“Move beyond files, go to the field”: PM tells district collectors; 10 more messages

PRIME MINISTER Narendra Modi on Thursday asked the district collectors across the country to move beyond files, and go to the field, to understand ground realities, as he addressed to them via video-conferencing. Based on the official statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), here below are 10 key highlights of the PM’s message to the young IAS officers:

It’s no longer “collector”, but “district development commissioner”: Minister Jitendra Singh

Outstanding performers of 2016 batch IAS probationers at LBSNAA

INDIAN Administrative Service (IAS) has come a long way since it reincarnated itself from its earlier "Avatar" of British "Indian Civil Services”, said union minister of state for personnel and PMO Jitendra Singh on Friday in Mussoorie while felicitating probationers for outstanding performance in different categories at the felicitation-cum-valedictory function of 2016 batch IAS probationers. The function was held at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie. The minister said, the district head is now the “district development commissioner” and not “collector”, as was…

NITI CEO Amitabh Kant writes to district collectors to assemble “digital army” and “lead the change” for a digital payments economy

ALMOST a month after demonetization of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes and the subsequent scarcity of new notes, the Central government has begun a massive campaign under which district administrations are being incentivized to educate all citizens for expeditious transition into digital payments economy. The government think-tank NITI Aayog, which has been given a mandate to execute the scheme, has asked all district collectors to assemble 'Digital Armies' comprising skilled youth of their areas to speed up the transition into digital payments. NITI CEO Amitabh Kant, the officer who led campaigns such as Incredible India and Make in India has written to all collectors asking them to…

Amit Gupta in Limca Book of Records: How this UP IAS turns frequent transfers into a lifelong asset

FOR civil servants, one of the easy punishments being crafted by political leadership, is frequent transfers. We have all heard about many victims, most notable being Ashok Khemka of Haryana cadre, just to mention one. But meet this 2000 batch Uttar Pradesh cadre IAS -- Amit Gupta who turned this liability of frequent transfers into a lifetime asset. Limca Book of Records, the annual reference book that documents human and natural world records, has issued a certificate to Gupta for his record of…

Will Narendra Modi government redefine the collector’s role, abolish divisional commissioner’s post?

Collectors-in-Making

IN WHAT could be described as a hint that Modi Sarkar may step towards re-defining the role of the district collector, all state governments have been asked to study the recommendations of the 2nd Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) which had called for “realigning the functions of the deputy commissioners/district collector” and also recommended those IAS officers with 10 to 12 years of experience as collector in “complex and problem-prone districts”.
In a written reply to a question asked by Rajya Sabha MP Husain Dalwai, minister of state for personnel and PMO Jitendra Singh on Thursday said the following:

“Unassailable Role” of district collectors stressed; pep talk to state officers

Secretary RC Misra

A FEW senior bureaucrats and experts including DoPT secretary PK Misra and World Bank’s senior public sector management specialist Vikram Chand on Monday participated in a panel discussion in New Delhi on role of district collectors in changing times. As officers from across states gathered in New Delhi to deliberate possible administrative reforms, senior bureaucrats like secretary, administrative reforms Ramesh C Misra and Kerala’s additional chief secretary Dr Nivedita P Haran gave a pep talk to tell the collectors that they could become…