Ex-IRS officer BV Kumar writes on nuances of black money transactions

BV Kumar, a 1958 batch Indian Revenue Service officer, has said in a recently published book about business houses “maintaining” Members of Parliament to influence policies. In his book, “The Darker Side of Black Money”, Kumar said how large industrial houses also fund politicians in the Opposition to further their agenda.

Kumar’s observations are considered important as he had worked as Economic Intelligence Bureau director general among others. He also served as the director general of Narcotics Control Bureau.

Kumar is a contemporary of former National Security Adviser and IB chief MK Narayanan. Narayanan who is now West Bengal Governor writes in the foreword that the publication of book could not have been better timed, referring to the current wave of corruption-related scams. Narayanan was a key aide to PM during the UPA-I regime.

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Bureaucrat's Book: Honest Always Stands Alone

Defence Service officer debarred

Mahesh Kumar Gupta, a 1984 batch officer of Indian Defence Service of Engineers has been debarred from deputation for a posting under Central staffing for five years as he had failed to join as director in the ministry of textile after being appointed there. Mr Gupta is also debarred from taking up any foreign posting or consultancy work during this same period.

Action and Appointments

a) Anand Agarwal, a 1999 batch Indian Defence Accounts Service officer has been appointed as deputy secretary in the department of telecommunications.

G2G consultancy is in; Saarc may announce an award for innovation in government performance

YOU may have heard of B2B (business to business) or B2C (business to customers), but neither of these may have had any direct impact on you and your life so far. If you are a government servant, what may excite you is G2G instead.

In fact, Saarc nations are contemplating to set up a region-wide government performance management network to spot regional best practices and put in place a system to facilitate government to government (G2G) consulting services in the entire region. What’s more, the member countries have also proposed to institute a SAARC award for Innovations in Government Performance Management which would be taken up for consideration at the next Saarc summit to be held later this month in Bhutan’s capital Thimpu.

In fact, India’s cabinet secretary KM Chandrasekhar in a recent Saarc workshop argued that the race among nations would finally be won or lost not on the basis of comparative advantage arising from resource endowment, but by the competitive advantage created by effective governments. The workshop was attended among others by secretary general of Saarc Sheel Kant Sharma, senior officials from India, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Action and Appointments

a) Former IPS officer and Governor of West Bengal MK Narayanan will discharge the functions of the Governor of Sikkim, in addition to his own duties, during the absence on leave of Balmiki Prasad Singh, Governor of Sikkim. Mr Singh was a former IAS (1964 batch) who also served as home secretary in 1997-99 and executive director and ambassador at the World Bank between 1999 to 2002.

b) Finance Secretary Ashok Chawla launched e-Office developed by National Informatics Centre in New Delhi on Monday. e-Office provides a platform for personalized, role based, secure access to internal information for the employees that is accessible through any browser. The implementation of this system is expected to improve the employee productivity and pave the way for a paperless office.

c) A new Indian Air Force (IAF) airfield, replete with modern infrastructure will be inaugurated by Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal PV Naik, at Phalodi in Rajasthan, on Tuesday. Besides the Air Chief, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Western Air Command (SWAC) will also be present on the occasion. 

MK Narayanan and Shekhar Dutt are not alone in Raj Bhawans. Who are India’s other officers-turned Governors now?

WITH the appointment of former bureaucrats as Governors of two Indian states recently, the government has made it very clear that rewards for good work could be doled out to former civil servants as well. Despite CPI(M)’s unhappiness over former IPS and current national security advisor (NSA) MK Narayanan’s selection as the West Bengal governor, the appointment of both Mr Narayanan and former defence secretary Shekhar Dutt who will now move to Raj Bhavan in Chhatisgarh has created hopes for some of the top bureaucrats in the country. In addition to West Bengal and Chhatisgarh, there are a number of Raj Bhawans in the country which are today occupied by former officers. Here are some of the officers-turned governors in addition to Mr Narayanan and Mr Dutt.

Dr Shivinder Singh Sidhu, Governor of Goa
Born on October 13, 1929, Dr Sidhu, an IAS officer of 1952 batch, has done his masters in economics from the Delhi School of Economics, and later got his PhD from Kanpur university. His major postings included district magistrate in Kanpur and secretary to the Government of India. He was the chairman of Air India and Indian Airlines, and later became secretary general of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Canada from 1988 to 1991. His books are “Tourism and Aviation-Airborne for Progress” and “Flight into the Millennium-Aviation and Tourism Symbiosis”.
Contact No: (0832) 2453501, 2453502
Fax : (0832) 2453511
Email: governor@rajbhavangoa.org

Gurbachan Jagat , Governor of Manipur

A former Punjab cadre IPS officer of 1966 batch, Mr Jagat was appointed as Governor of Manipur on July 1, 2007. A student of English literature, he became the director-general of police in Jammu and Kashmir from February 1997 to December 2000. He was also the DG of the Border Security Force (BSF) before being appointed to the Union Public Service Commission where he moved up to become the chairman.

Ranjit Shekhar Mooshahary, Governor of Meghalaya

A Kerala cadre IPS officer of 1967 batch, Mr Mooshahary had a brilliant career in police service, and went up in the ladder to become Kerala’s director general of police and then DG of prestigious National Security Guards (NSG) and the Border Security Force (BSF). He also worked in cabinet secretariat. He assumed the office of the Governor of Meghalaya on July 1, 2008, getting the rare distinction of becoming the first and only bureaucrat-turned governor from the North-East.

Lieutenant Gen Madan Mohan Lakhera, Governor of Mizoram
Born in 1937 and educated at the Rashtriya Indian Military College, Dehradun, Lt Gen Lakhera took part in Goa operation (1961) and Indo-Pak wars of 1965 and 1971. He was awarded Param Vishist Seva medal by the President of India on January 1, 1995. He took over as the Governor of Mizoram on July 25, 2006.
Contact details: Telephone No 0389-2322262; 2323200

Nikhil Kumar, Governor of Nagaland
Born on July 15, 1941, Mr Kumar is a former IPS officer of 1963 batch and son of former Bihar chief minister Satyendra Narayan Sinha. An MA in history, he moved up in the police career to become Delhi police commissioner, special secretary in ministry of home affairs and the Director-General of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and National Security Guards (NSG). His brother in Law is Rajya Sabha MP NK Singh, a 1964 batch IAS officer of the Bihar cadre, who had earlier served as revenue secretary and principal secretary to the Prime Minister.

Balmiki Prasad Singh, Governor of Sikkim

Born on January 1, 1942, BP Singh became a lecturer in post-graduate department of political science in Patna University at the age of 19 years. An IAS of 1964 batch, this Assam cadre officer was a Queen Elizabeth Fellow in UK’s Oxford University in 1989-90. He was the Union culture secretary and later became the home secretary. In 1999-02 he became the Executive Director of the World Bank.

Dr Singh’s prescription for cops

PRIME Minister Dr Manmohan Singh chose to air his message to over two million, or 20 lakhs, policemen across India when he asked the 61st batch of Indian Police Service (IPS) probationers in New Delhi on Tuesday that police officers should be well versed in subjects such as cyber crimes and disaster management activities. He further said All India Services play a very important role, and IPS officers have the privilege of belonging to one of the three All India Services, the IAS and Indian Forest Service are the two other Services. “I am very encouraged about the future of our country. I think you combine in yourself a vast amount of knowledge and diversity of subjects. This augurs well for the future of our country,” he said.
Here are some excerpts of what Prime Minister spoke during the address to the IPS probationers, which was also attended by minister of state for personnel, public grievances and pensions and parliamentary affairs, Prithviraj Chavan, national security advisor to the Prime Minister, MK Narayanan and the Prime Minister's principal secretary, TKA Nair.

Why IPS is Privileged?
As I said, India is a quasi federation. You work in various states, you belong to particular cadres, but you also belong to the fraternity of the three privileged services whose responsibility it is to use their knowledge, wisdom and experience that they gain through operations in various parts of our country, to serve our country, to maintain its unity and integrity at all costs.

On Highhandedness of Officials
In administration of justice, one increasingly hears complaints of high handedness of officials, sometimes they happen to be police officials. So I think it is very important that in discharging your responsibilities, the enforcement of law and order must be endowed with the spirit that is consistent with what is stated in the Constitution of India.

On Lodging of FIR
Recently concerns have been expressed that very often if people go to register a First Information Report there are obstacles that they have to experience, problems arising out of the existence of vested interests. I think these are type of concerns which must be addressed. It is the right of every citizen who has a genuine complaint to have an FIR registered.
Also Read:
PM's prescription for diplomats (August 26, 2009)
Dr Singh's prescription for IAS (May 30, 2009)

Babus in Demand
Delhi Development Authority wants to fill the post of Director (Ministerial) on a deputation basis. Under secretary or and deputy secretary level officers of Central Staffing Scheme (CSS) is eligible to apply.
For details, read the Office Memo, dated January 5, 2010

Will UPA extend retirement age of Indian government employees to 62 years in 2010?

WILL the year 2010 see Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh's government raising the retirement age of government employees to 62, benefiting over one lakh employees posted around the country? Though there was a serious deliberation within the government last year to raise the retirement age by two years from the current 60 years, finally it did not materialise. There were even speculations that the move would be formally announced during Prime Minister's speech to the nation during the Independence Day.
If insiderers in at least two important Indian government ministries are to be believed, the Centre has not really discarded the move altogether, and the announcement could come sometime during the current UPA regime, and it could be as early as 2010 though it makes more political sense to announce it three years from now possibly in an election year. But economically speaking, the government with a large fiscal deficit, could lessen the burden by raising the retirement age as it may save more money by not paying the retirement benefits such as gratuity etc. for two years though the government's salary budget would immediately be inflated.
However, such an important decision would not be taken purely on economic considerations. Yet, the proposal is still being considered for two reasons. First, it may earn goodwill from about one lakh government employees and their families who comprise an important contituent in any election. Secondly, raising the retirement age is a continuous process and the UPA may like to go down in the history as a catalyst to this process. In fact, the age of superannuation was increased from 55 to 58 following the 1962 war with China during Jawaharlal Nehru’s time. Then the BJP-led NDA governmnent under Atal Bihari Vajpayee raised it further to 60 in 1998.
Significantly, many civil servants at the top get either extension or post-retirement full-time assignments and virtually work till 62. In some cases, the retirement age is much beyond 62. Secretary in Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and 1972 batch Bihar cadre IAS M N Prasad, for example, is already officially retired and is continuing in the PMO on a contract basis. Similarly, cabinet, home and defence secretaries get two-year fixed tennure, implying that they generally work till almost 62. There are instances where the government gives further extension to an officer's extended period. Cabinet secretary K M Chandrasekhar, a 1970 batch IAS, had completed his two-year tennure as cabinet secretary in June, 2009, but got one year’s extension.
Two bureuaucrats who are much older than the rest are 1958 batch IPS and national security adviser MK Narayanan, and principal secretary to Prime Minister and 1963 batch IAS TKA Nair --- both of whom have a rank of a minister of state.

Will Pitroda & Nilekani be able to do what ex-Ford Motor veteran McNamara did it to US admin?

IT CZAR Sam Pitroda’s appointment as the Advisor to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on infrastructure, innovation and information after Infosys Technologies co-founder Nandan Nilekani’s appoitment as chairman of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) may bring in some changes the way the government functions. As both of these private sector honchos are pampered by giving the rank of a cabinet minister, a few more high profile private sector veterans may be attracted to join the government laterally. In fact, 68-year-old Pitroda, who is also the chairman of National Knowledge Commission, has prior experience in working with government though Mr Nilekani has no sarkari exposure earlier. No wonder, Mr Pitroda's talents were recognised during the NDA regime when he received Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for excellence in Public Administration and Management Sciences. (See Picture with former PM A B Vajpayee and ex-President of India KR Narayanan) Significantly, post-retirement assignment of two senior bureaucrats in India, principal secretary to PM TKA Nair and national security advisor MK Narayanan hold the rank of ministers of state only implying that Dr Singh has attached much importance to both these specialists by according cabinet minister’s rank. The big question here is whether Mr Pitroda and Mr Nilekani could do what former president of Ford Motor Company Robert McNamara did to the US administration in 1960s when he was made Defense Secretary under President Kennedy. As was acknowledged in a sub-section called Reforms in Public Administration in the USA, one of the reports of the Second Administrative Reforms Commission has mentioned how Mr McNamara introduced the culture of questioning all assumptions and assertions, of quantifying costs and benefits, of using techniques like project evaluation and review (PERT) and critical path method (CPM) to cut costs and delivery times of projects, the use of mathematical techniques for optimizing resource allocation (operations research), network planning, value engineering, and a detailed planning, programming, and budgeting system. No wonder, the managerial culture introduced by Mr McNamara gradually spread to several other departments of US federal government! Straight From Files TKA Nair’s advice to Nilekani on project implementation (September 16, 2009) Action & Appointments a) Alok Prasad, a 1974 batch IFS officer and currently India’s envoy to Sri Lanka, has been appointed as deputy National Security Adviser. Prasad will hold the office for two years or until further orders, according to the decision of the ACC. He was also India’s High Commissioner in Singapore and deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of India, Washington from 2000 to 2004. b) Former finance secretary and chairman of Thirteenth Finance Commission Dr Vijay Kelkar has unanimously been elected as chairman of the Forum of Federations, an international organization headquartered in Ottawa. It seeks to strengthen democratic governance by promoting dialogue on the practices, principles, and possibilities of federalism through partner governments, a government release said on Thursday. c) Avinash K Srivastava, joint secretary in the ministry of corporate affairs has been nominated as the official spokesperson of the ministry for interacting with the media representatives. He is a 1982 batch UP cadre IAS.