Babus in Demand: Junior officials wanted for Sonia Gandhi-chaired National Advisory Council (NAC)

AFTER appointing 1974 batch IAS Rita Sharma as secretary to Sonia Gandhi-chaired National Advisory Council (NAC) and Koppula Raju, a 1981 batch AP cadre IAS as joint secretary, the government has now issued a circular to fill up 10 junior level posts on deputation basis.

In an office memorandum, dated June 15, the department of personnel and training (DoPT) asked the CSS and CSSS officials to apply urgently for the posts of desk officers, PS and PAs. The willing officers may also contact CS-I division of DoPT in person, according to the circular.

For details, click the DoPT OFFICE MEMO, dated June 15, 2010

DoPT again advertises for NHAI chairman’s post

The DoPT has again advertised for the post of chairman of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for which a number of secretary or secretary equivalent officers had applied a few months ago. But the selection process got scrapped after it was found that a member of the search committee was himself an applicant. Significantly, both the incumbent NHAI chairman Brijeswar Singh, 1975 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS and transport secretary Brahm Dutt, a 1973 batch IAS of Karnataka cadre were contenders for the post when it was advertised a few months ago. Significantly, NHAI’s chairman post is a lucrative one after the Cabinet raised the retirement age from 62 to 65 a few months ago. The deadline for submitting application is as early as June 30.

Secretaries In Action

a) Union home secretary GK Pillai has invited the chief secretaries of Nagaland and Manipur for an emergency meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday to discuss the steps to be taken by the two state governments to keep NH-39 open.

b) DIPP secretary RP Singh, a 1976 batch Andhra Pradesh cadre IAS, is on a week-long tour to China and Japan now, mainly to generate interest among investors about Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) project. He is accompanied by DMIC Development Corporation CEO Amitabh Kant. 

3 reasons that scripted serial extension for KM Chandrasekhar as cabinet secretary

THE serial extension of India’s top bureaucrat KM Chandrasekhar for one more year as cabinet secretary could surprise some analysts in Delhi’s babudom, but the 1970 batch Kerala cadre IAS played his card so well during the last one and half years in particular that Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh preferred to give him a four-year term though cabinet secretary’s post like those of home and defence secretaries have a two-year fixed term.

But the big question is what prompted the PM to give Mr Chandrasekhar yet another extension till June 13, 2011 ignoring the younger aspirants like urban development secretary M Ramachandran of 1972 batch and finance secretary Ashok Chawla of 1973 batch. Babus of India (BoI) which speculated such a scenario three months ago, lists here three key reasons that probably helped Mr Chandrasekhar remaining PM’s favourite for the top bureaucrat’s post.

1) KM Chandrasekhar’s biggest advantage to remain on top is his simple way of doing things ensuring that his continuation as cabinet secretary does not really upset power equations India’s Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). Cabinet secretary’s position is important, but Mr Chandrasekhar has not made any attempt to diminish clouts that principal secretary to PM TKA Nair enjoys. After all, when corporate honchos like Mukesh Ambani visit power corridors, they don’t seek appointments with Mr Chandrasekhar but invariably meet TKA Nair.

2) Secondly, Prime Minister was impressed with Mr Chandrasekhar when the latter asked all secretaries to prepare a 100-day target plan of various ministries even before the election results were out in May last year. In June, 2009, PM rewarded the proactive Chandrasekhar with one-year extension dashing the hope of Sudha Pillai, 1972 batch IAS, to move to the top position. In fact, Mr Chandrasekhar brought in a World Bank old-hand Dr Prajapati Trivedi to begin a major exercise to map bureaucrats’ performance in every ministry --- a step PM has reportedly liked the most about Mr Chandrasekhar.

3) Finally, Mr Chandrasekhar who works closely with the PM has an advantage compared to other cabinet secretary contenders who get a chance to meet the PM once in blue moon. Even Dr Singh did not want to take risk in choosing a new person for the job and instead extended the tenure of his trusted man. Also, if the spurt of extensions in PMO during the last one year is any indication, Dr Singh definitely prefers to bank on his trusted war-horses than experimenting with a new recruit.

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Action and Appointments

Ms Rita Sharma, a 1974 batch UP cadre retired IAS has been appointed as secretary, National Advisory Council, in the rank and pay of secretary to the Government of India, on contract basis, until further orders. Ms Sharma, former secretary of drinking water in rural development ministry, would now be a key player in UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi-led NAC’s social sector initiative. 

Welcome to North Block: Pranab Mukherjee gets Bengal officer Sunil Mitra as new revenue secretary, Sumit Bose for disinvestment

Sunil Mitra, a 1975 batch West Bengal cadre IAS and currently secretary in the department of disinvestment in the ministry of finance, has been appointed as the next revenue secretary in place of PV Bhide, a 1973 batch Andhra Pradesh cadre IAS who is retiring on January 31, 2010. Mr Mitra’s elevation as revenue secretary is happening at a time when finance minister Pranab Mukherjee’s team has been working hard on the Budget proposals to be presented on February 26, and India is targeting to achieve Rs 4 lakh crore only as direct tax collection. Significantly, the current revenue secretary Mr Bhide has not been very popular among senior IRS officers and the rift between the super taxmen in the North Block and revenue secretary came out quite in open in many occasions including during the adoption of the new direct tax code.

Meanwhile, another Bengali babu Sumit Bose, a 1976 batch MP cadre IAS and presently secretary, 13th Finance Commission, has been appointed as secretary in the department of disinvestment in the ministry of finance in place of Sunil Mitra.

Profile: New revenue secretary Sunil Mitra

In Picture: The camel contingent at the rehearsal for the Beating the Retreat Ceremony, near North Block in New Delhi on January 21.

Other Appointments

a) BK Sinha, a 1975 batch Bihar cadre IAS, presently director general, national institute of rural development, has been appointment as secretary in department of rural development in place of Ms Rita Sharma, a 1974 batch UP cadre IAS, who is retiring on January 31, 2010.

b) Mathew C Kunnamkal, a 1976 batch Kerala cadre IAS, presently special secretary and financial adviser in the department of chemicals and petrochemicals, has been appointed as Director General, National Institute of Rural Development in place of BK Sinha, a 1975 batch Bihar cadre IAS.

Lieutenant General VK Singh will be India’s next Army chief

Lt Gen VK Singh, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, ADC, presently GOC-in-C, Eastern Command has been appointed the next chief of the Army staff in the rank of General with effect from March 31, 2010 in place of General Deepak Kapoor.

Lt General VK Singh was commissioned into the Rajput Regiment on June 14, 1970. He participated in the 1971 war and IPKF operations against LTTE militants in Sri Lanka. He is presently serving as the Eastern Army Commander.

Besides being an ‘Honours Graduate’ of the US Army Infantry School, Georgia, USA, Lt Gen Singh studied at the Defence Services Staff College, the Army War College and the US Army War College, Carlisle.

He is married to Mrs Bharati and they have two daughters, the elder one is married to an Army officer. The younger daughter is working in the corporate sector.

Shiv Shankar Menon to have a status of a minister of state

The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Shiv Shankar Menon, a retired IFS of 1972 batch as the National Security Adviser in place of MK Narayanan who is moving into West Bengal Raj Bhawan. The man who superseded over a dozen officers to become the country’s foreign secretary in September 2006, is back in the South Block, this time with a status of a minister of state.