Why Leena Nandan is getting stuck with a Commonwealth Games post?

Leena Nandan (File Photo)

Delhi Commonwealth Games was over one and half years ago, but a few officers have failed to come out of it, for one reason or the other. On April 17, the Appointments Committee of Cabinet, which is headed by Prime Minister, has approved the extension of Leena Nandan, a 1987 batch UP cadre IAS “as Project Director of the Host Broadcaster Team (HBT) Commonwealth Games, 2010 in Doordarshan for a period up to May 31, 2012”. The ACC order itself said it was “a special case”, but did not mention why an extension was required for an officer who came on a Central deputation in November, 2004. A number of officers working in Organizing Committee of the Commonwealth Games, 2010, had to continue with their posts even after the Games were over, and that too for months with no work, but they finally managed escape routes.

Is Ms Nandan getting stuck because...

Commonwealth Games to Petroleum: Can GC Chaturvedi race ahead of $100 oil?

GC Chaturvedi, who has been working as Special Director General (Finance and Accounts) in the Organizing Committee of the Commonwealth Games, has been made petroleum secretary in place of S Sundareshan. Chaturvedi, a 1977 batch UP cadre IAS with degree in finance from London School of Economics, UK was found to be the right bet to steer the sensitive ministry. It will be a tough job for Chaturvedi as the crude oil above $100 a barrel has become a norm than an aberration.

As an additional secretary, he headed the financial services department of the finance ministry when Arun Ramanathan retired as finance secretary about three years ago.

Know Your Babu

Name: G C Chaturvedi

Cadre and Batch: 1977 batch Uttar Pradesh cadre

Date of Birth: 17/01/1953

Place of Domicile: UP

Educational Qualification

PG, Physics, First division

Earlier postings

Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs

Banking & Insurance, Ministry of Finance

(From 26/05/2003 to 19/07/2007)

Mission Director & Additional Secretary

Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (From 26/12/2007 to 01/05/2009)

Additional Secretary, Ministry of Finance (From 05/05/2009 to 26/04/2010)

Special Director General (Finance and Accounts)

Organizing Committee of Commonwealth Games, (From 26/04/2010 till now)

Foreign Training

1-year course in finance from London School of Economics (LSE), UK, in 1996

Action and Appointments

a) The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the extension of tenure of Chaman Kumar, a 1978 batch Gujarat cadre IAS and additional secretary in the department of agriculture research and education for the period beyond up to December 31, 2011 which is the date of his superannuation.

b) Bhaskar Chatterjee, a 1975 batch Orissa cadre IAS and secretary in department of public enterprises will hold additional charge of the post of secretary, department of heavy industries for a period of three months with effect from May 1, 2011.

c) Mukul Joshi, a 1975 batch Punjab cadre IAS and secretary in the department of pharmaceuticals will hold additional charge of the post of secretary in the department of chemicals and petro chemicals for a period of three months with effect from May 1, 2011.

PM’s action on Shunglu Committee report begins; CBI probe to begin

Director General of Doordarshan and 1982 batch Madhya Pradesh cadre IAS officer Aruna Sharma has lost her Mandi House job. After considering the high level Shunglu Committee Report on broadcasting issues, the Prime Minister decided to revert Doordarshan DG Aruna Sharma to her parent cadre Madhya Pradesh.

According to a release sent out by the PMO, the Prime Minister also directed the ministry of information and broadcasting to seek explanations from the Chief Executive Officer of Prasar Bharati and Director General, Doordarshan on the allegations made against them and recommend an appropriate course of action within two weeks.

The ministry will have to review the claims made by M/s SIS LIVE, jointly with Prasar Bharati and in consultation with their financial advisers to ensure that there is no over-payment. “In the event of any over-payment having been made, the ministry of information and broadcasting has been directed to take appropriate action for recovery, after seeking due legal advice and refer matters relating to the relationship between the government and the Prasar Bharati and that between the Chief Executive Officer and the Board of Prasar Bharati, as also issues regarding the governance structure and the oversight mechanism put in place by the ministry of information and broadcasting in respect of such events, to the existing Group of Ministers headed by the finance minister, which is being directed to expedite its work so that necessary corrective administrative and legislative measures could be put in place at the earliest,” said the PMO’s press statement.

The last but not the least, it was decided to refer the report to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

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Action and Appointments

a) Suspended Gujarat cadre IAS officer Pradeep Sharma, arrested in cases of land allotment irregularities, has now alleged that chief minister Narendra Modi is trying to keep him behind bars since he knows about the CM’s personal life. Sharma has made this allegations in a letter to the chief secretary A K Joti and wanted his case to be transferred to the CBI.

b) “Sir was very excited. He told the villagers ‘next time I come, I want to see a colour TV in the village, and all of you plugged into the world’,” said an engineer from Orissa to Time of India. The paper has come out with an article titled, “Why abduct an honest, pro-poor officer?, questions Malkangiri” narrating about work of IAS officer RV Krishna, abducted by the Maoist extremists.

Shunglu committee recommends action against Doordarshan DG Aruna Sharma too

Aruna Sharma, Director General of Doordarshan and 1982 batch Madhya Pradesh cadre IAS officer, could be in trouble as VK Shunglu committee probing alleged irregularities in the Commonwealth Games, has recommended that criminal cases be registered not just against former Prasar Bharati CEO BS Lalli but against DD Director General too, according to reports.

Whereas Lalli, a retired IAS officer, was under fire for last few months and was suspended as CEO on December 21, Aruna Sharma’s name has been dragged in only now. The Shunglu committee’s recommendation is based on their alleged role in granting CWG broadcasting rights to UK-based SIS Live causing an estimated Rs 135-crore loss to the exchequer. According to reports, Shunglu committee found that granting rights to SIS Live for Rs 246 crore was quite high as the actual cost of coverage could be around Rs 111 crore.

Both Lalli and Ms Sharma had earlier refuted the charges levelled against them.

A doctorate in physiological health management, Aruna Sharma had earlier served as secretary (state cadre) of Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Department and joint secretary in National Human Rights Commission in addition to handling many key departments in Madhya Pradesh.

It remains to be seen who are other bureaucrats who have been indicted in the Shunglu committee report running into about 1,000 pages with annexures?

Action and Appointments

a) R Gopalan, a 1976 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS, presently secretary in the department of financial services has been appointed as secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, under the ministry of finance in place of Ashok Chawla, a 1973 batch Gujarat cadre IAS who retired on January 31.

b) DK Mittal, a 1977 batch UP cadre IAS, presently additional secretary in department of commerce has been appointed as secretary in the ministry of corporate affairs in place of R Bandyopadhyay, a 1974 batch West Bengal cadre IAS who retired on January 31.

c) SR Rao, a 1978 batch Gujarat cadre IAS, presently additional secretary in the department of information technology has been appointed as additional secretary in department of telecommunications.

d) Desh Deepak Verma, a 1978 batch UP cadre IAS and additional secretary in department of food and public distribution has been repatriated to his cadre.

e) Madhav Lal, a 1977 batch IAS officer of J&K cadre has been appointed as chief secretary of Jammu and Kashmir. Prior to his appointment, he was in the Centre as additional secretary in the ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises.

Shunglu committee spots CWG officials with fat salaries; check out complete list

VK Shunglu committee investigating the affairs of Delhi Commonwealth Games has indicated that several officials involved in the preparation of the Games received more salaries than they deserved. What’s more, many of those appointed for the preparation of the mega sports event were either relatives or acquaintances of VIPs or office bearers of the Organising Committee.

In first of its actions, the High Level Committee under former Comptroller and Auditor General of India VK Shunglu, has published information about 2100 persons appointed by the Organising Committee of Commonwealth Games, 2010. A press release issued by the ministry of youth affairs and sports said that the committee had received representations and information that “several of the persons appointed were paid salaries not commensurate with their qualifications and that some of them were relatives/acquaintances of VIPs or office bearers of the Organising Committee.”

Just a day after the Commonwealth Games were over, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh appointed a high-level committee headed by former CAG and 1962 batch retired IAS, V K Shunglu to go into allegations of corruption related to the mega sporting event. Shunglu, who was the Comptroller and Auditor General between 1996 and 2002 and has been a trail blazer in ongoing crusade of forcing civil servants declaring their assets, was asked to prepare a report in three months. Later, ex-DoPT secretary Shantanu Consul joined the committee as its Member.

Click Below

Complete list of 2100 officials, salaries

Real Games: Who is VK Shunglu

Action and Appointments

a) Bira Kishore Misra has been appointed as an Additional Judge of the Orissa High Court.

b) Arup Kumar Goswami has been appointed as an Additional Judge of the Gauhati High Court.

c) Justice Jaya Roy has been appointed as Judge of Jharkhand High Court.

d) Prashant Kumar and Pradeep Kumar have been appointed as Additional Judges of Jharkhand High Court.

e) Gurijala Krishna Mohan Reddy and Kolla Surya Appa Rao have been appointed as Additional Judges of Andhra Pradesh High Court. 

Know Shunglu Panel’s second member -- Shantanu Consul, 1974 batch Karnataka cadre IAS

FOR Shantanu Consul, a 1974 batch Karnataka cadre IAS officer retiring October 31, there won’t be a rest even for a day. Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has named Consul the only other Member of the VK Shunglu Committee probing alleged financial irregularities in the recent held Delhi Commonwealth Games. Consul is currently secretary department of personnel and training (DoPT) in the ministry of personnel, public grievance and pensions.

An MA in history and certificate holder in German and marketing, Consul started his career as deputy commissioner in Bidar in Karnataka way back on March 1, 1982 only to rise as a government of India secretary. Later in 1990, he competed his MBA from the University of Hull, UK, (1990).

Consul had earlier served as secretary, border management under MHA (February 2008 to July 2008), secretary, ministry of mines and minerals (July 2008 to March 2009) and then secretary, department of drinking water supply (March 2009 to September 2009)

Shunglu panel has been asked to submit its report in three months.

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Who is VK Shunglu?

Railways Gold Track: Now a new sports policy

Call it a golden track. Buoyed by gold rush by the Indian Railways employees in Commonwealth Games recently, minister of railways Mamata Banerjee directed Railway Board to formulate a new sports policy. The policy would provide encouragement, incentive, better career prospects and better professional and practical support to Railway players. In CWG-2010, railway sportspersons won 25 medals for India which include 13 gold medals, 3 silver medals and 9 bronze medals. The Railways gave given them cash awards.

For the record, here is the list of the gold medalists from the Indian Railways according to their zones:

1) Ms Anisha Sayyed, (Western Railway), Shooting (25m Pistol Team)

2) Ravinder Kumar, (Northern Railway), Wrestling (60 kg Greco Roman)

3) Sanjay, (Northern Railway), Wrestling (74 kg. Greco Roman)

4) Ms Anisha Sayyed, (Western  Railway), Shooting (25m Pistol Indv.)

5) Ms Y Renubala Chanu, (Northeast Frontier  Railway), Weightlifting (58 kg.)

6) Rajinder Singh, (Western Railway), Wrestling (55 kg Greco Roman)

7) Ms Dola Banerjee PP, (Eastern Railway),

Ms L Bombayla Devi , (Eastern Railway), Archery (Recurve Team Event)

8) Narsingh Yadav, (Western Railway), Wrestling (74 kg Free Style)

9) Sushil Kumar, (Northern Railway), Wrestling (66 kg Free Style)

10) Ms Krishna Punia, (North Western Railway), Athletics (Discus Throw)

11) Ms Ashwani AC (South Western Railway), Ms Sini Jose (Southern Railway),  Athletics (4X400 Relay)

12) Manoj Kumar (Northern Railway), Boxing (64 kg), ld

13) Pramjit Samota (Eastern Railway), Boxing (91 kg)

85,000 banking jobs

Imagine 85,000 jobs in Indian banking for the next three years? A finance ministry background paper disclosed the figure. For details, check http://www.jobcorridor.com/

What transpired in PM-Shunglu meet? Panel members to be named this week

THE exact terms and references, and also the members of the VK Shunglu panel, investigating alleged financial irregularities in just-concluded Delhi Commonwealth Games, are likely to be announced this week. The broad consensus took place when Shunglu, a former CAG, met with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday. Principal adviser to PM, TKA Nair and cabinet secretary KM Chandrasekhar were also present during the meeting. According to reports, Shunglu had a preliminary meeting with Nair to finalize the broad contours of the probe before he met with the PM.

India’s largest opposition party, BJP, wants Shunglu committee to probe the alleged role of PMO in addition to demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to investigate the matter. BJP president Nitin Gadkari had earlier said in a press conference that he had enough evidences to substantiate his claim that PMO too had a role in the scam, but his comments were widely criticized by analysts as “irresponsible”.

Shunglu committee has been asked to submit its report in three months. A number of government agencies including CVC, CBI, ED and the Income Tax department have launched their independent investigations once the Games were over.

Also Read

Who is VK Shunglu?

Mayawati doles out Diwali bonanza to UP employees

It’s party time in UP as chief minister Mayawati has announced a bonus equivalent to one months’ pay for a section of state employees for the financial year 09-10. But this order won’t make all employees happy as only permanent non-gazetted state employees, teachers of aided schools and technical institutes, local bodies and zila panchayats etc. would get the bonus. Even they have to fulfill a few conditions listed out by the state government to make themselves eligible for the bonus payouts. 

Real Games Begin: 1962 batch retired IAS, VK Shunglu to probe corruption allegations related to Commonwealth Games

A DAY after the Commonwealth Games ended with much fun-fare, the real Games virtually begin. Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Friday night appointed a high-level committee headed by former CAG and 1962 batch retired IAS, V K Shunglu to go into allegations of corruption related to the mega sporting event. Shunglu, who was the Comptroller and Auditor General between 1996 and 2002 and has been a trail blazer in ongoing crusade of forcing civil servants declaring their assets, will prepare a report in three months.

A postgraduate in history from the University of Delhi, Shunglu joined IAS in 1962 and rose up the ladder to become special secretary in the ministry of power and then secretary in the department of company affairs, ministry of health and family welfare and then department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP). He was also an alternate leader of the Indian Delegation at the International Conference on Population held in Cairo.

Shunglu had also served in Asian Development Bank in Manila and at the Economic Development Institute of the World Bank.

Thanks to his innings as CAG, he was also made the chairman of the UN Board of Auditors General and a member of the UN Panel of External Auditors. Shunglu was also appointed as the external auditor of the International Maritime Organization headquartered at London and of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) at Rome.

In corridors of power, Shunglu is known more as an anti-corruption activist. When five bureaucrats from UP declared their assets last year under the initiative of a low-profile anti-corruption organization called India Rejuvenation Initiative (IRI), very few people know that Shunglu was one of the guiding forces of the initiative. Along with former Punjab Director General of Police Julio Rebeiro, former air force chief S Krishnaswamy and former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) JM Lyngdoh, Shunglu is also a member of IRI.

Even before the judges’ campaign started on declaring assets, Shunglu and a few others wrote to the Prime Minister saying that public service conduct rules should be amended and assets of bureaucrats should be in the public domain.

Babu-turned politician PL Punia becomes NCSC chairman

PL Punia, a 1970 batch IAS officer of UP cadre and Congress MP from Barabanki, assumed charge of the post of chairman, National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) on Friday. Punia, who was the principal secretary to UP chief minister Mayawati, before both fell out on Taj Heritage corridor case. Punia lost his battle in assembly polls of 2002 because of Mayawati’s concerted effort, but won the war as he bounced back in 2009 Parliamentary polls. 

Power Corridors witness a week of two strong Chandrasekhars – KM and Rentala

IT WAS KM Chandrasekhar because he was undoubtedly the man of the moment in the last-minute fight to virtually save the Commonwealth Games. As a few participating nations strongly objected to the hygiene condition of the Games Village and termed the living condition as “filthy”, PM banked not on any minister, but on his B-team (Bureaucrats’ team) headed by cabinet secretary and 1970 batch Kerala cadre IAS, KM Chandrasekhar. No wonder, PM cut short his cabinet colleague and sports minister MS Gill when the latter wanted to give a presentation about the progress of the work.

Cabinet secretary specially directed his officers to hold briefing for heads of foreign missions and Press Information Bureau for foreign and Indian media about issues related to hygiene, delays and other glitches associated with the Games. The clean-up work in the Games village was done in a war-footing and everyone including those foreign missions which severely criticized the preparation only a few days ago, came out in public to say “Woh”!

That KM Chandrasekhar was the “real boss” was also indicated when Commonwealth Games Federation president Mike Fennell was asked to meet him. Fennell who was reportedly denied an appointment with the Prime Minister had a one-and-half hour long meeting with the cabinet secretary on Friday. At the direction of the cabinet secretary, all heads of missions and chiefs of bureaus of newspapers are likely to be taken to various venues on Saturday to counter the negative publicity.

The other Chandrasekhar that turned a newsmaker this week was Rentala Chandrashekhar, a 1975 batch Andhra Pradesh cadre IAS, who formally assumed charge as the secretary in the Department of Telecommunications, a post which was held by him in addition to his substantive charge of secretary, department of information technology. A post graduate in chemistry and computer technology, R Chandrasekhar had earlier served as joint secretary in the ministries like commerce and defence.
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61,000 port workers and officers to get productivity linked rewards

CALL it party time for about 61,000 port workers and officers. The Central government has approved the payment of Productivity Linked Reward (PLR) at the rate of 17.34 percent of the annual salary to the port workers or officers for the year 2009-10.
Salary of each worker for this purpose will consist of Basic Pay, DA and incentive payments subject to a maximum of Rs 3500 per month. In respect of workers or officers, whose wage or salary exceed Rs 3500 per month, the calculation of payment will be made as if their salary/wage were only Rs.3500 per month.

The move will not have any impact on government exchequer as all expenditure on account of this payment will be borne by the major port trusts from their own resources without any budgetary support from the Government of India.

Cabinet secretary to take stock of Games preparation on Friday

Cabinet Secretary KM Chandrasekhar on Friday will take stock of the progress made in all the works related to the October 3 to 14 Commonwealth Games. All senior IAS of the bureaucrats’ panel will participate in the deliberation to be held in New Delhi. In fact, Prime Minister recently gave his nod in forming a 10-member bureaucrats’ panel headed by KM Chandrasekhar to fix the problems related to the Games. The panel was designated as “empowered” which can overrule the decisions taken by Kalmadi –headed Organization Committee. (Read: Who are the officers in the bureaucrats’ panel). 

PillaiSpeak: Home secretary’s “paragliders” remark in a Canadian newspaper draws international media attention

HOME secretary GK Pillai’s reported remark that militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba had bought “as many as 150 paragliders” from China and the Gulf to launch attack during the Commonwealth Games, has attracted Western media’s attention. The Canadian newspaper, The Star, which broke the story, mentioned how Pillai said in an interview on Tuesday that “it’s very worrisome” that the paragliders were bought to launch airborne attacks on athletes, tourists and visiting politicians at the Commonwealth Games.
The paper has further elaborated how paragliders are controlled by a pilot who’s suspended on a harness under a special controllable parachute. Modern paragliders can travel as many as 500 kilometres and stay in the air for up to 11 hours.

An Wall Street Journal item, in an analytical piece, has drawn a comparison between a typical Indian bureaucrat versus Pillai. “India’s bureaucrats are generally known for being pretty tight-lipped. When they give press conferences, they often stick to repeating well-established policy mantra. When they grant one-on-one interviews, they’re quick to insist that large chunks of it are off-the-record or can only be attributed to “a source.” Even official spokesmen frequently request anonymity while stating little more than basic fact…But GK Pillai, the country’s top security civil servant, appears to be cut from different material,” the WSJ report said. 

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Chandrasekhar and his 10 bureaucrat commanders to take rein from Kalmadi and Co

THIS is the biggest ever victory of Indian bureaucracy at least during the last one decade if not more. During the final lap of the run-up to the controversy-ridden Commonwealth Games, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has taken out his trump card – an army of 10 IAS officers under cabinet secretary KM Chandrasekhar to manage the biggest sporting extravaganza, making the all-powerful Organizing Committee under Suresh Kalmadi virtually a subordinate body.

For the hand-picked bureaucrats, it’s quite a challenge as Prime Minister chose to trust bureaucracy rather than handing over the work to a group of ministers. Though there would be a group of ministers under urban development minister S Jaipal Reddy, the actual command will be in the hands of Chandrasekhar and his 10 commanders.

Here are the 10 bureaucrats, four additional secretaries and six joint secretaries, chosen by KM Chandrasekhar for the job.

1. Subodh Kumar: A post  graduate in physics with special 14 weeks-long training at UK in 2001, Subodh Kumar is a 1977 batch Maharastra cadre IAS, currently working as additional secretary in department of telecom (DoT).

2. SR Rao: A double MA in social work and rural development (UK), SR Rao is a 1978 batch Gujarat cadre IAS, currently working as additional secretary in IT department. Rao is still known for his stint as Municipal Commissioner to a traumatized, plague-hit Surat city. He is credited with cleaning up the city and placing it back into normalcy.

3. RC Misra: Additional secretary in urban development ministry

4. Amarjeet Singh: Executive Director, Health Ministry

5. JS Deepak: A masters in business administration, JS Deepak is a 1982 batch UP cadre IAS, now serving as joint secretary in the ministry of commerce. He was in the ministry of telecom till recently where he had handled among others the famous 3G auction. He refused to toe the line of telecom minister A Raja for which he was transferred out of the telecom.

6. Rohit Nandan: An MA in history with an MBA from University of Hull, UK, Rohit Nandan is a 1982 batch UP cadre IAS now working as a joint secretary in civil aviation.

7. Shashi Shekar: A 1981 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS, Shashi Sekhar is now OSD-Power Trading Corporation.

8. Tara Dutt: Joint secretary at Cabinet Secretariat.

9. Gopal Krishna: A masters in physics and MBA, Gopal Krishna is a1983 batch West Bengal cadre IAS now working as secretary in Sports Authority of India. He had earlier served as joint secretary in the ministry of commerce.

10. Rajeev Kapur: A 1983 batch UP cadre IAS, Rajeev Kapur is now a joint secretary personnel and training.

BoI list of 5 Most Powerful Bureaucrats

Watch out this space to spot who are India’s 4^th and 5^th most powerful bureaucrats

Cabinet secretary-headed bureaucrats’ panel given sweeping power to oversee Commonwealth Games

IN AN unprecedented move, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has decided to give overriding power to a committee of secretaries headed by cabinet secretary KM Chandrasekhar which will have jurisdiction over matters relating to the Organising Committee of the upcoming Commonwealth Games. In other words, Chandrasekhar's team will have power to question Kalmadi and Co in the run-up to the Games which has mired by controversies and allegations of corruption. 

The cabinet secretary was also directed to liaise closely with the Group of Ministers headed by urban development secretary Jaipal Reddy to ensure effective coordination among all the concerned authorities. “The committee of secretaries headed by the cabinet secretary will continue to review implementation and it will have the status of an Empowered Committee. It will have jurisdiction over matters relating to the Organising Committee and a secretary level officer of the Cabinet Secretariat will liaise with the Organising Committee on a daily basis,” a PMO release said.

The senior management committee of the Organising Committee would meet daily and be chaired by the CEO, himself a former IAS Jarnail Singh, in the absence of the chairman or vice-chairman, Organising Committee. Additional senior and experienced officers from the Government of India would be deputed as required, the PMO release said.

(In Picture: Cabinet secretary KM Chandrasekhar with home secretary GKPillai)

Central government employees in Delhi to get a holiday on Closing Ceremony of Commonwealth Games 2010

 IF YOU are working in a Central Government office located in Delhi, you will get a special bonus on October 14 this year. The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved declaration of a holiday for Central government offices, including Central Public Sector Undertakings, located in Delhi and New Delhi on the October 14, 2010 (Thursday) under explanation to Section 25 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 on the occasion of Closing Ceremony of Commonwealth Games 2010.

The decision was taken to facilitate the movement of traffic and ensure greater participation of public in the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games -2010. In fact, the Opening Ceremony of the Games that will be held at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on October 3, 2010, falls on a Sunday.

CLICK HERE to check out Central Holidays of 2010

Pak Agenda for Rao and Pillai

India’s foreign secretary Nirupama Rao, a 1973 batch IFS and home secretary GK Pillai, a 1972 batch Kerala cadre IAS, arrived in Islamabad on Wednesday by a special flight. The special aircraft landed at the Chaklala Air Force base rather than the Benazir Bhutto International Airport--- Islamabad’s commercial airport. Ms Rao will also call on Pakistan foreign minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi. Mr Pillai is meeting his Pakistani counterpart Qamar Zaman Chaudhry and Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik. The Director of the Intelligence Bureau, Rajiv Mathur, has a schedule meeting with his Pakistani counterpart as part of the SAARC home ministers’ conference.

Action and Appointments

a) Defence secretary Pradeep Kumar, a 1972 batch Haryana cadre IAS, flagged in NCC Boys Mountaineering Expedition to Gangotri -1 peak, in New Delhi on Thursday.

b) Major General Pramod Behl took over as the Director General Resettlement (DGR), in New Delhi on Thursday.

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 

Three bureaucrats made responsible for monitoring Commonwealth Games finances

THE government has set up a three member sub-committee to oversee all financial matters related to the progress of the Commonwealth Games, 2010. In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, minister of state for youth affairs & sports Pratik Prakashbapu Patil disclosed it. The members of the committee are urban development secretary , sports secretary and additional secretary /special secretary (expenditure) of the ministry of finance and Chief Executive Officer, Organizing Committee (OC) . The Committee will scrutinize in particular, all the decisions that are placed before the executive board of OC for approval, the minister said. In fact, the total budget earmarked for the conduct of Commonwealth Games for the OC has been enhanced by the government from Rs 767 crore to Rs 1620 crore, as projected by the Organizing Committee, CG – 2010. The government has so far released a total amount of Rs 591.56 crore. Action Out of Power Corridors

Ambassador Kalam? Yes, you are right! Former president of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam has been selected by children of the country as Bharat Ka Paryavaran Ambassador, meaning India's Environment Ambassador. Dr Kalam will be felicitated today in New Delhi by the ministry of environment and forests. The vote for India’s Paryavaran Ambassador Campaign to generate awareness on climate change and sustainability issues was launched by President of India, Pratibha Devisingh Patil on World Environment day, 2008. An initiative of environment ministry, it was implemented by Center for Environmental Education (CEE) in partnership with ArcelorMittal. The timing of the selection is interesting as the world leaders have begun to deliberate on climate change in city of Copenhagen. Any individual could be voted as the Ambassador to lead the movement. And Action Within... a) Dr Kaushik Basu, a noted economist and Cornell University professor, joined the government as Chief Economic Advisor in finance ministry on Tuesday. He will hold this post in the rank of secretary to the Government of India. After doing his graduation in economics from St. Stephen’s College under Delhi University, Dr Basu completed M Sc and Ph.D in economics from London School of Economics. He was awarded Padma Bhushan in 2008 and National Mahalanobis Memorial Medal in 1989. Dr. Basu has been a Fellow of the Econometric Society since 1991. b) Justice Sudhansu Jyoti Mukhopadhaya, Judge of the Madras High Court, has been appointed as the Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court, with effect from the date he assumes charges of his office. c) Justice Tankeshwar Prasad Sharma, Additional Judge of the Chhattisgarh High Court, has been appointed as Judge of the Chhattisgarh High Court. ...if I were the chief secretary! Whereas senior bureaucrats in Gujarat had to go for a morning walk with chief minister Narendra Modi in just-concluded Chintan camp held in Rann of Kutch apart from having mandatory attendence of an hour-long Yoga session for four days, junior IAS officers had to participate in a competition in which the officials were asked to speak on the theme --- "If I were the chief secretary...''.And yes, there were prizes too. Dr Sandhhya Bhullar, a 2003 batch IAS and district development officer (DDO) Panchmahals, won the first prize, PK Solanki, DDO Amreli, clinched the second, according to reports.

Defence ministry identifies nodal officer to ensure setting up of tented accommodation for C'wealth Games, 2010

THE ministry of defence has recently identified a nodal officer for an action of a different kind. His job will be to identify defence land in and around Delhi for setting up of tented accommodation to make up the shortage of accommodation for 2010 Commonwealth Games. It was revealed during a high-level meeting chaired by Union tourism and housing & urban poverty alleviation minister Kumari Selja and attended by secretary tourism Sujit Banerjee and representatives of governments of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, ministry of youth affairs and sports, urban development, railways, DDA, NDMC, MCD, Delhi Police, DIAL, ITDC and IHM (Pusa) etc. It was informed in the meeting that the government of Haryana had identified vacant sites at Surajkund and Hodel for setting up tented accommodation. Also, the state government also proposed to earmark suitable land for tented accommodation at Badhkal Lake. It was decided in the meeting that 5,500 residential flats of DDA located at Vasant Kunj and Jasola for the Games which would be furnished and operated by ITDC, should be ready in phases between January to May, 2010.

An ex-bureaucrat to head Japan's postal service; govt criticized A former finance ministry top bureaucrat in Japan Jiro Saito will be the next president of the country's postal service, an appointment that was severely criticized by opposition Liberal Democratic Party which said the choice contradicted the Democratic Party of Japan's stance that elite bureaucrats shouldn't be allowed to grab cushy jobs in government-linked agencies after retirement. Read: Japan's age-old Amakudari (September 3, 2009) Significantly, 73-year-old Saito who would now lead the postal system in the country was the top finance ministry bureaucrat between 1993 and 1995.

Babus in Demand The government is looking for the right candidate currently working in the rank of director or deputy secretary for the post of General Manager, Food Corporation of India, Chennai. The last date of application is November 27, 2009. Read the CIRCULAR

Gen Next File... Noted actor Kabir Bedi will be in Delhi on October 23 to release ‘Ready to Rock’, a book written by Ronen Chatterjee, son of 1975 batch Orissa cadre IAS and secretary, public enterprises Bhaskar Chatterjee. Well known theatre personality and CEO, Lok Sabha Television, Suneet Tandon will read excerpts from the book on the occasion. ‘Ready to Rock’ is Chatterjee Junior's second offering. His first book ‘Fire Within’ was released in 2008.

Antony asks defence finance officials to provide innovative solutions to efficiently manage funds

TALK on completion of government projects on time seems to be the flavour of the season after India is being criticized globally for its tardy implementation of key projects related to Commonwealth Games scheduled to be held in October 2010 in New Delhi. No wonder, without naming projects where India’s record has turned miserable, defence minister AK Antony underlined the need to complete projects within the stipulated timeframe when he addressed a gathering in New Delhi on Wednesday after inaugurating a complex of the Defence Accounts Department (DAD). (Picture: During the inauguration of the DAD building) He commended the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), which was the construction agency, for not only completing the project on time but also avoiding cost overruns. The minister further gave a very important message to defence finance officials: “Your officers must not only monitor the progress of budget utilization, but also come up with innovative solutions to help the Services manage their funds in an efficient and a transparent manner”. babu blogger’s take: What Mr Antony however did not openly say was how finance and accounts officials tend to pose as roadblocks in timely completion of projects as they create a sense of fear while scrutinize accounts. Remember, E Sreedharan of Delhi Metro is a retired railway official who can afford not to follow rule books, and instead go by his reverse clock alone. Most government officials handling big infrastructure projects in India are scared of being hauled up by vigilance department if not by the CBI, and hence don’t mind missing the target if need be! Top NE cops to meet on Friday Ministry of home affairs (MHA) is organizing a meeting on October 9, 2009 in Guwahati to facilitate interaction between North-Eastern states to coordinate in dealing with the militant groups operating in their states and to formulate effective counter-insurgency operations. The meeting will be attended by the home secretaries and DGPs of the North Eastern States. The meeting would also discuss the issues relating to modernization of state police forces, rehabilitation of surrendered militants, filling up of vacancies and sanction of additional posts in the state police forces, according to a government release. Search Your Own Name If you are a bureaucrat, you can just write your or your colleague’s or senior’s name in our newly installed “Google Custom Search” above, and see for yourself how babu blogger has featured you or your senior. You can also write your batch (for example 1974 batch) or the cadre’s name (say Rajasthan cadre) in the search engine located at the top to check out whether you have missed out any major news that impacts you. Also, try to locate anything and everything related to Indian bureaucracy through this new search engine. Keep reading babu blogger’s take on events that are happening in India’s power corridors.

India’s top cops meet in Delhi between September 14 and 16 to brainstorm internal security issues

INDIA'S senior most policemen like DGPs will gather in New Delhi for three days beginning September 14, to deliberate on issues concerning internal security. Union home minister P Chidambaram will inaugurate the meet whereas Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh will address the conference on September 15, 2009 in addition to presenting police medals for meritorious services. The major issues that are likely to dominate the meet include internal security threats, including Left Wing extremism , coastal security, insurgency in the North-East and circulation of fake currency notes among others. The agenda also includes presentations on important policing issues such as national police mission, corporate frauds and security arrangements for the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in 2010. Director, Intelligence Bureau, is the ex-officio chairman of the conference. Following the tradition established by Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, the first home minister of the country, the conference is customarily inaugurated by the Union home minister.

Setting up of employee and pensioner databases proposed The Thirteenth Finance Commission (TFC) has come out with a discussion paper which may help states setting up employee and pensioners databases. It included findings of a study in order to document the experiences of states that have achieved progress with employee and pensioner databases and data management systems, as well as to develop a roadmap through which the remaining states can achieve a similar outcome. Significantly, the Thirteenth Finance Commission was constituted on November 13, 2007 to make recommendations on sharing of net proceeds of Central taxes with the states and on various other specified aspects of Centre-State fiscal relations for the period April 1, 2010 to March 31, 2015. The current study on setting up of employee and pensioners databases was conducted by Subhash Garg, IAS, and principal secretary in government of Rajasthan and Gautam Bhardwaj, MD, Invest India Economic Foundation. “Over the last two decades, expenditure on salaries and pensions has emerged as the single largest expenditure head for state governments… The lack of reliable data on employees and pensioners has also limited the ability of individual states to undertake sound fiscal planning, estimate the impact of Pay Commissions or plan their development expenditure. Though some states have attempted to build employee and pensioner databases, a majority of states are yet to make any significant progress on this front”, the preface of the paper said. For details, visit http://fincomindia.nic.in/

Action & Appointments Justice Bipin Chandra Kandpal, senior-most Judge of the Uttarakhand High Court has been appointed as the Chief Justice of that High Court with effect from September 10, 2009 when the current incumbent Justice Vinod Kumar Gupta retired.

Govt sends reminder No 3 to ministries before fixing lump-sum cash incentives for outstanding sportspersons

THE Central government has continued to remind its ministries to furnish views on the proposal of fixing a lump-sum incentive amount to be granted to sportspersons who win a gold, silver or bronze medal in national or international tournaments. The department of personnel and training (DoPT) has recently issued a letter with a big font-sized hand written letters, “Reminder No III” emphasizing that the ministries should furnish their views on the subject without any further delay. As the Commonwealth Games, 2010, to be held in New Delhi is approaching, and India is seriously bidding for Olympic Games for 2020, the move is believed to encourage outstanding sportspersons and create healthier environment for sports culture. The department had earlier issued two office memos regarding the same, one in August, 2008 and the other in October, 2008. But most ministries have not furnished their views as yet, making it difficult for the government to go ahead in formulating a policy whereby lump-sum incentives for the distinguished sportspersons can be determined. A copy of the office memo dated August 26, 2008 has been uploaded on the DoPT website. “All the Ministries/Departments are again requested to expedite the matter and furnish their considered views at the earliest to enable this Department to review the existing provisions for grant of incentives to Government servants who show excellence in the sporting events of National and international importance,” a DoPT letter said. The policy may also clear doubts whether their earnings are taxable or not. In case of Olympics gold medalist Abhinav Bindra, for example, authorities declared him as a non-professional sportsperson, exempting him from paying income tax. However, several other Olympians such as Gagan Narang, Saina Nehawal, Sathi Geeta and J J Shobha were given cash incentive of Rs 5 lakh each last year by Andhra Pradesh government, but the cheques were given after IT deduction and each sportsperson got a cheque for Rs 3.45 lakh only.

Read, "WATERLOO: Civil servants may show their talent in a Water Polo event in Delhi" dated July 29, 2009 Chidambaram to meet US intelligence officials in New York this week Union home minister P Chidambaram will be on a four-day visit of the United States from Tuesday. During the visit, he will meet the Secretary of State and senior officials involved in security and intelligence matters in the US. The Indian home minister will interact with heads of homeland security and intelligence agencies including the FBI officials, and will also look at the functioning of the New York Police department.