DoPT’s establishment officer writes to chief secretaries about non-filing of property returns by IAS

THE establishment officer of DoPT has reminded state chief secretaries about non-filing of Immovable Property Returns (IPR) by IAS officers even as the deadline for filing it for the year 2018, was January 31, 2019. In a letter dated February 7, 2019, establishment officer (EO) and additional secretary, PK Tripathi, said, “some officers of your cadre are indicated to have not filed their IPRs for 2018” even as…

Govt issues order directing CSS officers to exercise caution in presenting documents; a day later, the order stands withdrawn

A DAY after issuing an office memorandum in regard to caution to be exercised in respect of documents submitted by Central Secretariat Services (CSS) officers, the DoPT on Wednesday issued another office memorandum to state that the order issued on Tuesday “is hereby withdrawn with immediate effect”. The question, however, arises why in the first place…

Top 50 foreign universities for officers to choose from, for government-funded DFFT scheme

THE department of personnel and training (DoPT), while announcing a list of courses and universities for its short term and long term programmes offered under the DFFT scholarship scheme for 2019-20, has also included a long list of over 100 universities which are ranked higher according to two international rakings viz. World University ranking and QS World University ranking. Here below are 50 of those leading foreign universities, as placed by the DoPT in an Annexure to its November 9 notification that announced the 2019-20 DFFT scheme:

Govt relaxes norms to allow LTC reimbursements for some employees who by mistake travelled by air last year

IN AN unusual step, the Central government has decided to relax norms for those Central government employees who by mistake travelled by air and then claimed Leave Travel Concession or LTC. The government in an order issued last week said that the employees in Level 6 to Level 8 of the pay matrix, who had travelled by air as per the revised TA rules while availing LTC during the period between July 13, 2017 and September 19, 2017, would get their reimbursements. Let’s first understand how the confusions cropped up? The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) in an order dated  September 19, 2017 had said that…

DoPT initiates action against 2010 batch IAS Shah Faesal for a Twitter post; Kashmiri IAS releases what he calls the “love letter” from his boss

Shah Faesal as an IAS trainee (File Photo)

THE department of personnel and training (DoPT) has requested the Jammu and Kashmir government to initiate action against 2010 batch Jammu and Kashmir cadre IAS officer Shah Faesal for violating the conduct rules by posting some materials in his verified Twitter account. DoPT in its letter said, the posts written by the IAS officer are prima-face in contravention to…

77 years old Rajasthan officer Harish Krishniya and 4 other septuagenarians appointed as IAS; the appointments “notional”, DoPT clarifies

Harish Krishniya is 77 years old. He was born on March 28, 1941 i.e. six years before India became Independent, according to government records. And believe it or not, this Rajasthan officer along with four others, were last week promoted to IAS albeit the appointments being “notional”. After decades of litigation in the court, the promotion of the officers in yesteryears turned a reality. The Centre’s personnel department, DoPT, in an order dated April 20, 2018, said that five officers, viz.

31 officers short-listed for fully funded studies in foreign universities under DFFT; Full List

THE Central government on Tuesday released the names of 31 officers selected for long term programmes under DFFT scheme for 2018-19. The courses include MA in international development policy, University of Duke, MA in South Asia and Global Security, King’s College London (KCL), masters in public management, Lee Kuan Yew (LKY), Singapore, MSc in public policy and administration, London School of Economics, executive master of public administration (EMPA), Syracuse University, New Zealand et al. Here below is the list of 31 officers nominated for long term programmes under DFFT during 2018-19: 

When 100 IAS officers are stationed in Coimbatore on Republic Day, practising an inner energy kriya

Sadhguru, a yogi and a mystic, tweeted on the Republic Day that “over 100 top IAS officers undergoing the #InnerEngineering Leadership Program at Isha Yoga Center made the #RepublicDay celebrations very special.—sg”. Are you wondering why such as large number of IAS officers were camping at Isha Yoga Centre in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore on the Republic Day? Here below is the reason: The department of personnel and training (DoPT)...

Failure to submit immovable property returns by Jan 31 would result in denial of vigilance clearance: DoPT letter cautions IAS officers

THE Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has written letters to GoI secretaries and state chief secretaries reminding all IAS officers that they must submit their annual Immovable Property Returns by January 31, with a note of caution that the failure to submit the returns on time “would result in denial of vigilance clearance”. The annual returns should include all immovable properties as on…

Chhattisgarh, West Bengal have spared the least number of IAS for Central deputation; more than the prescribed number of Kerala IAS in Delhi now

Chhattisgarh and West Bengal are the two states that have spared the least number of IAS officers for Central deputation, if the proportion of the IAS on Central deputation to the central deputation reserve (CDR) is factored in, according to a DoPT letter where the Centre requested the states to spare more officers for the Centre. According to the data as on October 31, 2017, as cited in the letter dated December 11, 2017, there are only…

Women Officers’ Health and Hygiene: 2 DoPT JS inaugurate sanitary napkin vending machines in ladies washrooms

THE Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), which is the cadre controlling authority of IAS officers and is in a way the human resources development outfit for most Central government employees in terms of empanelment, scholarship etc., has turned the trail blazer in health and hygiene for women, as sanitary napkin coin-vending and disposal machines were installed on Friday in three ladies washrooms of the North Block where the main office of the department is located. The department is now planning to…

Ministries asked to collect information about appointments made on the basis of fake caste certificates

THE department of personnel and training (DoPT) has instructed various ministries and departments of the government of India to collect information about appointments made on the basis of fake or false caste certificates and follow up actions taken thereon. It has given a deadline of July 15, 2017 to all the ministries and departments. The new action has been initiated in the backdrop of regular…

IAS officer Jitendra Gupta seeks cadre change from Bihar on grounds of “threat to life and property”; DoPT seeks IB report

AFTER 2013 batch IAS officer Dr Jitendra Gupta sought cadre change from Bihar to Haryana on the grounds of extreme hardship including “threat to life and property”, a committee headed by union personnel secretary has decided to seek a report from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) regarding such threats before taking a call on the proposal, according to the minutes of the meeting held on May 1. The exact nature of the threat and who threatened the IAS officer were however not mentioned in the minutes of the  meeting. Here below are eight cases of inter cadre deputation, repatriation etc. including that of Gupta:

Know Your Babu: DoPT’s new joint secretary Srinivas Ramaswamy Katikithala

Srinivas Ramaswamy Katikithala, 1989 batch Gujarat cadre IAS, has been appointed as joint secretary in the department of personnel and training (DoPT). An LLM in constitutional law,  Katikithala was a principal secretary-ranked officer in Gujarat government before the appointments committee of the cabinet approved his new assignment in DoPT, Delhi. Here are 10 things about Katikithala:

Govt warns Area Welfare Officers for using letter heads printed with Ashoka emblem

AFTER spotting a number of cases of Area Welfare Officers (AWOs) using letter heads printed with Ashoka Emblem, the department of personnel and training (DoPT) on Monday issued a circular asking for “strictly” adhering to the…

“No” to inter cadre transfer request of Bihar cadre IPS Saurav Kumar Shah; “Yes” to Jayshree Bhoj’s request for premature repatriation

NOT allowing the inter cadre transfer of 2009 batch Bihar cadre IPS Saurav Kumar Shah on grounds of marriage to AGMUT cadre IAS Ms Tanvi Garg -- to give its nod to premature repatriation of Jayshree Bhoj, 2003 batch Maharashtra cadre IAS from Uttar Pradesh cadre to Maharashtra cadre, a high-powered DoPT committee headed by its secretary last week took a call on seven proposals on cadre change, inter cadre deputation etc. Here are those 7 decisions, according to the minutes of the meeting held on March 29.

DoPT gets two new directors— Rajul Bhatt, Shri Prakash Dubey

Shri Prakash Dubey, IRS-IT

TWO officers — 2000 batch Indian Postal Service (IPoS) officer Ms Rajul Bhatt and 2001 batch IRS-IT Shri Prakash Dubey—have been appointed as directors in the department of personnel and training (DoPT), Government of India. Ms Bhatt, 40, was a…

CAT to recruit 14 Administrative Members; but the maths of maximum tenure and upper age don’t add up

CENTRAL Administrative Tribunal (CAT), which adjudicates disputes of government employees with regard to recruitment, promotion and other service conditions, will recruit 14 new administrative members during 2017. But the mathematics related to maximum tenure and the age of eligible candidates, as mentioned in the vacancy circular issued by the DoPT on February 3, actually don’t add up. Sample this:

450 vacancies, but no IRS is eligible! A delegation of IRS officers seeks minister Jitendra Singh’s intervention

SOUNDS odd, but there’s no taker for 450 posts of joint commissioner or JAG level in revenue department which have been lying vacant. The reason is there is no officer of Indian Revenue Service eligible to be promoted, as recruitment rules prescribe minimum residency of five years at deputy secretary level as eligibility criteria. On Tuesday, a delegation of IRS officers approached minister of state for personnel and PMO Jitendra Singh seeking an intervention by…

When can the “sealed cover” of promotion recommendation of a govt officer be opened? Here are the clarifications

THE issue of sealed cover procedure — in case, a government servant has been acquitted but appeal is being contemplated or pending— is dated back to 1991 Supreme Court judgement (Union of India versus KV Jankiraman etc.) and then the judgements including Bank of India and another vs. Degala Suryanarayana, Appeal (Civil) of 1997. In consultation with department of legal affairs, the following has been clarified by the DoPT in an office memorandum issued last week: