Who is Tom Jose? Why is his letter to a fellow IAS creating a storm in Kerala

Tom Jose

A LETTER written by Tom Jose, a 1984 batch Kerala cadre IAS, to his senior IAS and Union urban development secretary Sudhir Krishna has created a political storm in Kerala last weekend. The letter dated September 26, 2012, which was made public by a CPI (M) Member of Parliament, has reportedly sought details about…

Cabinet secretary contender M Ramachandran poached by Mayawati

THE Centre’s loss is Mayawati’s gain. M Ramachandran, a 1972 batch retired IAS who just missed the coveted cabinet secretary’s post, has been poached by UP government led by BSP supremo Mayawati. Ramachandran who belonged to UP and then Uttarakhand cadre, has been appointed as adviser (infrastructure) with a mandate to accelerate infrastructure projects and development work in Uttar Pradesh. He will hold the rank of a cabinet minister in the state, and will be based out of Noida.The Centre has been dillydallying in giving him a suitable post after he missed the opportunity to become the country's top bureaucrat.  

Till third week of May this year, Ramachandran was the senior most bureaucrat to succeed KM Chandrasekhar, a 1970 batch IAS, as cabinet secretary. But Chandrasekhar’s extension in June, second in the row, dashed the hopes of Ramachandran and other contenders like PJ Thomas who was later made CVC. There were gossips in power corridors that Ramachandran would be made either the Election Commissioner or Delhi Metro chief. Whereas Andhra Pradesh cadre IAS Harishankar Brahma, a three-year junior to Ramachandran , was made the Election Commissioner, Delhi Metro chief E Sreedharan is given another year’s extension, forcing Ramachandran to look for other avenues. Even for CVC’s post, Ramachandran with an impeccable record was not empanelled, ensuring his one batch junior IAS, PJ Thomas sail through at ease.

For the record, Sudha Pillai, who was a contender for cabinet secretary’s post in June 2009, was given a suitable alternative post after being denied the top bureaucrat’s position. Sudha Pillai, a batch-mate of Ramachandran, and senior most bureaucrat when KM Chandrasekhar got the first extension in June 2009, was later made Member Secretary of Planning Commission with the rank of a minister of state.

Ramachandran who had served as chief secretary in Uttarakhand and later drove the Centre’s flagship programme JNNURM as Union urban development secretary, wears a tag of “infrastructure man”. His book, “An Alternative Approach to Project Planning in Public Works -- The Indian Context” is well appreciated in infrastructure circle. After retirement in June this year, he has written a comprehensive book on Indian Metro rail which is scheduled to hit the stand sometime in April, 2011. 

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Non-Sarkari Feel: Nilekani’s secretariat in Planning Commission has wooden flooring

A CORNER area of the third floor of the Planning Commission is ready for accommodating the support staff of newly-created Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)’s chairman Nandan Nilekani. The area with wooden floor and glass separators looks more like a small corporate office, and is strikingly different from other parts of the Yojana Bhawan located in New Delhi’s Parliament Street. Mr Nilekani, who is resigning as co-chairman of software giant Infosys Technologies, is likely to be given a room in the first floor somewhere near deputy chairman of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia’s office. All Members of the Planning Commission too have their rooms in that floor. The UIDAI office may finally be shifted out of the Planning Commission once it has the full strength. Some of the staff, who had come from other government departments on a temporary basis, began work in UIDAI. Tuhin Kanta Pandey, a 1987 batch Orissa cadre IAS, was appointed for a period of five years as deputy director general (DDG) of the Authority, but he has not joined the office as yet. One of the deputy director generals of National Informatics Centre Dr (Ms) Shefali S Dash, who temporarily joined the Authority, has now been playing a key role in setting up the office. The Planning Commission of India had already begun the process of recruiting 35 officers at the level of joint secretary or equivalent both at the Centre and states. Once the forthcoming Budget allocates the fund, the UIDAI will have the requisite infrastructure both in New Delhi and state capitals across the country. But for now, officers in Planning Commission have begun to gossip how easy or difficult it would be for Mr Nilekani to cope up with government’s rule books. You need a sanction even for buying a pen, they said. After all, the only big sarkari success story, Delhi Metro man E Sreedharan, had a long innings in working with the government! Babus In Demand National Institute of Disaster Management, which is an arm of the ministry of home affairs, intends to empanel consultants both from government and private sector. The Institute is looking for both retiring and serving civil servants to work as consultants. For further details, please log on www.nidm.gov.in Appointment Special secretary (internal security) in the ministry of home affairs (MHA) Raman Srivastava has been appointed as Director General of the Border Security Force (BSF) with effect from August 1, 2009, a government release has said. He will replace M L Kumawat who retires on July 31, 2009. Mr Srivastava is a Kerala cadre IPS officer of the 1973 batch.