IAS Association changes its Twitter logo in support of HC Gupta, KS Kropha, KC Samariya -- the officers convicted in a coal scam

IN A rare occasion and some would argue in the confrontation with judiciary, the IAS Association in its official Twitter handle has placed a unique logo. It reads: “I Stand By HC Gupta, KS Kropha, KC Samariya #IAS”. Only on Friday, a Delhi court held former IAS and ex-coal secretary HC Gupta guilty of corruption and criminal conspiracy in a case linked to the allotment of coal blocks in West Bengal. The other officers found guilty were…

Ex-Election Commissioners meet the incumbents; the veterans say, there’s a need to control hate speeches during campaigns

NINE former Election Commissioners on Monday suggested that there was an urgent need to control hate speeches in larger public interest. In a roundtable held in New Delhi and participated by present Election Commissioners and the veterans — the former ECs, MS Gill, JM Lyngdoh, TS.Krishna Murthy, BB Tandon, Dr SY Quraishi, VS Sampath, HR Bramha, Dr Nasim Zaidi and GVG Krishnamurty — it was deliberated on how hate speeches during the campaigns often…

Bureaucrats in Social Media Age: What they wear, where they eat…

IAS Sonal Swaroop: A dress with a cause (Photo: Twitter)

THE bureaucrats who were faceless in pre-social media era now get attention and even wide publicity not just on what they do, but what they wear, where they eat and when and how they are “wrongfully” charged or media-trialled. Sample this. Deputy Commissioner of West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh was showered praise last month by none other than union minister of state for home affairs Kiren Rijiju. “Very encouraging to see young IAS Officer and DC of my home District Dr Sonal Swaroop donning…

Ex-IAS Quraishi for lowering age of adulthood, lists out 5 causes of early puberty

FORMER Chief Election Commissioner of India and 1971 batch retired IAS Dr SY Quraishi has strongly advocated lowering of age of adulthood to 16 years as “puberty age has dropped significantly”. In social networking site Twitter, Quraishi on Friday gave five reasons why today’s teens have early puberty:

Jaspal Bhatti as poll brand ambassador; how an ex-IAS remembers him

Bhatti with wife

“Hope in swarg, mahaul theek hai! Will miss you Jaspal Bhatti.” This is what former IAS and ex-chief election commissioner Shahabuddin Yaqoob Quraishi wrote in a social networking site after the tragic news broke out that satirist Jaspal Bhatti died in a car accident in Punjab on Thursday morning. Everyone remembers Bhatti for his cult comedies such as Ulta Pulta and Flop Show, but BoI here reproduces…

CEC SY Quraishi’s midnight passion is a wake-up call to tech-illiterate bureaucrats

ON Thursday night, babu blogger posed a direct question to chief election commissioner of India Dr SY Quraishi on Twitter: “What’s your overall rating of the current round of elections? How much do you want to give out of 10?” Past midnight, the reply came through the same micro-blogging platform: “We couldn’t have asked for more! Very satisfying, don’t you think?”
Unlike babu blogger who posed a relatively easy question to CEC, someone in Twitter posed a tougher one: “EC’s achievements: a) Clean chit 2 Salman K, Beni b) Clean chit 2 Pratibha Patil’s son… Thanks”. But Dr Quraishi did not shy away from replying to that not-so-comfortable question. He tweeted: “Pl check your facts. Salman was indicted. Beni case fixed for hearing on 2 mar evening. Maharashtra municipal poll not ECI!”
You may or may not fully agree with Quraishi’s claims, but he has a point to make. He has an answer for all. As this highly busy civil servant answers queries on his iPad past midnight, should young bureaucrats continue to remain technology illiterate? This 1971 batch IAS who had served as Union sports secretary before moving to Election Commission, is demonstrating how a 65-year-old bureaucrat can convert himself into a tech-savvy babu. For hundreds of bureaucrats who are highly satisfied with dictating notes to their PS and signing centuries-old nada wali files (typical government files with thread), it’s time to introspect.
Many bureaucrats still feel that nada wali files will never go away despite the Central government began an experimentation that those files need to be replaced with smart e-files where a babu will first log in, digitally sign it, write file-notings and electronically send it to the higher level. But many bureaucrats are not so happy about this experimentation that is already taking place in ministries like rural development, commerce etc.
Quraishi, incidentally the first Muslim chief election commissioner, has never worked in a tech-department like IT or DoT. But thanks to his photographer son, he says he has “surrendered” to Twitter. Quraishi also authored two amazing papers “Islam, Muslims and Family Planning in India” and “Islam and AIDS”.

Action and Appointments

a) UK Sangma, a 1978 batch Jharkhand cadre IAS and secretary to North Eastern Council, has got an extension for three months beyond March 2, 2012.
b) AK Choudhary, a 1986 batch Indian Telecom Service officer and director in statistics and programme implementation ministry, has got an extension for six months beyond February 29, 2012.

Cabinet secretary contender M Ramachandran could be made Election Commissioner of India

URBAN development secretary and 1972 batch Uttarakhand cadre IAS, M Ramachandran, who missed the bus to become the country’s top bureaucrat, may now be considered for the post of Election Commissioner that will be vacant after Chief Election Commission and 1969 batch retired IAS Navin Chawla retires in July this year, and Election Commissioner Dr SY Quraishi, a 1971 batch retired IAS, possibly takes over as CEC, a person close to the development said.

In fact, the second one-year extension of current cabinet secretary KM Chandrasekhar dashed the hopes of all 1972 and 1973 batch IAS officers to grab the top bureaucrat’s post, and leading the pack was none other than Dr Ramachandran. Though no one questions the efficiency and integrity of Mr Chandrasekhar, there has been a general discontentment and tension among top IAS officers about the trend set by Mr Chandrasekhar’s four-year term for a post that by rules has a two-year-long tenure.

However, if Mr Ramachandran who retires in the end of this month, gets the post of Election Commissioner, he will have almost a five-year term, apart from having a chance of becoming the Chief Election Commissioner at a later stage. The Election Commissioners including the Chief Election Commissioner retire at the age of 65.

Also, there are speculations that another 1972 batch IAS and tourism secretary, Sujit Banerjee, could get an extension till the Commonwealth Games are over. Mr Banerjee retires in July this year.

Retired CBDT and CBEC Members included in Nilekani-led Advisory Group

The Technical Advisory Group for Unique Projects (TAGUP), under the chairmanship of Nandan Nilekani, will have SS Khan, former member, CBDT and PRV Ramanan, former member, CBEC as its members. The other members will be CB Bhave, chairman SEBI, R Chandrasekhar, secretary, department of IT, Dhirendra Swarup, former chairman PFRDA and Dr Nachiket Mor, president, ICICI Foundation for Inclusive Growth.

Action and Appointments

a) The extension of tenure of VK Sadhu, a 1976 batch CSS and Principal Commissioner (joint secretary level), of Delhi Development Authority upto December 31, 2011, has been approved.

b) The ACC has not approved the proposal for the appointment of Raghava Chandra, a 1982 batch MP cadre IAS as joint secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), in place of Kumar Sanjay Krishna, a 1985 batch Assam cadre IAS who is now a principal secretary in the cadre.

c) The proposal of the ministry of defence for extension of Central deputation tenure of T Ramachandru, a 1984 batch Orissa cadre IAS for a period of three months upto September 12, 2010, has been approved.

d) Arun Kumar Bal, a 1986 batch West Bengal cadre IAS has been appointed as joint secretary in the department of defence.