IRS customs officer Sanjeev Kumar Singh is new director in Ayush; ITS officer Piyush Chetiya gets extension

Sanjeev Kumar Singh, 2004 batch Indian Revenue Service (Custom and Central Excise) officer, has been appointed as a director in the Ministry of Ayush, New Delhi. In another development, two central secretariat service officers — SK Pani (under secretary in the ministry of health and family welfare) and Saumitra Sahar (under secretary in National Intelligence Grid or NATGRID) — have been transferred to…

10 developments about PM’s meeting with secretaries

PM Modi during a meeting of Group of Secretaries, in New Delhi on Jan 12

 PRIME Minister Narendra Modi has begun the process of meeting eight groups of secretaries set up to focus on certain thrust areas.
The first round of meeting was held on January 12. Ministers Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj as also Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog Arvind Panagariya, besides all secretaries to the Group were present there.
Here are 10 developments of the meeting:

How Cabinet Secretariat’s January 1 note on formation of NITI Aayog covers RajNITI, ArthNITI and beyond

Quoting sage-poet Tiruvalluvar

IN AN unusual sarkari note on the formation of NITI Aayog replacing the Planning Commission of India, the cabinet secretariat on Thursday touched upon several aspects of politics and economy of the nation by quoting Mahatma Gandhi, Ambedkar and poet scholars Tiruvalluvar and Sankar Dev. Excerpts:

Know Your Babu: 2 new cabinet secretariat JS, Tuhin Kant Pandey and Deepti Umashankar

Deepti Umashankar, IAS

CABINET secretariat has recently got two new faces, 1987 batch Odisha cadre IAS Tuhin Kant Pandey, currently in Planning Commission and 1993 batch Haryana cadre IAS Deepti Umashankar, now in DoPT. One is an MBA from a UK school, and the other knows French! Let’s know more about these two officers: Pandey and Umashankar.

Uttarakhand’s Monsoon Mayhem: Cabinet Secretary Ajit K Seth’s response

CABINET secretary Ajit Kumar Seth, known to be calm and composed in all difficult situations, has turned hyper-active during the last couple of days, as the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand ground to a halt because of the recent monsoon fury. Despite being a reluctant speaker and media-shy bureaucrat, Seth chose a television channel to…

Cabinet secretariat auctions two old white ambassadors. Interested?

DO YOU have any fascination for white ambassador cars? Cabinet secretariat is auctioning two such cars which are currently being displayed at its campus inside the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The description of the nine year old cars, as written in the bid documents, says both are…

Mrutyunjay Sarangi, one of 3 Sarangi IAS of 1977 batch, appointed as labour secretary

Mrutyunjay Sarangi, a 1977 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS with a PhD degree from US on demography, has bee appointed as India’s new labour secretary. Current secretary in the ministry of labour and employment PC Chaturvedi, a 1975 batch IAS, is retiring on August 31. Sarangi is currently working as a special secretary in the Cabinet secretariat.

An LLB and MA in political science Sarangi hails from Orissa. Joining as an assistant collector in the state in 1978, Sarangi was collector in Kancheepuram district. In 1990, he first joined the Centre on deputation. During the era of liberalization in early 1990s, Sarangi was a director in the ministry of power in New Delhi.

Significantly, three Sarangis, all hailing from Orissa, joined IAS in 1977. While Maharashtra’s additional chief secretary (home) and 1977 batch IAS Umesh Chandra Sarangi has recently hogged the limelight because of his engagement in back-channel talks with Anna Hazare, Tamil Nadu chief secretary Debendranath Sarangi is also Mrutyunjay Sarangi’s batch-mate.

Mrutyunjay Sarangi was with the Election Commission of India, particularly in delimitation commission, before joining as an additional secretary in the cabinet secretariat in July 2008.
Also Read 

Umesh C Sarangi's Anna deal
Debendranath Sarangi with Amitabh Bachchan

Anna Moment: “Invisible” IAS officers in AP

Call it an Anna effect. A few young IAS officers in Andhra Pradesh have begun a unique method to fight corruption. Calling themselves “The Invisible Crusaders”, these IAS officers give leads about corrupt employees to the state’s anti-corruption bureau, according to a local media report. Rather than taking disciplinary action against a corrupt employee, they collect a lot more evidence and hand those over to the right authority so that legal action can be taken against him.

Action and Appointments

a) R Ramanujam, a 1979 batch MP cadre IAS, presently in the cadre, has been appointed as additional secretary to the Prime Minister with effect from September 1, 2011.

Cabinet secretariat director Alka Sharma appointed as Delhi University’s finance officer

IS Delhi University’s financial health sound any longer? The government has decided to depute a senior cabinet secretariat official Alka Sharma to the University of Delhi as its finance officer. Alka Sharma, a 1988 batch Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDAS) officer and currently a director in cabinet secretariat, will be the University’s finance officer till January 21, 2014.

Ms Sharma will be posted in Delhi University on a deputation basis. In an office memo of DoPT, dated July 13, 2011, it was also mentioned that Ms Sharma would get a PB-4 pay of Rs 37400 to 67000 with a grade pay Rs 10,000, which is essentially the salary of a joint secretary. She is expected to take up the assignment immediately.

Pandey succeeds in narrowing down differences with Naga militants

When 1972 batch retired IAS RS Pandey was appointed in February 2010 as the Central government’s interlocutor for talks with NSCN (I-M), it was considered as a post-retirement assignment. His batch-mate GK Pillai then was the home secretary. Now, if the home ministry’s claims are correct, Pandey who had served as petroleum secretary earlier, turned successful in taking forward the peace process. “Sustained negotiations over the past few months have led to a set of proposals for an honourable political settlement based on the uniqueness of Naga history and situation... While the differences between the two parties have narrowed, some of the proposals would require further negotiations to reach a mutually acceptable solution. By appreciating and respecting each other’s position and difficulties, both the parties are confident of working out a settlement in the shortest possible time,” a home ministry statement said.

Action and Appointments

a) The government has approved the proposal of the department of industrial policy and promotion for shift of RK Malik, a 1988 batch IRPF official and director in the DIPP (a Central Staffing Scheme post) to the post of  Secretary in the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (for Goa and Union Territories). His new post will be a non-Central staffing scheme post.

b) Niraj Kumar, a 1992 batch Indian Postal Service officer, has been appointed as director in the department of heavy industries under the ministry of heavy industries and public enterprises for a period of five years. 

A fake IAS meets Uttar Pradesh DGP for half hour, lands up in jail

SURESH Yadav studied up to Class 8, but he is not only fluent in English, but well versed with complex bureaucratic system in India. After duping people by impersonating as IAS official of Bihar, Orissa and West Bengal cadres as situation arose, Yadav landed up in Ghaziabad to target none other than DGP of Uttar Pradesh, Karamveer Singh, a 1975 batch IPS officer.
No wonder, the fake IAS who always carried a fake government identity card, met with the state DGP recently and impressed the state’s top cop during his half-hour-long discussion.

The fake IAS became so powerful in Ghaziabad area that he used to call police control rooms and left instructions for them. Finally, he was arrested from a hotel in Ghaziabad. But by then, the dame was done. A number of job seekers, a steel plant manager and two Kanpur-based builders had already become his victims.

A tribute to ex-cabinet secretariat official Victor Longer

During the India-China war in 1962, Victor Longer made Tezpur his base proving all information to media. Later he became director of public relations in the defence ministry. Victor Longer died in New Delhi on Saturday. He was 92.

He was the Indian Army’s key man in all communication efforts during 1971 India-Pakistan war too. He authored several books, the most popular being the “Red Coats to Olive Green”, which is the history of Indian Army.

He was roped into the cabinet secretariat in 1971 and become a key aide to late Ramnath Kao, the legendary founding chief of India’s external intelligence agency, RAW.

Imagine a bureaucrat earning Rs 4.5 lakh extra by saving govt money; Canada launches pilot projects on save and earn

A BUREAUCRAT in Canada can now earn up to $10,000 (Approx Rs 4.5 lakh) if he succeeds in saving government money. Announcing this innovative incentive scheme for the Canadian civil servants, Treasury President Stockwell Day said that bureaucrats who come up with ideas that lead to measurable savings will be rewarded with incentives worth 10 per cent of the savings in the first full year of implementation, media report said.

In fact, the performance management division under India’s Cabinet Secretariat too is believed to have worked out a formula that the bureaucrats of performing ministries will receive incentive bonuses if his ministry reins on expenditure. The formula, being evolved by Dr Prajapati Trivedi’s team in Cabinet Secretariat is yet to get final nod from the government.

In Canada, the two-year pilot programme may soon begin in eight government departments though big-spending bureaucracies such as defence, public works and industry have not figured in the first list.

Action and Appointments

a) The ACC has approved in-situ upgradation of Balbhadra Nayak, CSS, presently director, department of health and family welfare, as joint secretary in the department of health and family welfare.

b) Koppula Raju, a 1981 batch AP cadre IAS has been appointed as joint secretary in the National Advisory Council (NAC). Already, retired secretary of 1974 batch, Rita Sharma was appointed as secretary to NAC which is being chaired by Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

c) The ACC has approved the proposal for inter-cadre deputation of Diprava Lakra, a 2005 batch Punjab cadre IAS from Punjab to Jharkhand for period of three years or until further order.

d) Ms Preeti Madan, a 1981 batch IES, has been appointed as joint secretary in the ministry of women and child development.

e) UN Panjiyar, a 1973 batch Bihar cadre IAS and secretary in the ministry of water resources will hold additional charge of the post of secretary in the ministry of parliamentary affairs during the period of absence on leave of Anil Kumar, a 1973 batch UP cadre IAS from June 19, 2010 to June 27, 2010.

f) Depinder Singh Dhesi, a 1982 batch Haryana cadre IAS, has been appointed as joint secretary in the department of commerce.

Gehlot directs top bureaucrats to simplify appointment rules

Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot directed top bureaucrats to simplify rules and procedures for appointments as Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) is finalizing a calendar of job openings. For details, read Insider’s post in http://www.jobcorridor.com/

Ashok Chavan takes the Maha move to rank his departments' performance

THE Central government’s performance management division under the Cabinet Secretariat may not yet formally declare which departments or ministries met with 100 percent target in the first ever holistic evaluation system undertaken for three months beginning January 1, 2010, it’s now the turn of Ashok Chavan-led Maharashtra government to monitor the performance of each department in the state. In fact, Maharashtra is considered to be one of the better performing states, and many other state governments look forward to it for improving administration.

Chief minister Ashok Chavan on Thursday launched the Performance Monitoring and Evaluation System (PMS) to track performance of each department and make it more efficient. In fact, model is similar to what has been introduced by Dr Prajapati Trivedi’s team in the cabinet secretariat of the Centre as here too, each department would first set target and then try to achieve those. A special Delivery Monitoring Unit has been set up under the chief minister’s office for this purpose.

Hota committee on vigilance proceedings

A committee of experts under the chairmanship of former UPSC chairman PC Hota has been constituted to examine and suggest measures to expedite the process involved in disciplinary and vigilance proceedings. Former personnel secretary Arvind Verma and former Central Vigilance Commissioner P Shankar would serve as members of the committee.

Action and Appointments

a) The ACC has approved the appointment of Anil Kumar, a 1976 batch Nagaland cadre IAS and presently special secretary in the ministry of power as principal adviser in Planning Commission in the rank and pay of a secretary.

b) The ACC has approved extension of inter-cadre deputation of Sukhbir Singh, a 1988 batch Uttarakhand cadre IAS from Uttarakhand cadre to Punjab cadre by two months beyond July 2010.

c) The ACC has approved the proposal for premature repatriation of Amarendra Khatua, a 1981 batch IFS and joint secretary in the ministry of commerce, to his parent cadre.

d) Ms Gauri Kumar, a 1979 batch Gujarat cadre IAS, presently in the cadre has been appointed as additional secretary and financial adviser in the ministry of environment and forests against the newly created post.

e) The competent authority has approved that Ms Rita Sinha, a 1973 batch UP cadre IAS and secretary in the department of land resources will hold the additional charge of the post of secretary of department of drinking water supply under the ministry of rural development during the absence of leave of Ms Rajwant Sandhu, a 1975 batch HP cadre IAS from May 8, 2010 to May 23, 2010.

f) TV Somanathan, a 1987 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS has been appointed as joint secretary in the ministry of corporate affairs.

DoPT reminds government officers and staff of guidelines on “sexual harassment”

THE government has reminded officials and other staff of existing guidelines regarding prevention of sexual harassment of working women and said in a recent office memo that it is necessary to have in place at all times an effective Complaint Mechanism for dealing with cases of sexual harassment of working women and to create awareness in this regard. Rule 3 C of the CGS (Conduct) Rules, 1964 provides that no government servant shall indulge in any act of sexual harassment of any women at her work place, the office memo issued by the department of personnel and training (DoPT) said. There is no available data of such incidents taking place in power corridors, or whether cases of sexual harassment in government offices have actually risen in the recent past. But the timing of the Memo is significant as defence minister A K Antony said in Parliament just three days ago that sexual harassment cases of women officers in armed forces would be viewed seriously and investigated. (Read babu blogger’s post on July 23) In fact, the DoPT mentioned what constitutes “sexual harassment”. According to the Memo, “Sexual harassment” includes such unwelcome sexually determined behaviour, whether directly or otherwise, as -- a) Physical contacts and advances; b) Demand or request for sexual favours c) Sexually coloured remarks d) Showing any pornography, or (e) Any other unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct of a sexual nature The Memo has also included the salient features of the compliant mechanism and the inquiry procedure. It also said that the complaints committee should be headed by a woman and not less than half of its members should be women. Further to prevent the possibility of any undue pressure or influence from senior levels, such complaints committee should involve a third party, either NGO or other body who is familiar with the issue of sexual harassment. The Memo has further said that the Complaints Committee in terms of Cabinet Secretariat’s Order No 1 dated September 26, 2008 will inquire into complaints made against officers of the level of secretary and additional secretary and equivalent level in the government of India in the ministries/departments and organisations directly under the control of the Central government, but other than the Central PSUs.