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| Subhash Chandra Garg |
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| (R to L) Gopalan, Mrs Paul, Gujral, Bose |
ABOUT 4000 Indian government officials will be imparted special trainingns on public private partnership (PPP) as a part of the government's newly designed National PPP Capacity Building Programme with funding from German government's development bank KfW. Officials from state government and local bodies level will also be benefitted as the trainings will be delivered through state administrative training Institutes and central training institutes.
The KfW and the India PPP Capacity Building Trust (I-Cap), signed an agreement on November 23, 2009 to develop the Programme, a government release said. The German government through KfW will provide a grant of Euro 700,000 (approx Rs 5 cr) to support the programme. The agreement was signed in the ministry of finance on Friday in the presence of Govind Mohan, joint secretary, department of economic affairs (DEA) under ministry of finance.
The national PPP capacity development programme will be implemented in two phases and is expected to be completed at the end of 2012.
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.
THE Indian government has finally resorted to placing an advertisement in national newspapers to locate A K Lal, a research officer in the department of economic affairs (DEA) under the ministry of finance who has been missing for about 10 years now. After being charge-sheeted on May 8, 2009, a letter was sent to two addresses, one at D-44, Chander Nagar, Ghaziabad, and another in the USA asking him to report to Room No 58, department of economic affairs in New Delhi’s North Block within 10 days of the issue of the press note.
It’s now believed that the missing officer, who has been absenting himself unauthorized from August 30, 1995, is somewhere in the USA as his charge-sheet sent to his Ghaziabad address was received undelivered with the remark from the postal department that “there is no house numbered as D-44 Chander Nagar. Now, an inquiry officer and a presenting officer have been appointed to conduct an enquiry about the missing finance ministry official.
WHEN I began writing this blog on Indian civil servants exactly a month ago, a sense of silence prevailed in power corridors of Delhi as the political masters were fighting their electoral battles in various parts of the country. The files were moving in slower pace and babus spent more time guessing who would form the next government.
In fact, I made my debut in blogging by posting a report on April 28, 2009, that DEA secretary Ashok Chawla, a 1973 batch IAS officer, was likely to be the next finance secretary of the country. When Mr Chawla was appointed as finance secretary 14 days later, one of my non-bureaucrat friends called me up to say Wah! Yes, he was excited by my postings on power corridors of Delhi, but he was not alone. In the next few days, the nation’s top babus got themselves excited over the unfolding of the Great Indian political saga. Even before the new government took charge, top bureaucrats began finalizing what should be the priority of the next government in the first 100 days of office.
During the last one month, BoI (Babus of India) covered a range of topics from North Block officers’ poll prediction to railway officers’ anger towards Lalu Prasad. Yet, if you ask my favourite posting, I would say, it’s Pati, Patni and Post: Sudha Pillai Vs G K Pillai for the next cabinet secretary. Not because I got a number of emails reacting to the post, but I was happy to cover all aspects of the development including the possibility of the current incumbent K M Chandrasekhar getting a year’s extension thereby denying either of the husband and wife duo to reach the civil servant’s top slot.
I must acknowledge here that a couple of very senior bureaucrats objected to the choice of the name as they feel the word babu is not an accepted term, and is mainly a creation of media. Yet, most civil servants that I know have said that the name does not matter so long as contents excite them or rather force them to open babusofindia.com in the first half hour of their working day itself.
Yes, babu blogger is ready to make one simple promise. If you are a civil servant, or someone who likes to know what’s up in power corridors of India, BoI would not disappoint you. After all, the power of a simple info can sometime make your day…
(Babu Blogger said it first on Tuesday, April 28, 2009)
SECRETARY of department of economic affairs (DEA) Ashok Chawla has been appointed as finance secretary of India. The post was lying vacant after Arun Ramanathan retired on April 30, 2009. Finance ministry officials have confirmed the development. He has also been given Additional charge of the Department of Financial Services since May 1, 2009 
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) Foreign Training 1-year course in finance from London School of Economics (LSE), UK, in 1996
Secretary of department of economic affairs (DEA) Ashok Chawla is likely to be the next finance secretary of India, as the current incumbent Arun Ramanathan is retiring on April 30, 2009. Mr Chawla, a 1973 batch Gujarat cadre IAS officer, had earlier served as the civil aviation secretary in addition to handling the additional charge of secretary, information & broadcasting (I&B). Mr Chawla had earlier served as an additional secretary in the DEA under the ministry of finance.
Sources in finmin said that either a 1974 or 1975-batch IAS officer would take over as the secretary of financial services, a department under the finance ministry which Mr Ramanathan has been looking after so far. And that means, Mr Chawla of 1973 batch, will be the senior most secretary in the Finmin, and would thus be designated as the finance secretary.
Meanwhile, Mr Ramanathan, a 1973-batch IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre is likely to be appointed as chairman of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). He is already one of the three short-listed candidates for the coveted post. At present, TRAI member, Finance, A K Sawhney has been looking into the day to day activities after Mr Nripendra Misra retired on March 22, 2009.