Goel Vs Chawla: A saga of post-retirement competition

IS THERE a seniority post retirement? After the government decided to name former finance secretary and 1973 batch retired IAS Ashok Chawla as the chairman of the Competition Commission of India (CCI), two CCI members HC Gupta and Anurag Goel are learnt to have expressed their discomfort as the appointment would let pass their seniority. Gupta and Goel are retired IAS officers of 1971 and 1972 batch respectively, and if Chawla is appointed as chairman, they have to report to a junior officer! The post of CCI chairman has been lying vacant since Dhanendra Kumar demitted office on completion of 65 years of age on June 5, 2011.

The issue has been highlighted by Pradeep Mehta, Secretary General, CUTS who has argued that since the members are appointed post-retirement, the principle of seniority should cease to exist. Mehta himself was running for the chairmanship of the commission in 2005.

Here are the excerpts of an open letter written by Mehta to Anurag Goel.

“Dear Shri Goel,

Greetings!

With reference to the subject, I write this appeal to you as part of my duties under Article 51A of the Constitution of India (spirit of inquiry and reform so that the nation constantly rises to higher levels of endeavour etc.) and as someone closely associated with the evolution of the competition regime and the institutions involved in promoting a healthy competition culture in India.

I believe that following the likely appointment of Shri Ashok Chawla as the new Chairman of CCI you may wish to resign as he is one batch behind you in the IAS…First of all, seniority is an issue when you or he were still in service and the same cannot be carried forward as a legacy forever, and particularly in post-retirement jobs such as at the CCI etc. Personally, while there are merits in the seniority system, I find the same repugnant, because it does not recognize merit.

However, this is not only my view but several others, who believe, that once you have retired from service, and sought appointment as a Member ardently, the seniority principle is exhausted. Having interacted with Shri Chawla for many years, I am confident that he will make an excellent skipper. I am aware that you were also a contender for the Chairmanship but the selection committee in its wisdom weighed in favour of Shri Chawla, as they did in your case when you sought the appointment as a Member.”

Ashok Chawla, R Bandyopadhyay in race for CCI chairman’s post

A NUMBER of high-profile retired bureaucrats including former finance secretary Ashok Chawla and former corporate affairs secretary R Bandyopadhyay are in race for the post of chairman of Competition Commission of India (CCI) as the incumbent Dhanendra Kumar retires next month.

According to reports, there are about 300 applicants for two CCI posts, one for Chairman and another for a Member. These posts are quite attractive as the salary goes upto over two and half lakhs rupees if the selected person prefers not to take any official house and car. A secretary in government of India gets a salary of Rs 80,000 in addition to perks such as official car and a residence in prime locations.

According to reports, the applicants for CCI chairman’s post also include former United Bank of India chairman SC Gupta, former environment secretary Vijay Sharma, Adviser to deputy chairman of Planning Commission Gajendra Haldea, and former CBDT Member Durgesh Shankar.

UPSC chairman calls for a review of permanent appointment of bureaucrats

Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) chairman DP Agrawal said there is a need for a fresh look at the issue of permanent appointment in bureaucracy. He said on Wednesday that there should be an intense assessment of officers’ performance at various stages of their career, and the deadwood should be weeded out at early stages. The UPSC is the government’s recruiting agency for all top bureaucrats including IAS, IPS, IFS etc.

Bihar CM takes his key bureaucrats to Bhutan

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar along with a few of his key bureaucrats left for a four-day visit to Bhutan. His mission: To study ways to make the state self-reliant in energy sector. Principal secretary, energy Ajay V Nayak; principal secretary tourism Dipak Prasad; information and public relations department secretary Rajesh Bhushan; CM’s secretary Atish Chandra and his officer-on-special duty Gopal Prasad have accompanied Kumar on his visit.

New telecom minister Kapil Sibal cleared IAS exam in 1973; would have been the batch-mate of Ashok Chawla and Nirupama Rao

HAD Indian minister Kapil Sibal chosen to accept the offer to join Indian Administrative Service (IAS) 37 years ago, he would have been batch-mate of finance secretary Ashok Chawla, President’s secretary Christy L Fernandez, foreign secretary Nirupama Rao, India’s ambassador to US Meera Shankar and her husband and former industry secretary Ajay Shankar, Chhattisgarh’s top cop Vishwa Ranjan and former telecommunication secretary Siddhartha Behura. Yes, all these super bureaucrats are of 1973 batch when Kapil Sibal, an MA in history from Delhi’s St. Stephens College and product of Harvard Law School, cleared the IAS, but declined the offer as he wanted to become an advocate.

This week, Prime Minister has given Sibal additional charge of ministries of science and technology, and telecommunications in addition to his current HRD portfolio. For the record, his handling of telecommunications ministry would be carefully watched as a number of major decisions are likely to be taken in the ministry in the wake of alleged 2G scam.

Sibal, an MP from Delhi’s Chandni Chowk constituency, would have retired if he had joined bureaucracy in 1973. But now in politics, Sibal is not considered old at all, and he seems to have a long innings before the Congress recommends him for a gubernatorial assignment.

Action and Appointments

a) Nawal Kishore Sharma, a 1988 batch Indian Defence Service of Engineers, has been selected for appointment as director in the ministry of road transport and highways for a period of five years from the date of taking over charge of the post or until further

orders.

Commonwealth Games could be an excuse for govt to give yet another extension to cabinet secretary Chandrasekhar

 THE government may find the Commonwealth Games preparation an excuse to give yet another extension to incumbent cabinet secretary KM Chandrasekhar, a 1970 batch Kerala cadre IAS and former revenue secretary in Government of India. Mr Chandrasekhar, who got an extension of one year in June 2009 only to dash hopes of then labour secretary and now Member Secretary in Planning Commission Sudha Pillai becoming the cabinet secretary, may now play a spoilsport to the bids of urban development secretary M Ramachandran of 1972 batch and finance secretary Ashok Chawla of 1973 batch becoming the country’s top bureaucrat. Mr Ramachandran is retiring next month and Mr Chawla will retire in January 2011.

According to highly placed sources, the need for a continued co-ordination with various ministries in the run-up to the Commonwealth Games could be assigned as a reason for the unusual second extension for the incumbent cabinet secretary.

What this extension may also mean is a possible homecoming for Pulok Chaterji, a 1974 batch UP cadre IAS, who had earlier served as a secretary in PMO dealing with all important issues including transfers and appointments.

Significantly, babusofindia.com (BoI) speculated such a situation in a post dated way back to March 2, 2010. It wrote, “…if Mr Chandrasekhar is given another extension, it could also pave the way for Pulok Chaterji, a 1974 batch UP cadre IAS and close confidante of UPA chairwoman Sonia Gandhi, to supersede a few officers to grab the top bureaucrat’s job. A secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) during UPA’s first innings, Mr Chaterji is now in Washington DC serving as the executive director of the World Bank…”

(In Picture: Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh congratulating Dr Shah Faisal, the Civil Services topper for 2010 from Jammu and Kashmir, in New Delhi on May 26, 2010.)

Action and Appointments

a) The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Ms Nita Kapoor, a 1973 batch IDAS as secretary (defence finance) in place of Ms Indu Liberhan, a 1972 batch IDAS who is retiring on May 31, 2010.

b) The ACC has also approved the appointment of Manbir Singh, a 1976 batch IFS as secretary, at the headquarters of the ministry of external affairs (MEA) in place of Ms Parbati Sen Vyas, a 1975 batch IFS who is retiring on July 31, 2010.

c) Niten Chandra, a 1990 batch Orissa cadre IAS, presently working as director in the department of rural development has been appointed as joint secretary in that department.

BoI Extraa

Like to send your children for a theatre workshop to be held from June 15, 2010 to June 30, 2010, in New Delhi to be organised by Central Civil Services Cultural and Sports Board. Just follow THIS LINK 

G2G consultancy is in; Saarc may announce an award for innovation in government performance

YOU may have heard of B2B (business to business) or B2C (business to customers), but neither of these may have had any direct impact on you and your life so far. If you are a government servant, what may excite you is G2G instead.

In fact, Saarc nations are contemplating to set up a region-wide government performance management network to spot regional best practices and put in place a system to facilitate government to government (G2G) consulting services in the entire region. What’s more, the member countries have also proposed to institute a SAARC award for Innovations in Government Performance Management which would be taken up for consideration at the next Saarc summit to be held later this month in Bhutan’s capital Thimpu.

In fact, India’s cabinet secretary KM Chandrasekhar in a recent Saarc workshop argued that the race among nations would finally be won or lost not on the basis of comparative advantage arising from resource endowment, but by the competitive advantage created by effective governments. The workshop was attended among others by secretary general of Saarc Sheel Kant Sharma, senior officials from India, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Action and Appointments

a) Former IPS officer and Governor of West Bengal MK Narayanan will discharge the functions of the Governor of Sikkim, in addition to his own duties, during the absence on leave of Balmiki Prasad Singh, Governor of Sikkim. Mr Singh was a former IAS (1964 batch) who also served as home secretary in 1997-99 and executive director and ambassador at the World Bank between 1999 to 2002.

b) Finance Secretary Ashok Chawla launched e-Office developed by National Informatics Centre in New Delhi on Monday. e-Office provides a platform for personalized, role based, secure access to internal information for the employees that is accessible through any browser. The implementation of this system is expected to improve the employee productivity and pave the way for a paperless office.

c) A new Indian Air Force (IAF) airfield, replete with modern infrastructure will be inaugurated by Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal PV Naik, at Phalodi in Rajasthan, on Tuesday. Besides the Air Chief, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Western Air Command (SWAC) will also be present on the occasion. 

Indian Premier Bureaucrats: Look, Style and Babus of India

STYLE does matter, particularly when the IPL fever catches everyone including the Indian bureaucrats. If you were hooked into the television set even after Delhi Daredevils thrashed Vijay Mallya’s Royal Challengers on Sunday night, you would have noticed a bearded gentleman wearing a smart casual red and black half shirt, and presenting award to Paul Collingwood for his scintillating innings with seven sixes. No prizes for guessing who was the stylishly-dressed gentleman! He was none other than urban development secretary and 1972 batch Uttarakhand cadre IAS Dr M Ramachandran who is turning 60 in just two months. And yes, those who know him from close quarters and always see him in formal suits in Nirman Bhawan, must have been pleasantly surprised to find Dr Ramachandran giving tough competition to Dr Mallya and his style statements in Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla stadium.

No wonders, Indian bureaucrats who now need to work with young, suave and also stylish politicians, are fast shedding the typical bureaucratic image and following the look and style of corporate honchos. After the Union Budget was presented, finance secretary Ashok Chawla, a 1973 batch Gujarat cadre IAS, figured in an advertisement of a post-Budget debate to be held in Mumbai, making a precedence of a senior bureaucrat finding a place in large billboards in many busy roads of Delhi and Mumbai. For the adman who conceptualized the advertisement for the event, the Einstein look alike Chawla’s image was a perfect fit to the outdoor advertisement.

There are a few senior bureaucrats in Delhi’s power corridor like skin-headed food processing industries secretary and 1975 batch Maharashtra cadre IAS Ashok Sinha who are making an impact not just because of the positions they hold, but thanks to their stylish approach to life. There are others like former finance secretary Ashok Jha or ex-industry secretary Dr Ajay Dua who were more like CEOs than secretaries even when they were at the helm of India’s babudom. In fact, they were regularly spotted in Delhi’s golf circuit and were extremely popular among who’s and who of India Inc. And for that matter, even Amitabh Kant, a 1980 batch Kerala cadre IAS, who can make a brand guru run for his money!

Hey There! Babus of India (BoI) which is turning one year soon, is sporting a new look and design. If you wish to make any comment on the new look and feel of your favorite blog, or on any stylish Indian bureaucrats, kindly post a comment below, or write to babu.blogger1@gmail.com

24 ex-civil aviation secretaries to fly first class in Air India, get access to any part of all Indian airports

FINANCE secretary Ashok Chawla does not need to worry any longer how he would afford to fly first class with his immediate family members after retirement. Sounds odd, but a recent civil aviation ministry order has a reason to bring cheers to the finance secretary who is retiring on January 31, 2011.

Yes, Mr Chawla and other former civil aviation secretaries will now get a lifelong free air ticket upgrade facilities on Air India and free access to VIP lounge and any part of an airport anywhere in the country. After all, 24 ex-civil aviation secretaries such as K Roy Paul, Ajay Prasad and MK Kaw will be benefited by civil aviation ministry order dated March 16, 2010.

These facilities were earlier given only to former civil aviation ministers and ex-Air India CMDs. The ministry which has now decided to extend the facilities to former civil aviation secretaries too, sought a compliance report from Airports Authority of India, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, airports and airlines by April 30, 2010.

However, facility of upgrades of tickets for self and immediate family of former civil aviation secretaries for travel to the highest class available by Air India or Indian Airlines will be subject to availability of seats, the order said.

Action and Appoitments

The extension of the inter-cadre deputation of Hari Krishna Paliwal, a 1981 batch UP cadre IAS from Uttar Pradesh cadre to AGMUT cadre (Arunachal Pradesh) till February 28, 2013 has been approved. He is currently posted in Arunachal Pradesh. 

Indian Finance Minister’s B-team gets ready for the big annual event of Feb 26

HERE'S the picture of India’s B-team that has sealed the fate of Budget 2010-11, which is being presented in Parliament by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on Friday. Sitting along with Mr Mukherjee (middle) are minister of state (revenue) SS Palanimanickam (right) and the minister of state (E,B&I), Namo Narain Meena (left), both of whom incidentally are were not deeply involved in nuances of the Budget.

But the men who were actually behind this mammoth exercise spanning over three months and more, are the bureaucrats standing behind Pranab babu and his ministerial colleagues. Expenditure secretary Sushama Nath (extreme right), a 1974 batch MP cadre IAS and finance secretary Ashok Chawla (5^th from right) and 1973 batch Gujarat cadre IAS are the two bureaucrats who were part of the Budget team of P Chidambaram too. Also, the chairman of CBDT SSN Moorthy (third from left) and CBEC chairman V Sridhar (2^nd from left) have been part and parcel of this year’s Budget process from the very beginning.

What’s however is quite significant this time is the induction of a number of new faces after the Budget preparation process had actually begun. By the time, Cornell University professor Kaushik Basu (4^th from the left) joined the North Block as chief economic advisor in November at the rank and pay of a secretary, he did not have much time to experiment on how bureaucracy works, and he began the gigantic task of collating the economic survey that was presented on Thursday.

Interestingly, as many as three key bureaucrats --- R Gopalan (5^th from left), a 1976 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS and banking secretary, Sunil Mitra (2^nd from right), 1975 batch West Bengal cadre IAS and revenue secretary, and finally Sumit Bose, 1976 batch MP cadre IAS and disinvestment secretary --- donned their roles in North Block much after the Budget process had already reached its peak.

Bihar IAS’ office raided

Bihar Vigilance Investigation Bureau on Thursday carried out a raid at the office of the outgoing Patna Municipal Commissioner K Senthil Kumar, a 1996 batch Bihar cadre IAS and seized some documents. There was a raid both at the office and residence on Wednesday too. He reportedly owns a café and a departmental store in addition to having a number of immovable properties in Patna, Delhi and Chennai. 

Numerological Influence? 1972 batch bureaucrats continue to grab key posts from RBI Governor, NSA, Home and Defence secretaries...

CALL it sheer talent or influence of numerological calculation, 1972 batch bureaucrats have continuously scripted success stories in occupying key government posts. With Shiv Shankar Menon, a 1972 batch retired Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer getting picked up for the coveted post of national security adviser (NSA) in place of MK Narayanan, and the next cabinet secretary in all probability is going to be a 1972 batch IAS, the journey of the men of that batch in securing important posts may continue for sometime more.

In fact, 1972 batch civil service topper and former finance secretary Dr D Subbarao of Andhra Pradesh cadre was already appointed as the 22nd Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, and two of his batch-mates, GK Pillai of Kerala cadre and Pradeep Kumar of Haryana cadre are India’s home and defence secretaries respectively for a period of two years.

As two of the senior IAS of 1972 batch will continue as secretaries in two of the most important ministries, home and defence, the government is unlikely to spring a surprise and appoint someone from 1973 batch (finance secretary Ashok Chawla is a contender) as the next cabinet secretary when current incumbent KM Chandrasekhar, a 1970 batch Kerala cadre IAS, is retiring in mid-June this year. Urban development secretary M Ramachandran, a 1972 batch Kerala cadre IAS is the top contender so far, but there is a rumour doing the rounds that the appointment for the next cabinet secretary could be advanced by a fortnight so as to facilitate Planning Commission secretary and 1972 batch Kerala cadre IAS Sudha Pillai becoming the India’s first woman cabinet secretary. Ms Pillai is retiring on May 31, 2010, but once appointed, she would get a fixed tenure of two years.

There are a few other officers of the batch including Central Information Commissioner and former Information and Broadcasting secretary Sushma Singh, who have managed decent post-retirement postings. Interestingly, the only high profile officer of 1972 batch who has not secured any key post so far is former IPS Kiran Bedi.

Read: Sudha Pillai still a contender for cabinet secretary's post

In Pictures: Menon (top) and Subbarao taking charge as foreign secretary and RBI Guv respectively 

Action and Appointments

a) AK Mangotra, a 1978 batch Manipur-Tripura cadre IAS and presently additional secretary and financial adviser in the department of food and public distribution has been appointed as additional secretary in the department of commerce in place of R Gopalan, a 1976 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS.

b) Desh Deepak Verma, a 1978 batch UP cadre IAS and presently in the cadre, has been appointed as additional secretary and financial adviser in the department of food and public distribution.

c) The proposal of the department of AYUSH for the extension of Central deputation tenure of B Anand, a 1987 bacth Tamil Nadu cadre IAS, as Joint Secretary in that department beyond January 30, 2010 has been rejected.

d) The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the period of overstay of AK Dubey, a 1982 batch Kerala cadre IAS, for the period from April 19, 2008 to March 4, 2009, while on deputation to Delhi University as Registrar, as a deputation under Rule 6 (1) of the IAS (cadre) Rules 1954 (deputation under Non-Central Staffing Scheme) on ex-post facto basis.

Sudha Pillai is still a contender to be India’s next cabinet secretary. But how?

SUDHA Pillai, Planning Commission secretary and 1972 batch Kerala cadre IAS, is back in the race for the next cabinet secretary’s post in place of KM Chandrasekhar who is retiring on June 13 this year. And if the sources in power corridors turn true, it also means an early retirement, or getting a better assignment for the present incumbent.
The calculation works like this. Ms Pillai, who was born on May 1, 1950 will retire on May 31, 2010 which means she ceases to be a contender for the top bureaucrat’s post by just 13 days. According to the rules, no retired bureaucrat can be considered for cabinet secretary’s post, but once someone is in, he or she would get a fixed tenure of two years if not more.
If the sources are right, the appointment for the next cabinet secretary could be done in May itself making Ms Pillai eligible for the top bureaucrat’s post, and creating a history in Independent India to have women both as a cabinet secretary and a foreign secretary. Already, Nirupama Rao, a woman IFS from 1973 batch, is the country’s foreign secretary or the top diplomat.
However, it’s a pure discretion of the Prime Minister to have his own cabinet secretary and there are instances in which PM did not necessarily pick up the senior most candidate, and preferred someone who he thought would do the best. Though there was a buzz earlier that finance secretary Ashok Chawla, 1973 batch Gujarat cadre IAS, is also a contender for the cabinet secretary, his name is virtually ruled out now because two senior secretaries of 1972 batch --- home secretary GK Pillai and defence secretary Pradeep Kumar --- who are on fixed tenure of two years are unlikely to be subjected to a junior IAS as cabinet secretary. GK Pillai who was the second most senior bureaucrat of 1972 batch in merit-cum-seniority list after his wife Sudha Pillai, cannot be a contender for the cabinet secretary’s post now as Mr Pillai who turned 60 on November 30, 2009, is on an extended posting.
That means, only two other government of India secretaries, urban development secretary M Ramachandran and tourism secretary Sujit Banerjee, both 1972 batch officers have remained in the reckoning, out of which Mr Banerjee is not considered to be even a contender for the post.
So, the battleground is drawn. Either Sudha Pillai by virtue of an early appointment or M Ramachandran will be the country’s next cabinet secretary.
Also Read:
a) Pati, Patni and Post: It's Pillai vs. Pillai for cabinet secretary (May 11, 2009)
b) Chandrasekhar gets extension; Ramachandran and Chawla to be key contenders now (June 2, 2009)

Indian Educational Service: Why does govt need to create yet another subordinate cadre?

AS THE government mulls over creating a new service called Indian Educational Service (IES) on the lines of IAS, Indian Forest Service or Indian Revenue Service, many officers from Group-A services have said in the condition of anonymity said that such a specialised service would be meaningless until it's made clear that the human resource development (HRD) would finally be manned by that specialised cadre alone. The officers of the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) which is one of the large cadres with 4,400 men all over the country, have now been lobbying hard to make the Income-Tax department independent of the clutches of IAS officers. They are citing the example of Indian Railways and Indian Postal department where their own officers man the show up to the apex level.

Is secretary Ashok Sinha the most stylish Indian bureaucrat today?

IF YOU are a regular in the power corridors of Delhi, here's a simple question. Is skin-headed food processing industries secretary Ashok Sinha (In Picture) who sports a French cut beard, the most stylish secretary-level bureaucrat in the country now? A 1975 batch IAS officer of Maharashtra cadre, Mr Sinha is suave, sophisticated and stylish though he has a few competitors in some ministries. Will you vouch for finance secretary Ashok Chawla as the most stylish bureaucrat today? If you feel, any secretary or additional secretary level officer is stylish in dress, approach and action, who in turn inspires younger civil servants, kindly comment below, or write at babu.blogger1@gmail.com You may soon find a list of stylish bureaucrats in this site who make an impact not just because they are holding important positions, but thanks to their stylish approach in life...

Imagine secretary Pillai or Chawla debarred from briefing press; but new Japanese govt bans bureaucrats holding press meets

IMAGINE home secretary G K Pillai being debarred from holding press meets, or finance secretary Ashok Chawla being told that you can’t brief the media on the budget or inflation! It may sound odd, but that’s precisely going to happen in Japan. In fact, Japan’s new government announced on Wednesday that it would stop holding news conferences by top bureaucrats because only elected representatives, not bureaucrats should represent the ministries. The newly appointed chief cabinet secretary said it after the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) Yukio Hatoyama took oath as Japan’s new Prime Minister. Mr Hatoyama’s team has former bureaucrats in it, but the government had already proclaimed that it would curtail the power of 3,60,000-strong Japanese civil servants. Significantly, former finance ministry bureaucrat Hirohisa Fujii is now the new finance minister. New foreign minister, Katsuya Okada, is a former bureaucrat. Naoto Kan, as the head of the new National Strategy Bureau, is however charged with wresting control of policy-making from the country’s powerful bureaucracy. Read “Japanese bureaucrats may no longer be able to practise age-old Amakudari; what’s about Indian retired babus?” posted on September 3, 2009. Minister S Jaipal Reddy wants bureaucrats to write books Urban development minister S Jaipal Reddy wants bureaucrats to write their rich experiences in book form as it was done by his secretary M Ramachandran. This is very much in line with the government’s recent decision to document books, articles, citations, and awards that an official has written or received, in Executive Record Sheets, or ER sheet --- the only publicly available document to track an officer’s career. Mr Reddy may or may not be aware of the recent DoPT circular, but speaking at a function of launch of urban development secretary’s book, “An Alternative Approach to Project Planning in Public Works – The Indian Context” in New Delhi on Tuesday, he encouraged civil servants to document their experiences by writing books. Read, “Government encourages IAS officers to take up writing seriously; medals and citations to count from now”, posted on July 22, 2009.

Top five babuz: India’s 5 most powerful bureaucrats are Pulok Chaterji, TKA Nair, KM Chandrasekhar, Ashok Chawla & M Ramachandran

THE list of babuz, 09, is finally out. These 5 master bureaucrats have the power and ability to fix problems, manage crises, push agenda and get things done. They have clouts not just because of their posts and positions, but for their sharp managerial skills, leadership qualities and last but not the least their sound relationship with India’s political heavyweights. Methodology of Selection After taking feedback of over 30 senior bureaucrats and politicians who have mustered in understanding ups and downs of actors in Delhi’s power corridor, babu blogger has finally zeroed in five top babuz, or five most powerful bureaucrats in the country. Consensus and Controversy Whereas there was a consensus on Pulok Chaterji being the most powerful bureaucrat despite being stationed in US now, there was a tie between cabinet secretary K M Chandrasekhar and finance secretary Ashok Chawla for the third position. Also, there were anonymous comments in the blog saying that none of the Indian babuz has the intellectual caliber of Henry Kissinger after babu blogger had claimed that these powerful bureaucrats were Dr Manmohan Singh’s Kissinger-type master bureaucrats. babuz No 1: Pulok Chaterji A 1974 batch IAS from Uttar Pradesh cadre, he is now posted in Washington DC as an executive director of the World Bank. A secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) till recently, Mr Chaterje’s personal equation with Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s family can’t be ignored by anyone in the government including those who are senior to him. The buzz is that the man who had a say in virtually every appointment of the government during Dr Manmohan Singh’s first innings, may soon come back to power pockets of Raisina Hill. Also read, “babuz no 1: Pulok Chaterji is India’s most powerful bureaucrat; find out who are no 2, 3, 4 & 5” posted on August 17, 2009. babuz No 2: TKA Nair Retired over a decade back, this 1963 batch Punjab cadre officer and principal secretary to Prime Minister, was also the secretary to former prime ministers I K Gujral and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. As babu blogger had written earlier, “And his immense clout explains why Reliance Industries’ (RIL) chairman Mukesh Ambani or Jet Airways chairman Naresh Goyal knows who to meet in the Raisina Hills to explain their side of the story on recent gas row and misery of aviation sector respectively,”. babuz No 3: K M Chandrasekhar A 1970 batch IAS of Kerala cadre, K M Chandrasekhar is well regarded among top echelon of civil servants in India. He was the architect of government’s 100 days agenda which various ministries were forced to initiate even before the new government was formed. babuz No 4: Ashok Chawla A 1973 batch IAS from Gujarat cadre, finance secretary Ashok Chawla would have been equally powerful today, had the BJP come to power after the last general election. A former civil aviation secretary, Mr Chawla served as secretary of department of economic affairs (DEA) only to be elevated as finance secretary eight months later. He is a contender to be the next cabinet secretary. babuz No 5: M Ramachandran Urban development secretary M Ramachandran, a 1972 batch Uttaranchal cadre IAS, is gathering clout in power corridors as he is the top contender to be the cabinet secretary next year. Known for following rule books to the core, Mr Ramachandran is pioneered reforms in India’s urban sector. Also read, “Chandrasekhar gets extension; Ramachandran & Chawla to be key contenders for cabinet secretary’s post next year” posted on June 2, 2009.

babuz no 4: Finance secretary Ashok Chawla is India’s fourth most powerful bureaucrat

HE IS one of the rare breed of senior officers in India who is a darling both to the Congress and the BJP leadership. Finance secretary Ashok Chawla, a 1973 batch IAS from Gujarat cadre, would have been equally powerful today, had the BJP come to power after the last general election. Yes, he is babuz no 4, or India’s fourth most powerful bureaucrat, according to feedback received by babu blogger from senior bureaucrats and politicians who have a direct knowledge about equations in Delhi’s power corridor. Former civil aviation secretary, who had earlier played a successful innings in North Block first as a an additional secretary and then as a special secretary in the ministry of finance, Mr Chawla returned to Finmin in September 2008 as a secretary of department of economic affairs (DEA) only to be elevated as finance secretary eight months later, leaving his batch-mate and revenue secretary P V Bhide behind. No wonder, Mr Chawla who is in full charge of the department of financial services which is now headed by an additional secretary level officer, was also given additional charge of the ministry of disinvestment for sometime. Significantly, Mr Chawla and urban development secretary M Ramachandran are the two key contenders for cabinet secretary’s post to be vacant next year. Babu blogger had first reported on April 28, 2009 that DEA secretary Ashok Chawla would be India’s finance secretary a fortnight before the announcement of his appointment. Read, “DEA secretary Ashok Chawla likely to be next Finance Secretary”. Also read babu blogger’s post on June 23, 2009, “Finance secretary Ashok Chawla given additional charge of disinvestment; now controls 3 out of 5 Finmin departments”. Babus on course: Last date of application for a training programme in Japan extended Here’s a warning bell for those officers who are eligible to apply for a two-month-long training programme on solid waste management in Japan, but have not sent their applications so far. In fact, department of personnel & training (DoPT) has issued a circular announcing that the last date of applying for the course to be held in Japan from October 4 to November 27, 2009, had been extended, but officers should now apply immediately. To cross-check whether you are eligible to apply, please long on the website, persmin.nic.in

Action & Appointments: Ashok Chawla to hold additional charge of revenue department for 11 days

a) ASHOK Chawla, a 1973 batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre and current finance secretary, will hold additional charge of the post of Secretary, department of revenue under the ministry of finance during the period from 17th August, 2009 to 28th August, 2009 when revenue secretary P V Bhide, a 1973 batch Andhra Pradesh cadre IAS, will remain on leave. b) The extension of appointment of Dr C Chandramouli, a 1985 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS as OSD in the Office of the RGI, in the rank and pay of Joint Secretary has been approved for a period of three months beyond July 9, 2009. c) The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved, ex-post-facto, for entrusting additional charge of the post of Development Commissioner, Dahej Special Economic Zone under Department of Commerce to S N Patil IOFS (1988), Joint Development Commissioner, Kandla SEZ, in addition to his own charge, for a period of three months beyond June 15, 2009 or till such time as the post is filled up on a regular basis. d) The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has not approved the proposal of the Ministry of Coal for extension of tenure of Rajiv Sharma, a 1976 batch IAS and additional secretary in the ministry of coal. e) The inter cadre deputation of Ajoy Sharma, a Punjab Cadre IAS of 1999 batch from Punjab to AGMUT cadre for appointment as Joint Secretary (Finance), Chandigarh for a period of three years, has been approved. f) The Inter-Cadre deputation of Har Sahay Meena, a 1997 batch IAS of Tamil Nadu cadre, from Tamil Nadu to Rajasthan cadre has been approved for a period of 3 years. g) The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the proposal of the ministry of home affairs for in-situ upgradation of the following officers belonging to the 1974 and 1975 batches of the Indian Police Service as Director General of Police in the pay scale of Rs 75500-80000. They are: (i) R K Mathur, IPS (CH, 1974), presently working as Director, NCRB(ADG level) (ii) R Bagchi, IPS (WB, 1975), presently working as Additional Director in IB. (iii) A B Mathur, IPS (MT, 1975), presently working as Additional Secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat. (iv) O P S Malik, IPS (UP, 1975), presently working as DG, NCB (ADG level).

Know Your Babu: Disinvestment secretary Sunil Mitra

SUNIL Mitra, a 1975 batch West Bengal cadre IAS, has been appointed as secretary, department of disinvestment under the ministry of finance. Finance secretary Ashok Chawla has been overseeing the department directly after disinvestment secretary Rahul Khullar, also a 1975 batch IAS, was made commerce secretary.

Name: Sunil Mitra Cadre: IAS, West Bengal Batch: 1975 Date of Birth: June 24, 1951 Place of domicile: Delhi Mother Tongue: Bengali Educational Qualifications Graduate in chemistry, physics and mathematics. Key Postings a) Deputy secretary in the ministry of defence (From September 1, 1986 to June 1, 1989) b) Director, in the ministry of defence, (From July 1, 1989 to July 1, 1991) c) Principal secretary (JS Level) Industries d) Additional Chief Secretary, West Bengal (Secerary Level ) in Power Department (From May 1, 2008 till now) Foreign Training Nil

Key North Block officials behind Pranab Mukherjee’s Budget

CALL it the Team Budget from North Block, or simply backroom boys for India’s finance minister Pranab Mukherjee as he is presenting the General Budget in Lok Sabha in a few hours time from now. Here are the few senior officials who have worked extremely hard for the last one month if not more, to make the Budget to be presented on Monday, July 6, a big success.

Ashok Chawla & His Team A: A 1973 batch IAS of Gujarat cadre, Ashok Chawla, currently finance secretary, directly controls three out of five departments in Finmin --- department of financial services, department of economic affairs (DEA) and department of disinvestment, where there’s no secretary-equivalent officers now. As he held additional secretary’s post in the ministry of finance from April 25, 2005 to January 1, 2007, he had past experiences in Budget preparation. He is aided by some of the brilliant minds in the DEA --- Anup K Pujari (1980, Karnataka cadre), Kumar Sanjay Krishna (1985, Assam cadre), Alok Sheel (1982, Kerala cadre), K P Krishnan (1983 Karnataka cadre), Gobind Mohan (1989, Sikkim cadre) to name a few. Revenue secretary P V Bhide: An IAS from Andhra Pradesh cadre and batch-mate of Mr Chawla, P V Bhide had the earlier experiences of Budget preparation as he held the same post of revenue secretary when then finance minister P Chidambaram presented the Budget in February 2008. He has been the revenue secretary from June, 2007 and had the experience of working as secretary, disinvestment for a brief period. Sushama Nath & Her Woman Team: A 1974 batch IAS of Madhya Pradesh cadre, Ms Nath is heading a team of women officers in the department of expenditure. Ms Nath, who had played a key role in the sixth Pay Commission, is now aided by additional secretary Vilasini Ramachandran and a 1977 batch IAS officer from Gujarat cadre, joint secretaries Anjuly Chib Duggal of the 1981 IAS batch, Meena Aggarwal from Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS) and Madhulika Prasad Sukul of Defence Accounts Service. Men Of The Moment: Finance minister is also aided by a number of other key officers in North Block --- chief economic adviser Arvind Virmani, Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) chairman S S N Moorthy, and chairman of Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) P C Jha.

Finance secretary Ashok Chawla given additional charge of disinvestment; now controls 3 out of 5 Finmin departments

FINANCE secretary Ashok Chawla, a 1973 batch IAS from Gujarat cadre, has proved once more that he is one of the most powerful bureaucrats in the country holding additional charges of two departments which were earlier held by full-fledged secretaries. Mr Chawla, who was recently elevated from the post of secretary in the department of economic affairs (DEA) to finance secretary, has now been given additional charge of the post of secretary, department of disinvestment under the ministry of finance for a period of three months or until further orders, a government announcement said. The appointment, which gives Mr Chawla a conplete control of three out of five departments in finance ministry, is effective from June 11, 2009. The post was vacant after disinvestment secretary Rahul Khullar, a 1975 batch IAS, was made commerce secretary. Earlier, he was given additional charge of the department of financial services since May 1, 2009 where an additional secretary level officer, a 1977 batch IAS officer G C Chaturvedi, was appointed to lead the department. Now, out of five departments in finance ministry, only two has full-fledged IAS at the helm --- secretary Sushama Nath in the department of expenditure and revenue secretary P V Bhide. The bestowing of additional charge of the disinvestment department to Mr Chawla is a significant development in the backdrop of a possible announcement in forthcoming Budget that the government may take a slew of measures on divestment, thereby converting the department into an active zone. Significantly, Mr Chawla and urban development secretary M Ramachandran are the two key contenders for cabinet secretary’s post next year.

Chandrasekhar gets extension; Ramachandran & Chawla to be key contenders for cabinet secretary’s post next year

WITH the government’s decision to give one year extension to current cabinet secretary K M Chandrasekhar from June 13, 2009, the hope of a woman officer getting the top administrative post in India is over. Had the extension been not given, labour secretary Sudha Pillai, who currently tops the merit-cum-seniority list of IAS officers of 1972 batch, would have clinched the cabinet secretary’s post, which would have been in sync with President of the nation being a woman, and Lok Sabha speaker is all set to be a woman. While writing the piece “Pati, Patni and Post: It’s Sudha Pillai vs. G K Pillai for next cabinet secretary” on May 11, 2009, BoI (Babus of India) mentioned, “Babu Blogger spoke to a number of IAS officers to come to a conclusion that no government can afford to be so gender bias to deprive Ms Pillai though some said in private that no woman would eventually be given that key post….” Significantly, with the current battle being over, urban development secretary M Ramachandran of 1972 batch and finance secretary Ashok Chawla of 1973 batch will be the key contenders for cabinet secretary’s post next year. Mr Ramachandran will qualify to be a contender as he retires just a few days after Mr Chandrasekhar’s one-year-term comes to an end. Once he is selected as the cabinet secretary, he will get a fixed two years term. Finance secretary Chawla, who is known to be politically well connected, is currently ranked at 15 in the merit-cum-seniority list of 1973 batch IAS list, but by mid-June next year, all those above him barring four officers, would be retiring. Even those four officers would not qualify to be contenders for the highest administrative post in the country as they are either in states or are now holding only secretary-equivalent posts. So who are you betting for the next turn --- Mr Ramachandran or Mr Chawla?

Barbora assumes charge as new vice chief of the Air staff Air Marshal Pranab Kumar Barbora assumed charge as the new vice chief of the Air staff at air headquarters on June 1, 2009. He was formerly the air officer commanding-in-chief of IAF’s western air command (WAC) and eastern air command (EAC), a defense ministry release said. Born on December 10, 1950 in Shillong, Mr Barbora was commissioned into the IAF as a fighter pilot on June 13, 1970. A highly experienced aviator with over 3500 hours to his credit, he took part in the 1971 war.