GOI Secretary Reshuffle: Urban development secretary Rajiv Gauba to be new home secretary; Aruna Sundararajan is new telecom secretary

Home secretary designate Rajiv Gauba

IN A major secretary-level reshuffle announced on Wednesday night, the Central government appointed urban development secretary and 1982 batch Jharkhand cadre IAS Rajiv Gauba as the next home secretary with effect from August 30 when incumbent Rajiv Mehrishi retires. Among 17 such new secretary-ranked appointments and lateral transfers, there are ones like the shifting of culture secretary NK Sinha as information and broadcasting ministry secretary and the appointment of electronics and information technology secretary Ms Aruna Sundararajan as new telecom secretary, an important post lying vacant. Here below is the list of 17 new appointments:

Action Packed Monday: Rajiv Mehrishi appointed as new home secretary; LC Goyal shifted as ITPO chairman

Mehrishi

IN A highly action-packed Monday which witnessed many a twist and turn in the corridors throughout the day, the Centre appointed 1978 batch Rajasthan cadre IAS Rajiv Mehrishi as union home secretary after removing 1979 batch Kerala cadre IAS LC Goyal from the post, even as Goyal’s two-year-term in the North Block would have ended only in February 2017. Most bureaucrats across ministries were thoroughly confused with the way…

This theory says Anil Goswami’s removal as home secretary is result of IAS-IPS friction

Goswami (right) with outgoing home secretary RK Singh after taking charge

IN THE last couple of days, a theory that has been doing the rounds in the corridors is as follows: Former home secretary and 1978 batch IAS Anil Goswami’s removal has its origin in IAS-IPS fault-line. According to the theory, Goswami, who as union home secretary made many an IPS unhappy, was in fact trapped, and his conversation with Saradha scam accused Matang Sinh got recorded, a CD of which was handed over to the…

Know Your Babu: New home secretary and 1979 batch IAS LC Goyal

LC Goyal

THE Centre on Wednesday curtailed the tenure of union home secretary and Jammu and Kashmir cadre IAS Anil Goswami for reportedly influencing the CBI not to arrest former Congress minister Matang Sinh, an accused in multi-crore Saradha scam, and appointed 1979 batch Kerala cadre IAS and rural development secretary LC Goyal as India’s new home secretary for two years from the date of taking over his new charge. Here are 10 things you may like to know about Goyal:

Home Secretary Anil Goswami: How “Kaki” is India’s 3rd Most Powerful Bureaucrat

Inspecting a toilet as part of Clean India campaign

DAYS before Narendra Modi took charge as the Prime Minister of India, home secretary and 1978 batch IAS officer Anil Goswami had a chance to brief him about internal security. As the meeting proceeded, it appeared, Modi had already known quite a lot about this Jammu and Kashmir cadre officer who was divisional commissioner of Jammu, chief executive officer of Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (first CEO after it was taken over by the government in 1986) and principal secretary to the then chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. And that meeting itself cleared doubts that…

Home secretary RK Singh fumes; warns officers not to hobnob with embassies

Is Home Secretary RK Singh Angry?

UNION home secretary RK Singh has asked secretaries of various departments to restrain bureaucrats from hobnobbing with foreign embassies in India. The fear? A few bureaucrats were already “cultivated” by foreign service nationals or embassy officers.

Singh’s letter as quoted by a report in Hindustan Times said that those officials would be dealt with. But who are those officials?

Is GK Pillai heading for Goa as Governor?

GK Pillai, a 1972 batch IAS who has just retired as Union home secretary, could be appointed as Governor of Goa. Pillai, who withdrew his candidature for the post of Central Vigilance Commissioner at the last moment, is told that he would be made the Governor either of Goa or of a North-East state, sources said.

If he is appointed as Goa governor, he would replace 82-year-old Shivinder Singh Sidhu who became Governor of Manipur in August 2004, and then Governor of Goa from July 8, 2008. Sidhu is a 1952 batch retired IAS.

Though Pillai made a section of the establishment unhappy because of his outspoken nature, he is widely seen as an honest and outstanding officer. If sources in the corridors of power are to be believed, Pillai is bound to get a post-retirement government assignment. Foreign secretary Nirupama Rao, a 1973 batch IFS, will head for Washington as India’s ambassador to US after her retirement, and defence secretary Pradeep Kumar will go straight to the CVC’s office after he retires at the end of the month. Even Pillai’s wife Sudha Pillai who was a cabinet secretary contender two years ago, was made Member Secretary of Planning Commission at the rank of a minister of state after her retirement.

Action and Appointments

a) The tenure of Cabinet secretariat’s joint secretary Govind Mohan, a 1989 batch Sikkim cadre IAS, has been extended for a period of one year beyond July 8, 2011. Before joining the cabinet secretariat, Mohan was joint secretary in department of economic affairs under finance ministry handling Public Private Partnership among others.

b) VN Rai, a 1977 batch Haryana cadre IPS, presently serving as additional director general, BSF has been appointed as special director general, BSF.

c) The Central deputation tenure of Vineet Garg, a 1991 batch Haryana cadre IAS, has been extended for three months beyond May 28, 2011. He is currently a director in the ministry of shipping.

Pillai’s US Comments: But bureaucrats call him ‘No non-sense officer”

AFTER a couple of months’ interval, here is yet another controversial straight talk from India’s home secretary and 1972 batch IAS, GK Pillai, forcing US establishment to react to his statements on India’s disappointment with US over non-sharing of information on Lashkar-e-Toiba operative David Coleman Headley, the main accursed of Mumbai terror attack two years ago.
Pillai’s straight talk and tough actions have earned him many an enemy both in political and business circle, but he is becoming an icon among bright young bureaucrats who would like to move up the ladder and make a difference to Indian babudom. Pillai’s earlier comments on Pakistan intelligence ISI’s role in Mumbai attack had virtually collapsed India-Pakistan talks at the level of external affairs ministers, but he earned accolade from a section of politicians and bureaucrats because he was armed with enough evidences and what he said was perceived to be accurate. In August, he openly gave instances how forest officials had developed close networks with Naxal, a statement which created tensions among Indian Forest Service officials.

But Pillai, who as commerce secretary pushed Special Economic Zones and became darling of India Inc., has lost popularity among corporate India thanks to his tough positioning against Blackberry-maker RIM and a few other tech companies. Yet, BoI team which met a number of IAS, IFS, IPS and IRS officers from cabinet secretariat, external affairs ministry, finance ministry etc. over the last one month has got one response. The bureaucrats irrespective of their services and cadres, have termed GK Pillai “a no non-sense officer”.

Regarding his latest salvo, the timing itself is controversial as US president Barack Obama is set to visit India in a week’s time. Pillai said India was disappointed because specific information after 26/11 would have helped Indian agencies apprehend Headley in India itself. Pillai’s comments forced US ambassador to India, Timothy J Roemer, say that US provided regular and consistent information to India both before and after the Mumbai attack.

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Pillai objects forest officials meeting with Naxals

Pillai's straight talk on SEZs

Action and Appointments

a) SK Roongta, former chairman, SAIL, has been appointed as non-official part-time director on the Board of Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) for a period of three years.

b) The Central Vigilance Commission advised imposition of major penalty against 86 officers including 27 from ministry of railways, 13 from Canara Bank, 11 from department of telecommunications, 8 from Central Board of Excise and Customs, 6 from State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, 4 from Delhi Development Authority and 3 from Employees Provident Fund Organization.

c) Lt Gen S Ravi Shankar, commissioned into Corps of Engineers (Madras Sappers) in 1972, has taken over as the Director General of Border Roads. A recipient of Vishisht Seva Medal, the General Officer is an alumnus of National Defence Academy Khadakvasla, Pune, Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, College of Military Engg, Pune, Defence Services Staff College, Wellington and Army War College, Mhow.

Now, Pillai publicly objects forest officials attending meetings held by Naxals

HOME secretary GK Pillai is back in action, with yet another explosive statement. He said some of the senior forest officials living in Naxal areas are attending meetings organized by banned Maoist outfits, in addition to not passing over information about happenings there, raising a serious security concern of the North Block.

Only recently, Pillai’s statement about ISI’s direct role in Mumbai attacks on the eve of India-Pakistan foreign minister level talks virtually derailed the process, leading foreign minister SM Krishna repeatedly mentioning about the ill-timing of his statement. But no one including the Pakistani side could afford to say that Pillai’s statement was wrong in content.

Now, addressing the 35 District Forest Officials (DFOs) from various Naxal-hit areas, Pillai said on Saturday that forest officers were not co-operating in providing information about Naxals’ grouping in jungles and collecting arms and ammunition. He further objected about forest officers’ attending meetings organized by banned Maoists groups. He even cited an example in which a forest official in July attended a meeting organised by the extremists at Sunabeda sanctuary in Orissa. What was further objectionable was that the said officer took his official vehicle to attend the meeting.

(In picture: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with the Forest Service Officers from Naxal affected States, in New Delhi on August 06, 2010).

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A 1978 batch Haryana cadre IAS in a gangrape case

A local court in Chandigarh framed gang rape charges against 1978 batch Haryana cadre IAS and secretary in fisheries department N K Jain. He was charged in an eight-year-old rape case when he was Chandigarh home secretary. An electrical engineer by education, Jain is due to retire in May 2012.