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…

Babus in Demand: UIDAI wants retired bureaucrats as performance monitors

Nandan Nilekani-headed UIDAI has invited applications from retired bureaucrats including from defence services and PSUs to work as performance monitors of enrollment centers under its Delhi regional office. The applications are invited from “socially committed people willing to render their services to the Aadhaar project”, as monetary incentives are very low.
The remuneration is as low as Rs 500 for monitoring one center with the condition that no one would be allowed to monitor more than 30 centers per month. That means a highly spirited ex-bureaucrat can earn...

Nilekani’s UID team Vs Sam Pitroda’s bureaucrat-less innovative agenda

Sam Pitroda...

IN power corridors of Delhi, Sam Pitroda and Nandan Nilekani have similar identities. Both are immensely successful private sector honchos with zeal to bring about changes in governance. Both enjoy cabinet minister’s status, and are currently entrusted with two future-looking projects. For Nilekani, it’s about giving a unique identity number, or Aadhaar, to resident Indians. Pitroda’s mandate is to connect a billion people through public information, infrastructure and innovation. In a way, both are UPA government’s poster-boys showcasing reforms and technical innovations.

Yet, there is a serious difference between Pitroda and Nilekani. Pitroda, known for his characteristic bureaucrat-bashing, has roped in a slim and sophisticated non-bureaucrat team with the only exception of 1990 batch IAS Kalpana Awasthi. Ms Awasthi is his OSD at the rank of a joint secretary in Government of India. Nilekani on his part has heavily banked on IAS and other Group A service officers to make his UID mission a success like his Infosys innings. Nilekani’s key lieutenant, Ram Sewak Sharma is a 1978 batch Jharkhand cadre IAS, and even his private secretary MS Srikar is a 1999 batch Karnataka cadre IAS. Not just that, all deputy director generals posted across the country are from IAS or other Group A services.

...Nandan Nilekani

In contrast, Pitroda’s associates are Cambridge-educated Sukhman Randhawa who interned at BBC and the Penguin Group in London, and Mitakshara Kumari who had graduated from UK's University of Sussex and worked with European Union at Brussels. The other associates include Rahul Nayar who did his M.Phil in technology policy at Cambridge, and Vikas Bagri who was a part of initiating a rural BPO.

The comparison would not have been necessary if Nilekani had continued a smooth, seamless journey at UID. But if the problems and negative publicity that Nilekani’s UID mission has earned in the last few months are any indicators, his IAS managers have not done a very good job. The Parliamentary standing committee virtually junked Nilekani’s new bill. The home ministry has repeatedly raised objections to UID entering into its turf, and none other than Planning Commission which houses UIDAI is asking Nilekani “not to change track and stick to his original mandate”.

Now, the talk of the corridor is: why the hell Nilekani’s managers, read IAS, have failed to do the basics of inter-ministerial co-ordination? What’s more, some of his managers who got attracted to him because of the challenge and glamour associated with the project, are now looking at exit routes. Some of them reportedly want to move to not-so-glamorous and small ministries.

But here is the danger. Nilekani’s failure means end of the road for the government to woo any more high-performing corporate honchos.

Unsuitable Boys: Govt sends third reminder to fill up posts at UIDAI’s Guwahati and Ranchi offices

WHAT could be construed as a clear sign of reluctance of senior bureaucrats to join Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), recently renamed as Aadhaar (Foundation), at least in a few centers, the government has recently given a reminder that the newly created outfit headed by former Infosys co-chairman Nandan Nilekani would require deputy secretary and director level officers in its regional offices located in Guwahati and Ranchi.

Though advertisements for the posts of Assistant Director General of UIDAI were issued first on October 5, 2009, and then a reminder was sent on December 4, 2009, no suitable candidates were found for its Guwahati and Ranchi centers. In fact, it could not be verified whether the department of personnel and training (DoPT) received any application at all for those vacancies, and if it had received applications why it had failed to select the right candidates.

Significantly, the DoPT sent a reminder on April 20, 2010 to all chief secretaries of the state saying, “it is again requested that the names of the willing officers at deputy secretary or director level who are eligible to work in the Centre under Central Staffing Scheme may please be recommended for this office”. The copies of the reminder were sent to the cadre controlling authorities too.

Civil, Yet Not Servants

For those bureaucrats who like to identify themselves as civil servants, a recent article published in Time may not be a happy reading. In a special article titled “The Dangers of Digging Up the Truth in India” written by Daniel Pepper, it was argued how the RTI Act brought a cultural sea change in India while adding, “…More than 60 years state bureaucrats have acted more like colonial masters than servants of the people.” Published from US in partnership with CNN, the Time is one of the most well respected magazines on global affairs.

Action and Appointments

a) The premature repatriation of SK Panda, a 1980 batch Manipur-Tripura IAS and joint secretary in the department of AYUSH to his parent cadre, has been approved. Mr Panda has been appointed as chief secretary of government of Tripura.

b) The government has approved the extension of central deputation tenure of Ms Amita Sharma, a 1981 batch MP cadre IAS and joint secretary in the ministry of rural development for a period of one year beyond April 10, 2010.

c) Taleen Kumar, a 1987 batch West Bengal cadre IAS has been appointed as joint secretary in the department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP).

d) T Jacob, a 1984 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS has been appointed as joint secretary in the department of food and public distribution.

e) Prem Kumar Gera, a 1985 batch Gujarat cadre IAS has been appointed as joint director in Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie at the joint secretary level.

f) Ms Anuradha Mitra, presently additional financial adviser of the ministry of defence (finance) has been appointed as principal advisor (financial analysis) in the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

Glamour and Shakti of an IAS: India's dancing sensation wanted to be a bureaucrat

WHO says IAS has become less glamorous? India’s recent dancing sensation and famous reality show “Dance India Dance” winner Shakti Mohan said she had a passion to become an IAS officer. Her statement came only a couple of months after Bollywood actress and winner of Femina Miss India 2002 Neha Dhupia had said she did not wish to be a model, but wanted to become an IAS officer instead.

Now, Shakti who was always a topper in school and college was studying hard to pursue her childhood dream of becoming an IAS officer till she participated in “Dance India Dance” which changed her career altogether. She told a section of media that her father was still insistent that she should take the civil services examination as she could try for it till she is 30. The 24-year-old Shakti, who has masters degree in political science, has now decided to convert her passion in dancing into a profession of a choreographer.

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A crack in 'Aadhaar’ (foundation)?

The government has approved the premature repatriation of JRK Rao, a 1985 batch Bihar cadre IAS, and Deputy Director General of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to his parent cadre. Though it’s stated that the move was mainly to ensure Mr Rao availing the benefits of promotion in the cadre, it remains unanswered why then Mr Rao had joined the Nandan Nilekani-headed mega project which would give a 16-digit identification number of every Indian citizen. Was he unhappy working in this newly established outfit? Significantly, many bureaucrats were reportedly reluctant to join the UIDAI. The UIDAI was renamed as Aadhaar (foundation) on Monday.

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Is Nilekani preferring IAS to corporate guys?

Nilekani finds it tough to attract senior government officers 

Action and Appointments

a) Ram Lubhaya, a 1978 batch Rajasthan cadre IAS, presently in the cadre, has been appointed as Secretary, National Commission for Scheduled Caste in the rank and pay of additional secretary in the vacancy of Shri Raghubir Singh, a 1972 batch IA&AS (Retd.)

b) S Machendranathan, a 1979 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS, presently in the cadre, has been appointed as additional secretary and financial adviser in the ministry of steel in the vacancy of BS Meena, a 1975 batch Maharashtra cadre IAS.

c) S Krishnan, a 1975 batch Uttarakhand cadre IAS and secretary in the department of fertilizers under the ministry of chemicals and petrochemicals, will hold the additional charge of the post of secretary in the department of sports during the absence of leave of Ms Sindhushree Khullar, a 1975 batch Uttarakhand cadre IAS up to May 2, 2010.

d)The ACC has approved the in-situ elevation of Sunil Kumar, a 1979 batch Chhattisgarh cadre IAS and joint secretary in the department of higher education as additional secretary in the same department.

e) R Bandyopadhyay, a 1974 batch West Bengal cadre IAS and secretary in the ministry of corporate affairs, will hold the additional charge of the post of secretary in the department of youth affairs during the absence on leave of A K Upadhyaya, a 1975 batch Bihar cadre IAS with immediate effect and up to May 2, 2010