IT’S OFFICIAL: BVR Subrahmanyam is new J and K chief secretary; retired IPS Vijay Kumar appointed adviser to Governor

Vijay Kumar (photo courtesy: Twitter)

THE top bureaucrats’ team for the Governor’s rule in Jammu and Kashmir is ready. It’s official now. BVR Subrahmanyam, 1987 batch Chhattisgarh cadre IAS and former PMO official, is the new chief secretary of the state. The state government on Wednesday also appointed two advisers to Governor NN Vohra. They are retired IPS Vijay Kumar and present Jammu and Kashmir chief secretary BB Vyas. Vijay Kumar till a week ago was serving as…

Powerful bureaucrat of erstwhile Manmohan Singh’s PMO — BVR Subrahmanyam to play key role in Kashmir

Dal Lake in the heart of Srinagar 

AFTER the BJP had walked out of the alliance in Jammu and Kashmir bringing down the Mehbooba Mufti government on Tuesday, the Governor’s rule was imposed in the troubled state. Interestingly, on the same day, i.e. Tuesday, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved "placing the services of BVR Subrahmanyam", a powerful bureaucrat in the erstwhile Manmohan Singh’s PMO "at the disposal of the government of Jammu and Kashmir", implying that this 1987 batch Chhattisgarh cadre IAS will now…

List of 24 officers short-listed for Harvard; Ashok Khemka a “reserve candidate”

AS MANY as 23 IAS officers and one from Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS) have been shortlisted for short-term training programmes at Harvard University. Siginificantly, one of the most influential joint secretaries in the PMO, BVR Subrahmanyam and whistleblower IAS officer of Haryana cadre Ashok Khemka could not make it, as they are shown only as "reserve candidates" in the final list prepared by the DoPT. The prominent officers who are attending those programmes include...

BoI Power List, 2012: PMO official BVR is 5th Most Powerful Bureaucrat

THIS is the fourth year the BoI (www.babusofindia.com) is coming out with its annual list of India’s 5 Most Powerful Bureaucrats. As we repeatedly mentioned in the past, the power list does not necessarily reflect the conventional bureaucratic hierarchy. Instead, those powerful bureaucrats are chosen on the basis of an officer’s connect, capabilities and power to influence the system. The list of the movers and shakers of the power corridors is prepared after evaluating off-record opinions of 100 people including politicians, bureaucrats, civil society activists etc.
And BVR Subrahmanyam, a 1987 batch Chhattisgarh cadre IAS, is India’s 5th Most Powerful Bureaucrat, 2012. First, read what Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh himself has to say about BVR:

PM believes in “trust” while choosing officials; but why not for other ministers?

LOOK, even Prime Minister wants someone he trusts as his joint secretary. After Chhattisgarh chief minister wrote to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh asking newly appointed PMO joint secretary BVR Subrahmanyam to be repatriated to the state, this was what PM wrote to Raman Singh: “I need an officer who has the experience and exposure in handling sensitive matter. The officer also needs to be someone who enjoys my trust and confidence. Due to these reasons, I have selected BVR…”. Yes, PM emphasized on two keywords: trust and confidence. But most ministers in his cabinet or for that matter even in earlier governments have to be satisfied with the officers they are thrust upon. Even a secretary to a department can’t choose his team-mates. Why can’t the Dhoni of a government department have the liberty to pick and choose his own players?

The rationale behind this British legacy is that...