Tenure of home ministry joint secretary Vivek Bhardwaj extended

THE central deputation tenure of Vivek Bhardwaj, 1990 batch IAS officer and joint secretary in the ministry of home affairs (MHA), has been extended for a period of three months beyond October 23, 2018. Meanwhile, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has also approved the proposal for extension in central deputation tenure of NC Jhinta, DIG, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) as secretary to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for a period of...

Know Your Babu: Newly-appointed MHA additional secretary Rajni Sekhri Sibal is also an author on cows

LAST week, 1986 batch Haryana cadre lAS Ms Rajni Sekhri Sibal was appointed as additional secretary in the ministry of home affairs (MHA). She was working as the Director General in the National Institute of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD) when the order came. But here’s a factoid about this officer. This 58 years old bureaucrat is also the author of “Kamadhenu: Cows of India”, one of the few well-researched books on cows and possibly the only one written by an experienced bureaucrat. The book is more of a…

A new CIS division under MHA begins work; mandate includes weeding out child pornography

A NEW division called Cyber and Information Security (CIS) was created on November 10, 2017 under the ministry of home affairs (MHA) under which Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre and the Cyber Police Force are being set up. The CIS Division will have four Wings, namely…

MHA’s proposal of extending deputation tenure of an IPS rejected; ACC upgrades CBI posts for supervision of VYAPAM and Ponzi Chit Fund Scam

THE Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on Monday issued a series of orders and approvals, the key highlights being the rejection of a ministry of home affairs’ (MHA) proposal to extend the deputation of an IPS officer, and then the upgradation of two DIG level posts in the CBI for the officers who will be supervising the VYAPAM and Ponzi Chit Fund Scam cases. Here below are the details of the ACC orders.

IPS Association reiterates demands of pay parity with IAS; adds that DoPT is sitting over file after MHA's nod

“Quantum of pay is never a consideration for IPS officers, but they expect that their importance to the governance should not get undermined through lower emolument structure compared to others in the civil service”. If the resolution of the IPS Association’s general body meeting, released on Sunday, is any indication, the IPS officers have reiterated their demand of pay parity with “others in civil services” — the others being none other than the IAS. Currently, IAS and…

Who is GK Dwivedi? And why are his colleagues lobbying for the revocation of his suspension?

(Representative image)

IN AN unusual move, as many as 15 joint secretaries working in the ministry of home affairs (MHA) met home minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday to plead for Gopal Krishna Dwivedi, also an IAS officer, suspended last week for renewing the FCRA licence to controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Nair's Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) even though there were pending cases against his organization. The group of joint secretaries reportedly told the home minister that Dwivedi is an honest officer, and the decision to suspend him would demoralize other officers. But who is Dwivedi?…

Want to be an SR Rao? Just fill in Padma Awards forms by September 15

DO YOU know a civil servant can also apply for Padma Awards, in the category of “civil service (includes distinction/excellence in administration etc. by government servants)”? According to a recent notification issued by the ministry of home affairs (MHA) seeking nominations for Padma Awards for 2016, civil service is one of the 10 categories. And there has been no mention that a serving government officer…

Know Your Babu: Another woman officer Snehlata Kumar in MHA’s male bastion

NO WOMAN officer has become a home secretary ever, but if 1979 batch Madhya Pradesh cadre IAS Ms Snehlata Kumar’s appointment as secretary (border management) in the ministry of home affairs (MHA) is any indication, the government is not averse to having women officers at senior home ministry positions. Incidentally, as border management secretary, Ms Kumar will replace Gauri Kumar, another woman officer and her own...

Home ministry tightens norms on bureaucrats’ foreign junkets

IN CONTINUATION with its earlier order of restraining Indian bureaucrats hobnobbing with foreign embassies, the ministry of home affairs has further tightened the norms of foreign junkets for civil servants. The new MHA guidelines, which have initially been circulated among Delhi and Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil/Police Services (DANICS and DANIPS), want bureaucrats to submit in writing whether they would attend any…

An April Fool Day advisory to police turns relevant now, and for all departments

AS leaking information willingly or unwillingly has become a trend in recent time, the government of India’s advisory on media dated April 1, 2010 to police is an interesting read. It might have been released on an April Fool day last year, but it’s quite relevant for non-police forces too particularly when the government has found itself in a state of helplessness in dealing with RTI and media. Here are the excerpts of the exhaustive and consolidated advisory on media policy of police, as recorded in MHA annual report, 2010-11.

* In a case such as conviction or acquittal that attracts the interest of the media, a specific time may be fixed everyday when the designated officer would make an appropriate statement on the investigation.

* In the first 48 hours there should be no unnecessary release of information except about the facts of the incident and that the investigation has been taken up.

* The general tendency to give piecemeal information/clues on a daily/regular basis, with regard to the progress/various lines of investigation, should be strongly discouraged so that the investigations are not compromised and the criminals/suspects do not take undue advantage of information shared by the Police authorities about the likely course of the investigations.

* Meticulous compliance with the legal provisions and Court guidelines regarding protection of the identity of juveniles and rape victims should be ensured, and under no circumstances should the identity of juveniles and victims in rape cases be disclosed to the media.

* Due care should be taken to ensure that there is no violation of the legal, privacy and human rights of the accused/victims.

* Arrested persons should not be paraded before the media.

* Faces of arrested persons whose Test Identification Parade is required to be conducted should not be exposed to the media.

* No opinionated and judgmental statements should be made by the police while briefing the media.

* As far as possible no interview of the accused/victims by the media should be permitted till the statements are recorded by the police.

* The professional tradecraft of policing and technical means used for the detection of criminal cases should not be disclosed as it alerts potential criminals to take appropriate precautions while planning their next crime.

* In cases where National security is at stake, no information should be shared with the media till the whole operation is over or until all the accused persons have been apprehended.

* The modus operandi of carrying out the operations should not be made public. Only the particulars of apprehended persons and details of recovery should be revealed to the media on completion of the operations.

* There should not be any violation of court directions and other guidelines issued by the authorities from time to time on this matter.

* Preferably, there should be one officer designated as the Public Relations Officer to handle the immediate information needs of all media persons and give the correct and factual position of any crime incident.

* As and when instances of misreporting or incorrect reporting of facts/details pertaining to an incident or the department comes to notice, a suitable rejoinder should immediately be issued and, in more serious cases, the matter should be taken up at the appropriate levels for remedial action.

Action on inter-state movement of IAS officers continues

DESTINATION GOA!

UNION home ministry has viewed seriously of Arunachal Pradesh government’s reluctance to relieve two IAS officers from the state even as their order of posing in Goa came five months ago. According to reports, 1987 batch IAS VK Dev and 2005 batch IAS Pawan K Sain were to be posted in Goa according to orders of Union home ministry, but no officer can take up his or her new assignment unless he is relieved by the state. 

The MHA (ministry of home affairs) issued a reminder, and finally sent a note saying that the Centre viewed Arunachal Pradesh government’s reluctance “seriously”. According to rules, the transfers need to be honoured in a time-bound manner. The movement from Arunachal Pradesh to Goa is a routine affair as both states depend on the same AGMUT cadre IAS officers.

But there is good news on inter-cadre transfers. Temjenwapang Ao, a 2000 batch Orissa cadre IAS has been transferred from Orissa cadre to Nagaland cadre for a period of five years from date of assumption of charge or until further orders. Also, the government has transferred Shashank Misra, a 2007 batch Manipur-Tripura cadre IAS from Manipur-Tripura cadre to Madhya  Pradesh cadre on the ground of marriage with Ms Ruchi Shrivastava, a 2006 batch Madhya Pradesh cadre IPS officer.

Action and Appointments

a) S Chandrasekharan, a 1975 batch IRAS officer, presently additional Member (finance), in Railway Board has been appointed as secretary in ministry of parliamentary affairs in place of Ms Usha Mathur, a 1974 batch IRAS who has retired.

b) Atul Chaturvedi, a 1974 batch UP cadre retired IAS, has been appointed as Member, Public Enterprises Selection Board for three years or until the age of 65 years.

New Scripts in Power Corridors: Prasad, ladoo and gur for money; hardware means room; and software is sex worker

BUREAUCRATS are known for framing new rules, but here is a sample of an Indian bureaucrat’s reported art of coining a new code language: “Prasad”, “ladoo” and “gur” for money. And hold your breath: “software” for sex workers.

If the media reports quoting unnamed home ministry officials are correct, Ravi Inder Singh, the detained IAS of 1994 batch and director in MHA, had used a code language while talking to his close business associate Vineet who was arrested on Tuesday. In one telephonic conversation, the bureaucrat reportedly asked Vineet whether “software” from Ukraine is available, raising suspicion that favours in deals could have included both money and sex. Though home secretary GK Pillai told a section of media on Monday that raids in North Block were taken in view of allegations of insiders’ leaking information, there is no official confirmation about the code language.

UK Bansal, secretary internal security and Singh’s boss however said that involvement of such a high ranking officer is a matter of concern.

Though it’s confirmed that Singh was engaged in corporate espionage, no official spokesperson has come on record that he had leaked information on BlackBerry issue. Meanwhile, Research in Motion, the Canadian company that makes BlackBerry handsets, sent releases to media houses denying any involvement or insight regarding the matter that has led to the arrest of Ravi Inder Singh. In its clarification, the phone maker said that its employees and representatives have never met any MHA official other than in official meetings at the premises of MHA.

Action and Appointments

a) The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved premature cessation of tenure of Dr Neeraj Mittal, a 1992 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS as private secretary to the minister of state for commerce and industry Jyotiraditya Scindia. Mittal will be on a “Compulsory Wait” in the ministry of commerce and industry till he gets an alternate posting as director for the balance tenure under the Central Staffing Scheme which began on June 5, 2008

b) Aruna Sundarajan, a 1982 batch Kerala cadre IAS has been appointed as joint secretary in the ministry of housing and urban poverty alleviation.

c) Rakhee Gupta Bhandari, a 1997 batch Punjab cadre IAS, currently working as director in the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), New Delhi, has been appointed as private secretary to the minister of state (power) Bharatsinh Solanki at deputy secretary level.

d) Vijaya Laxmi Joshi, a 1980 batch Gujarat cadre IAS, presently in the cadre, has been appointed as joint secretary, in the department of commerce.

Munna Bhai MBBS: Home ministry insider Ravinder Singh arrested for leaking Blackberry related documents

HE WAS an MBBS before joining the prestigious IAS in 1994. Unlike many other IAS who don the title “Dr” thanks to their on-the-job scholarly pursuits in universities, Dr Ravinder Singh, a West Bengal cadre IAS and a director in home ministry, is a real doctor who chose to become a civil servant.

Call him Ravinder Bhai MBBS who turned a Khalnayak of power corridors on Monday when he was arrested by investigating agency CBI after both his office and residence were raided. He was under surveillance for the last one month on the suspicion that he has been leaking sensitive documents related to the controversial Blackberry issue to a section of corporate. He has been a director in home ministry from January, 2010, and as a key official of the internal security division of the MHA, he has been handling many a sensitive documents and subjects including the Blackberry dispute in which home ministry has been asking the Canadian company RIM, the maker of Blackberry phone, to give the government access to their secret codes for security reasons.

This is the second major embarrassment for the home ministry during this year. In April, CBI searched the houses of two MHA officers including one of O Ravi, a 1983 batch IAS and joint secretary in MHA. Mr Ravi allegedly accepted a bribe of Rs 25 lakh from a private distiller. Another ministry official, RS Sharma, a director, was booked for accepting bribes to favour a bulletproof jacket firm.

Supreme Court raises questions about Thomas’ appointment as CVC

The Supreme Court on Monday raised questions about the controversial appointment of P J Thomas, a 1973 batch Kerala cadre IAS as Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) who is an accused in a criminal case. Thomas, who had served as chief secretary of Kerala and Union telecom secretary, was appointed as CVC on September 7, 2010 despite massive protests by the BJP. A bench headed by Chief Justice S H Kapadia also observed that Thomas as the CVC will himself feel embarrassed due to the pending criminal case against him as in every case the CBI will be dealing with him. Thomas’ name figures in a chargesheet in the palmolein import case. 

Home ministry’s leading woman IAS Anita Chaudhary appointed as secretary of land resources department

ANY debate over no woman bureaucrat being made in-charge of sensitive ministries such as cabinet secretariat, home ministry or defence ministry gets incomplete if there is no mention of a 1976 batch IAS, Anita Chaudhary. For over three years now, this Haryana cadre officer has handled a number of sensitive issues related to internal security, thereby becoming an epitome of woman-power in bureaucracy. 

Ms Chaudhary, now a special secretary at the ministry of home affairs, would take over as secretary to the department of land resources under the ministry of rural development. She is replacing Rita Sinha who is retiring on July 31 this month.

Hailing from Maharashtra, Ms Chaudhary is a post graduate in English literature, with yet another masters degree in social science from an UK university. In 1980s, she had a long innings in Centre’s rural development ministry, first as under secretary and then as deputy secretary. In 2001, she had a brush with a controversy too when Medical Council of India (MCI) raised objections to Ms Chaudhary’ appointment as director general of Pandit BD Sharma Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) as she is a non-medical person.

Ms Chaudhary was noticed more when she was appointed an additional secretary in the home ministry which is always considered to be a male bastion. As several home ministry officers would concede, Ms Chaudhary has done a commendable job in the North Block demolishing the myth that only male officers would do a better job in a ministry like home.

(In Picture: Ms Chaudhary visiting the DNA Laboratory of LNJN-National Institute of Criminology and Forensic Science)

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Centre sanctions 9 more IAS posts for Mizoram

The Central government has sanctioned nine more IAS posts for Mizoram, local media in Aizawl reported. With that Mizoram will have 29 posts for IAS. Principal Secretary, Mrs. L. Tochhong has, however, been transferred to National Capital Territory of Delhi.

Dileep Raj S Chaudhary, a 1977 batch IAS, appointed as new MHA spokesperson

ONLY a few days after Union home secretary GK Pillai’s ISI remark created a storm amid India Pakistan foreign ministers’ level talks in Islamabad, the government has decided to appoint a senior IAS officer Dileep Raj S Chaudhary, a 1977 batch Madhya Pradesh cadre official, as spokesperson of ministry of home affairs (MHA). He will now interact with media in a day-to-day basis. Chaudhary is one of the 43 IAS officers of 1977 batch who have been empanelled as secretaries to the government of India. (List of 1977 batch IAS empanelled as secretaries)

Onkar Kedia, an Indian Information Service officer will remain at his current post of MHA spokesperson, but will now assist Chaudhary. Chaudhary who is a postgraduate in political science and had undergone a three-week long short programme in UK in 2004 is currently handling Naxal management at the rank of an additional secretary. He is five batch junior to Pillai.

During NDA regime, PD Shenoy, an IAS officer with an additional secretary rank used to handle media and acted as the official spokesperson of the MHA. LK Advani was then the home minister and Kamal Pande was the home secretary. Significantly, current home secretary Pillai was then a joint secretary in the ministry and aired his voice to the media whenever he felt it necessary.

Action and Appointments

a) The ACC has approved the extension of inter-cadre deputation tenure of Ms Shobha Ohatkar, a 1990 batch Bihar cadre IPS from Bihar cadre to Maharashtra cadre, by two years beyond June 30, 2010, as a special case.

b) The ACC has approved the proposal o the MHA for inter-cadre deputation of Alok Kumar, a 1997 batch JK cadre IPS from Jammu and Kashmir cadre to Bihar cadre.

c) The ACC has approved the proposal of the ministry o environment and forests for inter-cadre deputation of T Gnana Prakash, a 1993 batch Punjab cadre IFS ,from Punjab cadre to Karnataka cadre.

d) The ACC has approved the inter cadre deputation of Ms Deepa D Nair, a 2001 Manipur-Tripura IFS from Manipur-Tripura to Kerala for a period of five years.

e) Ms Mamta Kundra, a 1985 batch IA&AS has been appointed as joint secretary in the Departmentof Personnel and Training (DoPT).

f) JS Deepak, a 1982 batch UP cadre IAS, presently joint secretary in the department of telecommunication, has been appointed as joint secretary in the department of commerce in place of PK Dash, a 1981 batch MP cadre IAS.

g) Nitin Ramesh Gokarn, a 1990 batch UP cadre IAS has been appointed as joint secretary in the ministry of road transport and highways.

Men in Uniform: More CISF jobs in 5 PSUs

THE ministry of home affairs (MHA) has initiated a process to create more and more jobs for augmenting its wings. Apart from having a provision of more intake of Indian Police Service (IPS) officers through the current UPSC Exam beginning this May 23, it has now created 81 posts for augmenting the strength of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) in five PSUs.

The sanctioned posts are in Mejia Thermal Power Station in West Bengal, Raichur Thermal Power Station in Karnataka, Kahalgaon Super Thermal Power Station in Bihar, Neyveli Lignite Corporation in Tamil Nadu and Visakhapatnam Steel Plant in Andhra Pradesh. Also, 252 new posts have been sanctioned in Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). The provisional sanction was issued to NCB for purchase of surveillance equipment at a cost of Rs 2.52 crore and weaponry at a cost of Rs 0.20 crore.

For more such jobs in corridors of power, you can log into: http://jobcorridor.com

Action and Appointment

a) Gen Vijay Kumar Singh is the new chief of the Army Staff of Indian Army, replacing Gen Deepak Kapoor. Gen Singh, an alumnus of Birla Public School, Pilani and National Defence Academy, had participated in the Bangladesh War of 1971 and Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka where he was awarded Yudh Seva Medal. He has vast operational experience in Counter Insurgency Operations, Line of Control and High Altitude Area environment.

b) Air Marshal Ajay Shriniwas Karnik takes over as Director General (Inspection and Safety) at Air Headquarters RK Puram, New Delhi. An alumnus of National Defence Academy, Khadakvasla, he was commissioned into the fighter stream of the IAF in June 1972. Air Marshal Karnik has flown over 3000 hours on fighter aircraft like MiG-21 Bis and MiG-29.

c) The ACC has approved the proposal for inter cadre deputation of Arun Kumar Oraon, a 1992 batch Pubjab cadre IPS from Punjab to Jharkhand for a period of three years.

d) Inter-cadre transfer for Seju P Kuruvilla, a 2007 batch Bihar cadre IPS from Bihar to AGMUT has been approved.

e) The ACC has approved the proposal of the ministry of railways for appointment of Ravinder Jit Singh Nalwa, a 1982 batch West Bengal cadre IPS as Chief Security Commissioner (CSC), South Eastern Railways and Shivaji Ghosh, a 1985 batch West Bengal cadre IPS as Chief Security Commissioner, Eastern Railways.

f) Avinash Dikshit, a 1986 batch IDAS has been appointed as Commissioner, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, (KVS) at the joint secretary level.

Chidambaram as Cheerleader: Govt to build 1 lac houses for paramilitary forces personnel on PPP mode

IF NOT Roti and Kapda, the Makan may do the magic for motivating India’s paramilitary forces working in difficult terrains. To boost the morale of Central Para Military Forces (CPMF) personnel, the ministry of home affairs (MHA) has taken up an ambitious mega housing project for construction of about 1,00,000 houses across the country for personnel from Border Security Force(BSF), Central Reserve Police Force(CRPF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police(ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Assam Rifles(AR) etc.

The massive exercise to be taken up initially in 30 sites out of 245 identified spots, will follow the Public Private Partnership mode, and is likely to be completed in about four years.

According to MHA, the housing satisfaction level among Central Para Military Force personnel is 15.4% which is considered to be a de-motivating factor. Though the CPWD has been constructing houses for the force personnel and the pace of construction has been less than what is required to meet the authorized satisfaction level of 25% for the force personnel. On an average, about 4,000 houses are being added every year. The MHA had engaged consultants with the assistance of the ministry of finance and the Asian Development Bank which completed the Feasibility Study in January, 2010. For floating the bids, MHA has appointed M/s Price Waterhouse as Transaction Advisors.

Mamata announces cash award for crew members of Bhubaneshwar Rajdhani

Railway minister Mamata Banerjee has announced special award to crew members of Bhubaneshwar Rajdhani which derailed near Gaya on Monday. Some of the Railway staff including crew members who were working this train showed exemplary devotion to duty by exercising vigilance and alertness and applied emergency brakes as soon as the bomb blast occurred. Ms Banerjee sanctioned an award of Rs 30,000 each to the two loco pilots RK Singh and co-pilot A.K.Khalku, and Rs 20,000 each to the Guard R Minj and the train superintendent AC Ojha.

A common man’s letter to PM, copied to babu blogger

One Mr Chandan from Jharkhand, describing himself as a common man, has written a letter to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh with CC to babu.blogger1@gmail.com. Though we have decided not to reproduce the letter because of certain unverified allegations, here are a few edited excerpts of the letter with the subject, “The Common Man’s Fight against Corruption”. Here it goes, “Dear sir, since the last two years, I have been fighting against the prevailing corruption in the Jharkhand state. When I started, I was all alone…. In the matter of Madhu Koda and his associates, the Central Agencies were very aggressive and their act had forced me to believe that in India, the truth prevails and the system does work…” Here is at least one firm believer of our political and bureaucratic system!

BEE SMART: Mayawati’s top cops muster the art of showering praise...

FOR Indian police, it was one of the most bizarre investigations ever when Uttar Pradesh chief minister Ms Mayawati asked her state cops to investigate how and why a swarm of bees hovered around her as she delivered her speech on her birthday rally in Lucknow on March 15, 2010.

But equally bizarre were the results of the investigation as it said there were 1.5 lakhs bees disturbing the chief minister during the rally, and what’s more, the high-level police report prepared by Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), showered lavish praise for Mayawati’s “calm and composure” during the bee attack! The rally became controversial when a garland made out of Rs 1000 notes (with a value of around Rs 5 cr) was presented to the chief minister on the occasion forcing I-T department investigate the sources of that huge cash.

Significantly, in UP, the thin line between officials working for the government and the ruling party has vanished altogether, and those who don’t follow the CM’s diktat get immediately shunted out to inconsequential postings.

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Home Ministry’s clarification on biometrics in North Block

The ministry of home affairs (MHA) has clarified that unlike some media reports, there has not been any declining trend in attendance recorded in the Biometric Attendance Control System installed there. As against an average of 1087 employees who marked their attendance in December, 2009, the figure has risen to 1173 in January 2010 and 1240 during February 2010. In fact, MHA has introduced flexi-timing under which those who reach late need to compensate by working overtime.

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Action and Appointments

a) BS Meena, a 1975 batch Maharashtra cadre IAS, presently special secretary and financial adviser in the ministry of steel, has been appointed as secretary, department of heavy industries in ministry of heavy industries and public enterprises in place of Satyanarayana Dash, a 1973 batch Kerala cadre IAS who retired on March 31, 2010.

b) Jamini Kumar Sharma, a 1975 batch MP cadre IAS has been appointed as Member Secretary, Tariff Commission under the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), under the ministry of commerce and industry, in the rank and pay of secretary in the vacancy of Raghubir Singh, IA&AS(1972 batch) (Retd). 

Study In UK: India’s home ministry lifts ban on bureaucrats applying for British government-funded Chevening scholarship

GOOD news for Indian bureaucrats eying for the prestigious British government-funded Chevening scholarship. Nearly three years after Indian government employees were banned from taking Chevening scholarship offered by the British High Commission, the ministry of home affairs (MHA) in a circular dated January 19, 2010, lifted the restriction thereby widening the scope of Indian bureaucrats to grab fully-funded courses in British Universities as well.

“The Ministry of Home Affairs has now decided to lift the restriction imposed on the grant of permission under Section 9 of FCRA for accepting foreign hospitality offered by the Chevening Fellowship,” the circular said. The official letters were issued to chief secretaries of all states and secretaries of ministries and departments of government of India.

Significantly, in a related development, the government in September, 2009, had issued a circular saying that no officer was allowed to raise fund or ask for contribution from any source to finance his or her study if prior government permission was not obtained. The notice came in the backdrop of detection of a few cases where officers had negotiated or taken financial assistance from private bodies and other domestic organizations, not known to sponsor study programmes, for financing their study programmes, without the previous knowledge of the government.

In fact, the Chevening scholarships are among the top scholarship schemes in the world which allow over 1000 scholars from around the world to study in UK.

Still have any confusion? Just pick up the phone to call Ritika Kochhar, Head, Chevening Scholarships, British High Commission, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi -- 21; Phone: 011-24192180, or mail her at: Ritika.Kochhar@fco.gov.uk

Actual CIRCULAR, dated January 19, 2010 on permission for availing Chevening
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Education UK

Govt to select 30 Indian officers for IIM-B's public policy course; 7 weeks module in US planned

WISHING to take a break from mundane office work and get a degree of your lifetime, it's just here. Applications are invited from Indian officers either in state civil services or in the All India Services such as IAS, IFS, IRS etc. for Post Graduate Programme in Public Policy and Management (2010-12) at the Centre for Public Policy, Indian Institute of Management (IIM)-Bangalore. The programme includes an international module of about seven weeks’ duration at Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, University of Syracuse, USA. And yes, once selected, you don't need to pay anything. The cost of the domestic component of the programme (Rs 4.25 lakhs) will be met by the respective cadre controlling authority (for example, DoPT for IAS officers, MHA for IPS officers etc). The international component including airfare will be covered by the DoPT.
This will be IIM-B's ninth programme on public policy. So far seven programmes have been completed and 8th programme is currently in progress.
The government proposes to select only 30 participants for the 9th programme in order to ensure a high degree of excellence.
Maximum Age: Not more than 50 years as on June 30, 2010, and 53 years for ST/SC candidates
Last Date: February 5, 2010.

Click here for the actual DoPT circular (December 24, 2009)
Earlier Story
Public Policy course in South Korea (October 6, 2009)

HNI clerks in UP
According to a report, 364 clerks in Uttar Pradesh have been identified as 'crorepatis' (one crore means 10 millions). These HNI (High Networth Individual) clerks are based in the state headquarters of Lucknow alone. A media report said it quoting an unidentified vigilance official.