We need to move people, not cars, says NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant as he rides a bicycle in Delhi

CYCLING  is the future of India, NITI Aayog CEO and 1980 batch IAS of Kerala cadre, Amitabh Kant, said in New Delhi on Sunday, before cycling with minister of state for home  Kiren Rijiju and hundred others as a part of the programme, Movelo Cyclothon, organised by the government think-tank near the India Gate, Delhi. Kant, 62, who had recently uploaded a video with his kick-boxing action, termed cycling as an...

1985 batch IAS Ajay Kumar takes additional charge as defence secretary till Sep 13

Ajay Kumar, 1985 batch Kerala cadre IAS and presently the union secretary of defence production, has been given an additional charge of the post of defence secretary for the period between August 29 and September 13 when the incumbent defence secretary, Sanjay Mitra is on leave. Mitra is a 1982 batch West Bengal cadre IAS. Meanwhile, in an unrelated development, the government has repeatedly extended the last date of application for the post of financial adviser in the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), a quasi-judicial body that comes under the ministry of corporate affairs. The reasons for this acton are...

Centre relaxes norm to continue IAS Ishita Roy’s deputation tenure for one more year

THE Central government has relaxed its policy to extend the central deputation tenure of Ishita Roy, a 1991 batch Kerala cadre IAS officer and joint secretary in the department of higher education, for a period till June 30, 2019, “beyond the approved combined tenure of seven years up to 01.09.2018, in relaxation of the policy”. The DoPT on Monday issued the order saying that the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) had approved the relaxation. Originally belonging to Bihar, Roy first came into the central deputation in September 2011 when she joined as…

IAS officers of Andhra Pradesh and Punjab donate one-day salary to flood-ravaged Kerala

IAS officers of at least two states, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh, have announced donating one-day salary for the people reeling under severe floods in Kerala, the worst since 1924. IAS Officers Association of Andhra Pradesh in a statement issued on Sunday said that it had resolved to contribute one-day salary of its members to CM’s relief fund of Kerala as a “token” of their “shared pain” with the flood-ravaged people of the state. Meanwhile, special chief secretary of Punjab and 1984 batch IAS KBS Sidhu informed in social media site, Twitter, that…

IAS Inder Jit Singh appointed as new coal secretary; DEA joint secretary S Selvakumar “relieved”

Inder Jit Singh, 1985 batch Kerala cadre lAS and secretary (coordination) in Cabinet Secretariat, has been appointed as secretary in the ministry of coal. Meanwhile, S Selvakumar, 1997 batch Karnataka cadre IAS and joint secretary in the department of economic affairs (DEA), has been received, according to…

“Kickboxer” Amitabh Kant: NITI Aayog CEO posts video of his fitness secrets

A video grab of Kant practising kickboxing

AMITABH Kant, 1980 batch former Kerala cadre IAS and CEO of the government think-tank, NITI Aayog, made a social media buzz on Tuesday morning when he uploaded in Twitter a 34-second-video, showing him practicing kickboxing in a garden, understandably in Delhi. Wearing navy blue shorts, T-shirt and sneaker, the 62-year-old bureaucrat is seen doing “cross-fit training and kickboxing” as a reply to a fitness challenge posed by actor…

5 Civil Servants to Watch Out For, 2018: At No 3 is an incredible bureaucrat — Amitabh Kant

MANY of his colleagues call him a “rockstar bureaucrat”; some say, “hero”. Amitabh Kant, the bureaucrat behind the creation of some of India’s memorable campaigns — Incredible India, Make-in-India etc. — continues to occupy the centerstage in the corridors of power, wielding immense influence in the affairs of the Central government. Yes, by the end of the next month, Kant’s two-year-term as the CEO of the government think-tank, NITI Aayog, will come to an end. But will it make it any difference? Will the government discontinue him? In BoI’s list of “5 Civil Servants to Watch Out For, 2018”, Amitabh Kant is No 3. The other two bureaucrats who BoI had already profiled were…

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…

Govt upgrades SPG posts to inspector general’s level to rope in 2 senior IPS — Alok Sharma and S Suresh

TWO IPS officers — Alok Sharma of 1991 batch and S Suresh of 1995 batch — were appointed as Inspector General (IG) in Special Protection Group (SPG), an elite force which is in charge of protecting India’s Prime Minister, former PMs and their families. The SPG commandoes are often called the black cats. In order to rope in these two senior officers, both currently working in Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), the government had to temporarily…

Govt clears hurdles for ICMR chief Soumya Swaminathan to join WHO in Geneva; Kerala cadre IAS Prasanth Nair joins as PS to minister Alphons

Dr Soumya Swaminathan

THE Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on Monday approved the cadre clearance to Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and secretary, department of health research, so that the officer can take up a foreign assignment in Switzerland. A Paediatrics from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) among other fellowships and distinctions, Dr Swaminathan is joining as Deputy Director General for Programme in the World Health Organisation (WHO), Geneva, Switzerland, for almost two years — from December 1, 2017 to November 18, 2019. The ACC has also curtailed…

Additional secretary Ajay Kumar to address 62 promoted IAS officers today on Digital India at LBSNAA

Ajay Kumar, additional secretary in the ministry of electronics and IT and 1985 batch Kerala cadre IAS will deliver a lecture today on Digital India in Mussoorie-based Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA). The officer, a product of IIT Kanpur and PhD in business administration from the University of Minnesota, will address 62 promoted IAS officers currently undertaking...

Govt appoints new CVOs in FCI, Neyveli Lignite; IAS Ramesh Kumar Sudhanshu appointed in AIIMS

THE government late last week appointed an IAS officer — Rajesh Kumar Singh of Kerala cadre as CVO in Food Corporation of India (FCI). Also, another IAS officer of Uttarakhand cadre will take charge as deputy director (administration) in All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS). Here are 4 appointments -- two IAS, and one each from IRSME and IPS service:

An IPS vigilance director; disgruntled IAS officers and the Kerala CM; 10 things on officers-government friction

KERALA chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday said his government maintains a warm relationship with the IAS fraternity, in an apparent bid to normalize ties between the Kerala government and top administrators after IAS officers had threatened to take causal leave en-mass against what they called “abuse of power” by state's director of vigilance and anti-corruption bureau Jacob Thomas. The officers, however, called off their proposed strike on January 9 after chief minster Vijayan took a strong stand. As reported, there was a stand-off between state CM and state chief secretary as well. Here are 10 things to explain the government-IAS friction in Kerala:

An officer, a 20-month-old company and use of e-Office, e-Access, e-Pace, WhatsApp…

Anand Kumar (File Photo)

THE entity is National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd. or NHIDCL which became functional in January last year. The mandate of this government-company has been to create world class infrastructure for eight Northeastern states including Sikkim, West Bengal, Andaman and Nicobar Island, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. And soon, NHIDCL will provide consultancy to Nepal government for construction of roads. Its managing director and 1984 batch Kerala cadre IAS Anand Kumar claims that…

B Ashok: 10 things about the Kerala IAS; his support for Modi and state govt’s disciplinary proceedings

THE Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed disciplinary proceedings initiated by Kerala government against 1998 batch IAS officer B Ashok who had in a 2013 article supported the proposed visit of the then Gujarat chief minister (and current Prime Minister) Narendra Modi to a Sivagiri Madhom function, something which the state government had disapproved of. An apex court bench said, merely writing a newspaper article could not be construed as a breach of All India Services (conduct) Rules, 1968. BoI here presents 10 things about IAS officer Ashok and the case he got embroiled into:

Thoughts behind Incredible India campaign; Will Amitabh Kant succeed creating brand NITI?

Kant with PM Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel (file photo)

LAST week, DIPP secretary Amitabh Kant was appointed as full-time CEO of NITI Aayog, the body that had replaced Nehruvian institution, the Planning Commission. Kant, known for marketing and branding skills, has possibly been brought into the NITI for giving it a major makeover. In his book, “Branding India: An Incredible Story” Kant spelt out how he had created Incredible India campaign amid many challenges. Maybe, Incredible India, and then Make in India will inspire him in NITI too. Here are some of his thoughts as he created the “Incredible India” brand:

Know Your Babu: New DMICDC CEO Alkesh Sharma, his journey from agri-management to industry

AFTER one and half years of adhocism, Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (DMICDC), a government agency engaged in building industrial cities between Delhi and Mumbai, gets a full-fledged Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director. Alkesh Sharma, a 1990 batch Kerala cadre IAS who had earlier worked in ministries such as tourism, urban development and road transport and highways, will be the DMICDC’s new CEO and MD. Here are 10 things you may like to know about this officer who knows Odiya, Gujarati and Urdu, apart from English and his mother tongue Hindi:

Kant as Khan: How DIPP secretary Amitabh Kant had to play Shah Rukh Khan’s “role”; more on branding

Kant while delivering his speech

THE organizers of the International Advertising Association requested Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan to be the chief guest in their IAA Silver Jubilee Summit held in Kochi earlier this month, but they did not want to take any risk. They needed someone as…

Know Your Babu: Sports ministry’s new joint secretary V Venu is also a stage actor

VENTURING into acting is not an easy "file" to handle, at least for veteran administrators. But newly-appointed joint secretary in the department of sports and 1990 batch Kerala cadre IAS V Venu is also an actor. It was January 2010 the then Kerala tourism secretary Venu donned the role of a shrewd contractor who tries to manipulate bureaucracy and politics! He acted in a...

Reviving Nostalgic Memories: DIPP secretary Amitabh Kant's journey to Tellicherry, his first posting

A bumper fish catch! Kant at Tellicherry’s fish market

WHEN DIPP secretary Amitabh Kant visited Tellicherry last week, he tweeted: “Reviving nostalgic memories of d past!”. No wonder, it was this town located on the Malabar coast of Kerala where Kant, now known to many as a brand guru in government, began his IAS career as a sub-collector. A key driver of some of India’s most popular sarkari campaigns -- God’s Own Country, Atithi Devo Bhava and Make in India – this 1980 batch IAS went to Tellicherry’s fish market on Friday and wrote: