of the states have been taking monthly meetings.

c) Anti-corruption wing of the Orissa government registered a criminal case against a 1995 batch IAS officer B P Sethi among others. He was allegedly involved in financial irregularities when he was a director of animal husbandry and veterinary service two years ago.

d) Secretary (Border Management), ministry of home affairs (MHA), AE Ahmed (In Picture) spoke at the annual conference of relief commissioners and secretaries of the department of disaster management of states and UTs, 2010, in New Delhi on May 12, 2010.

Defence Jobs: 3000 additional personnel to be inducted into Coast Guard

GOOD news for those looking at opportunities in defence sector. Defence minister AK Antony himself announced on Wednesday that government had sanctioned nearly 3,000 additional personnel at various levels and this needs to be filled up on priority. The proposed quantum jump in the number of Indian Coast Guard personnel will make it a potent force to counter terrorism from the sea. Mr Antony was addressing the 28th Coast Guard Commanders’ Conference. Mr Antony asked the Coast Guard top brass to explore innovative ways to develop infrastructure support for the Coast Guard fleet in the days to come. "Since its inception, Coast Guard has maintained its fleet with minimal shore infrastructure. You have been managing the fleet through outsourcing repairs & refit. However, the massive expansion being charted through ship acquisition will significantly develop the shore infrastructure," he said. More jobs are being created in police forces too after home minister P Chidambaram has found manpower shortage a major constraint in ensuring safety and security to citizens. B for Bureaucrats: PM wants to retain his Team B With the tenure of PMO joint secretary Sanjay Mitra being extended for two more years, it has now been almost confirmed that Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh himself is very much keen to retain the same team for his second innings too. Mr Mitra is a 1982 batch West Bengal cadre IAS. Earlier, tenures of PMO joint secretaries R Gopalakrishnan, Ms Vini Mahajan, and secretary M N Prasad were extended. Read: PM retains key officers to bring in continuity (October 1, 2009)

Action & Appointments Dr C S Kedar, a 1979 batch Karnataka cadre IAS, presently working as joint secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat has been appointed as Director General, Employees State Insurance Corporation under the Ministry of Labour and Employment on lateral transfer basis, by temporarily downgrading the post to the joint secretary level for the period upto June 4, 2013, or until further orders.

CVC for major penalty proceedings against 106 officers The Central Vigilance Commission advised initiations of major penalty proceedings against 106 officers. Of these, 21 were from ministry of railways, 21 from public sector banks, 13 from MCD, 8 from Northern Coalfields Ltd., five from Central Coalfields Ltd., four each from CBEC, MHA & ministry of urban development, three each from PG Institute of Medical Education & CBDT, two each from Department of Telecommunications, ministry of labour and ESIC. The Commission also advised imposition of major penalty against 68 officers including 14 from National Aluminum Co. Ltd., 12 each from Central Coalfileds Ltd. & Public Sector Banks, six from ministry of railways, five each from National Insurance Co. Ltd. & DDA, two each from Border Roads Development Board & Central Board of Excise and Customs.

Antony asks defence finance officials to provide innovative solutions to efficiently manage funds

TALK on completion of government projects on time seems to be the flavour of the season after India is being criticized globally for its tardy implementation of key projects related to Commonwealth Games scheduled to be held in October 2010 in New Delhi. No wonder, without naming projects where India’s record has turned miserable, defence minister AK Antony underlined the need to complete projects within the stipulated timeframe when he addressed a gathering in New Delhi on Wednesday after inaugurating a complex of the Defence Accounts Department (DAD). (Picture: During the inauguration of the DAD building) He commended the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), which was the construction agency, for not only completing the project on time but also avoiding cost overruns. The minister further gave a very important message to defence finance officials: “Your officers must not only monitor the progress of budget utilization, but also come up with innovative solutions to help the Services manage their funds in an efficient and a transparent manner”. babu blogger’s take: What Mr Antony however did not openly say was how finance and accounts officials tend to pose as roadblocks in timely completion of projects as they create a sense of fear while scrutinize accounts. Remember, E Sreedharan of Delhi Metro is a retired railway official who can afford not to follow rule books, and instead go by his reverse clock alone. Most government officials handling big infrastructure projects in India are scared of being hauled up by vigilance department if not by the CBI, and hence don’t mind missing the target if need be! Top NE cops to meet on Friday Ministry of home affairs (MHA) is organizing a meeting on October 9, 2009 in Guwahati to facilitate interaction between North-Eastern states to coordinate in dealing with the militant groups operating in their states and to formulate effective counter-insurgency operations. The meeting will be attended by the home secretaries and DGPs of the North Eastern States. The meeting would also discuss the issues relating to modernization of state police forces, rehabilitation of surrendered militants, filling up of vacancies and sanction of additional posts in the state police forces, according to a government release. Search Your Own Name If you are a bureaucrat, you can just write your or your colleague’s or senior’s name in our newly installed “Google Custom Search” above, and see for yourself how babu blogger has featured you or your senior. You can also write your batch (for example 1974 batch) or the cadre’s name (say Rajasthan cadre) in the search engine located at the top to check out whether you have missed out any major news that impacts you. Also, try to locate anything and everything related to Indian bureaucracy through this new search engine. Keep reading babu blogger’s take on events that are happening in India’s power corridors.

Tendulkars among officers may now get higher increment than what was proposed in 6th Pay Commission

IF Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has its way, performing government officials may end up receiving better yearly increment than what was even promised in the 6th Pay Commission recommendations. While modifying the recommendations of the 6th Pay Commission that up to a 20% of the performers among officers may be given an annual increment of 3.5% instead of a normal practice of 2.5%, the government has now proposed that performers may be granted even 4% of increment. About 20% Group A officers in Pay Band 3 category will be benefited by this proposed guidelines. For the next one month, suggestions from various government ministries and departments will be accepted after which the DoPT would frame the guidelines. Officers at the lowest PB-3 band get a salary Rs 15,600 --39,100 with grade pay Rs 5400, whereas those at the highest level of the band get Rs 15600-39100 with grade pay of Rs 8400. Action & Appointments 1) Shekhar Agarwal, a 1977 batch UP cadre IAS and currently Financial Adviser (Acquisition) & Member (Defence Procurement Board) and additional secretary, ministry of defence, has been appointed as additional secretary in department of ex-servicemen welfare in the ministry of defence in the vacancy of Ms Neelam Nath, a 1975 batch Jharkhand cadre IAS. Mr Agarwal’s position will now be filled up by S Chandrasekharan, a 1975 batch IRAS. 2) Padamvir Singh, a 1977 batch IAS, presently Joint Director, in the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie in the rank and pay of additional secretary has been re-designated as special director, LBSNAA. New initiatives to reduce suicide cases among armed forces The ministry of defence has taken a number of measures including better man-management techniques and increased inter-personnel relationship and communication between officers and jawans to reduce the incidents of suicide and fratricide cases in the armed forces, defence minister AK Antony said in a written reply in Lok Sabha on Monday. The government’s initiative has come in the wake of virtual status quo of such cases during the last three years. Whereas there were 142 suicide cases in 2007, it went up to 151 during the following year. There have been 48 such suicide cases in 2009 so far.