We need to move people, not cars, says NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant as he rides a bicycle in Delhi

CYCLING  is the future of India, NITI Aayog CEO and 1980 batch IAS of Kerala cadre, Amitabh Kant, said in New Delhi on Sunday, before cycling with minister of state for home  Kiren Rijiju and hundred others as a part of the programme, Movelo Cyclothon, organised by the government think-tank near the India Gate, Delhi. Kant, 62, who had recently uploaded a video with his kick-boxing action, termed cycling as an...

“Kickboxer” Amitabh Kant: NITI Aayog CEO posts video of his fitness secrets

A video grab of Kant practising kickboxing

AMITABH Kant, 1980 batch former Kerala cadre IAS and CEO of the government think-tank, NITI Aayog, made a social media buzz on Tuesday morning when he uploaded in Twitter a 34-second-video, showing him practicing kickboxing in a garden, understandably in Delhi. Wearing navy blue shorts, T-shirt and sneaker, the 62-year-old bureaucrat is seen doing “cross-fit training and kickboxing” as a reply to a fitness challenge posed by actor…

5 Civil Servants to Watch Out For, 2018: Hasmukh Adhia, KD Tripathi, Amitabh Kant, Aman Singh and Vijay Gokhale

Hasmukh Adhia

HERE is the final list of BoI's 5 Civil Servants to Watch Out For in 2018. Topping the list is Hasmukh Adhia — an accountant, an IAS, a PhD in Yoga, union finance secretary and yes, one of the two key probables to be India’s next cabinet secretary this summer. In BoI’s series of 5 Civil Servants to Watch Out For, 2018, petroleum secretary Kapil Dev Tripathi is No 2. Tripathi is the other probable for the top bureaucrat’s post when incumbent Pradeep Kumar Sinha’s extended term ends on June 13. The other three civil servants to watch out for in 2018, who BoI had profiled in earlier posts, are:

5 Civil Servants to Watch Out For, 2018: At No 3 is an incredible bureaucrat — Amitabh Kant

MANY of his colleagues call him a “rockstar bureaucrat”; some say, “hero”. Amitabh Kant, the bureaucrat behind the creation of some of India’s memorable campaigns — Incredible India, Make-in-India etc. — continues to occupy the centerstage in the corridors of power, wielding immense influence in the affairs of the Central government. Yes, by the end of the next month, Kant’s two-year-term as the CEO of the government think-tank, NITI Aayog, will come to an end. But will it make it any difference? Will the government discontinue him? In BoI’s list of “5 Civil Servants to Watch Out For, 2018”, Amitabh Kant is No 3. The other two bureaucrats who BoI had already profiled were…

NITI CEO Amitabh Kant writes to district collectors to assemble “digital army” and “lead the change” for a digital payments economy

ALMOST a month after demonetization of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes and the subsequent scarcity of new notes, the Central government has begun a massive campaign under which district administrations are being incentivized to educate all citizens for expeditious transition into digital payments economy. The government think-tank NITI Aayog, which has been given a mandate to execute the scheme, has asked all district collectors to assemble 'Digital Armies' comprising skilled youth of their areas to speed up the transition into digital payments. NITI CEO Amitabh Kant, the officer who led campaigns such as Incredible India and Make in India has written to all collectors asking them to…

Fashion with a Cause: How civil servants post their photos sporting handwoven saris, jackets

Varsha Joshi, 1995 batch IAS sporting a handwoven sari

REACTING to a trend #IWearHandloom that took social media by storm on Monday, a number of civil servants including Ambassador of India to UNESCO Ruchira Kamboj, joint secretary ranked IAS officers Sumita Misra, Abhishek Singh, Varsha Joshi, Usha Padhee etc., NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, former IFS Nirupama Rao, former IPS Kiran Bedi et al have shared their own photos sporting beautiful handwoven dresses in micro-blogging site Twitter in the last couple of days. The trend began when union textile minister Smriti Irani shared her own photo wearing a blue handloom sari with an appeal for others also to wear…

Spot NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant wearing HoloLens; what it is and how it has many industrial applications

Amitabh Kant (Photo Courtesy: Twitter)

LOOK at this photo. The person wearing HoloLens is none but Amitabh Kant, 1980 batch retired IAS currently serving as NITI Aayog CEO in a post-retirement assignment. The photo was posted in Twitter on Saturday after Kant was given a demonstration on what mixed reality is all about and what experiences one gets once HoloLens are worn. In fact, mixed reality, which is also described as hybrid reality, is defined as…

Thoughts behind Incredible India campaign; Will Amitabh Kant succeed creating brand NITI?

Kant with PM Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel (file photo)

LAST week, DIPP secretary Amitabh Kant was appointed as full-time CEO of NITI Aayog, the body that had replaced Nehruvian institution, the Planning Commission. Kant, known for marketing and branding skills, has possibly been brought into the NITI for giving it a major makeover. In his book, “Branding India: An Incredible Story” Kant spelt out how he had created Incredible India campaign amid many challenges. Maybe, Incredible India, and then Make in India will inspire him in NITI too. Here are some of his thoughts as he created the “Incredible India” brand:

Monday Night Reshuffle: Sanjay Mitra is new road transport secretary; Amitabh Kant given additional charge of NITI Aayog’s CEO

THE Central government on Monday night appointed new secretaries in the ministry of road transport and highways, disinvestment and textiles, and gave additional charge of the post of CEO, NITI Aayog to DIPP secretary Amitabh Kant till further order. The moving out of Aradhana Johri from finance ministry (as disinvestment secretary) just a couple of months before the presentation of the general budget and bringing in of West Bengal chief secretary and former PMO official of Manmohan Singh era, Sanjay Mitra, as the secretary of the ministry of road transport and highways were the other two key highlights in the Monday night reshuffle. Here are the 6 key secretary-level appointments:

Who are the bureaucrats in Twitter? And why their followers love to read about "safe" sarkari experiences

ON Thursday night, former foreign secretary of India and 1973 batch retired IFS officer Nirupama Rao thanked her 4 lakh Twitter followers. "400K followers today. Humbled and honored. Thank you all", she wrote in a post in the micro-blogging site, Twitter. In fact, if there is one area of Indian bureaucracy that has undergone a sea-change in the last couple of years is the very willingness of more and more serving bureaucrats and diplomats to share their “safe” sarkari experiences in social media platforms. BoI picks out a few bureaucrats from a list of about 500 who are effectively using Twitter to reach out to citizens:

Kant as Khan: How DIPP secretary Amitabh Kant had to play Shah Rukh Khan’s “role”; more on branding

Kant while delivering his speech

THE organizers of the International Advertising Association requested Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan to be the chief guest in their IAA Silver Jubilee Summit held in Kochi earlier this month, but they did not want to take any risk. They needed someone as…

Why Make in India succeeds when some other sarkari campaigns fizzle out; 5 Reasons

Amitabh Kant with Make in India Lion

DURING the last 14 months, NDA government at the Centre has launched a number of high-voltage campaigns -- Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Mission), Pradhan Mantri Jandhan Yojana (accident and life insurance of Rs 2 lakh on a Rs 12 premium), Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (save and educate the girl child), Digital India and Skill India. Now, just close your eyes and try to recollect the symbol of each of those campaigns. And then try the same for another campaign of the Modi government -- Make in India. By now, you must have figured out the lion, to be precise a walking lion. You must have also failed to…

Why a lion as a symbol in GoI campaign—Make in India? PM Modi explains at Hannover Fair

WHEN Make in India campaign, currently the most talked about government campaigns, was launched last year to woo companies to manufacturing, various ideas reportedly cropped up before creating the campaign symbol. Should it be a tiger or a lion? And finally, when a walking lion was chosen to depict the Make in India campaign, the gossip was that it was invariably from Gujarat's Gir forest, the only habitat of lions in India. For the record, Narendra Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat for about 13 years before becoming the Indian prime minister. On Monday, none of than PM himself explained at Germany’s Hannover Messe, one of the biggest industrial fairs in the globe, why his government chose a lion to depict the Make in India campaign. He said…

Reviving Nostalgic Memories: DIPP secretary Amitabh Kant's journey to Tellicherry, his first posting

A bumper fish catch! Kant at Tellicherry’s fish market

WHEN DIPP secretary Amitabh Kant visited Tellicherry last week, he tweeted: “Reviving nostalgic memories of d past!”. No wonder, it was this town located on the Malabar coast of Kerala where Kant, now known to many as a brand guru in government, began his IAS career as a sub-collector. A key driver of some of India’s most popular sarkari campaigns -- God’s Own Country, Atithi Devo Bhava and Make in India – this 1980 batch IAS went to Tellicherry’s fish market on Friday and wrote:

“Make in India” or “Make for India”? DIPP secretary Amitabh Kant on RBI Guv Raghuram Rajan’s idea

Kant with a copy of "arthniti" (File pic)

A FORTNIGHT ago, an economist of global stature and RBI governor Raghuram Rajan said that Make in India’s focus on manufacturing following the Chinese model of export-led growth is not intended. He argued, the world as a whole is unlikely to be able to accommodate another export-led China. So, why not “Make for India”, Rajan argued, asking for tapping the domestic market instead. DIPP secretary Amitabh Kant who is…

Modi says India’s bureaucracy can be “enlivened”; but a “rockstar bureaucrat” gets a pat on the back

Kant with PM

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said India’s bureaucracy could be “enlivened”, and the country’s direction could be “changed” with the same set of bureaucrats. While launching the global campaign of “Make In India” that envisions India to be a global manufacturing hub, Modi said: “…same office, officers, cars, files, and even ways of functioning, still they can be enlivened. India’s direction can be changed”. Meanwhile, after the event, DIPP secretary and 1980 batch IAS Amitabh Kant was praised in social media platforms, and one person went to the extend of describing him as...

What bureaucrats have to say about BJP’s landslide victory, formation of Modi Sarkar

Lotus blooms in Delhi traffic signals (Courtesy: Abhishek Singh, IAS)

A DAY before the results of the general elections that gave Narendra Modi-led BJP a thumping victory, IAS officer of 1995 batch Abhishek Singh posted this photo in Twitter showing how a boy was selling lotus flowers in a Delhi street. His caption: “Lotus blooms on traffic signals in Delhi! #bjp #namo #lotus”. A day later, when actual results were out, union industry secretary and 1980 batch IAS Amitabh Kant wrote: “This is vote against doles, against vote bank politics, against corruption, against dynastic politics! A vote 4 growth and jobs! Task begins now!” BoI here lists a few social media posts by serving and former bureaucrats on BJP’s landslide victory and formation of Modi Sarkar:

DMIC to Udyog Bhawan Corridor: What could be new DIPP secretary Amitabh Kant’s priorities?

AS NEW secretary of department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP), Amitabh Kant has a chance to script an incredible story of industrial corridors in India. As DIPP secretary, Kant will not only be the ex-officio chairman of Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (DMICDC) where he has been the CEO till now, but more significantly, he will also be…

Corridors of Social Media: Bureaucrats toss power ideas, and get witty, seriously

Nirupama Rao with an Indian delegation

WHY are gardens not flourishing in Indian cities? In this age of social media, you do spot fascinating conversations among senior bureaucrats on a subject like this. Gone are the days when government officers reserved their comments only for file-notings, hesitating to air their personal opinions on subjects that might fall into the domains of other departments. Here is a Twitter conversation between Amitabh Kant, the IAS officer behind Incredible India and his senior colleague Nirupama Rao, a career diplomat and India’s ambassador to US:

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.