M Ramachandran who narrowly missed the cabinet secretary’s post writes his memoir: The Mavericks of Mussoorie

1972 BATCH retired IAS and former union urban development secretary M Ramachandran, who had narrowly missed post of cabinet secretary, has come out with his memoir, “The Mavericks of Mussoorie” where he opens up on how and why the country’s top bureaucrat’s post eluded him. As the district magistrate of Rae Bareli in 1980s, he personally knew successive Prime Ministers -- Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, but the bureaucrat missed the bus during the UPA period itself…

10 Commandments for Mussoorie-Bound: Any dress code for trainees in LBSNAA? Is drinking prohibited?

LBSNAA

COME September 1, a fresh batch of trainee civil servants will undertake the foundation course at Mussoorie’s Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA). The written joining instructions tell them whether they can use a mobile phone, or whether a lady officer trainee (OT) compulsorily needs to wear a saree “in sober colours”? What if an OT is found drinking whiskey? Read these 10 Commandments.

Are you an IAS recruit? Get ready to be trained at police academy!

IPS? Or IAS by any chance?

BE an IAS, but take a flight to Hyderabad to get trained in police academy. Sounds odd? But that is already becoming a reality. About 400 promoted IAS officers, mostly from states of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, were recently sent to Hyderabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy for training. The reason? Mussoorie’s Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) can’t…

Like to buy a grey T-shirt? LBSNAA displays products on its website

WANT to buy a navy blue pullover or a grey T-shirt where “LBSNAA” is prominently displayed? Merchandise products including apparel and memorabilia of India’s apex training institute for senior civil servants is now on sale through its…

Bureaucrats’ Growing Responsibilities: Prez pep talk to promoted IAS

Prez with a section of promoted IAS officers

WITH the rising expectations of the public, civil servants are required to shoulder huge responsibilities, President of India Pranab Mukherjee said while addressing 36 promoted IAS officers. Those state civil service officers who were promoted only recently, are currently undertaking…

Civil servant trainers get special ICT training at Mussoorie

Training bureaucrats on IT 

THE Indian civil servants are likely to get special training on developing skill sets to fully leverage Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for socio-economic development. It’s indicated during the first National Training of Trainers Workshop on ICT essential for government leaders that began in Mussoorie on Monday.

The three-day workshop was jointly organised by United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-APCICT), government of India’s department of information technology (DIT) and the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA).

The workshop launched APCICT’s Academy programme, which is designed to equip government officials with the necessary skills to fully leverage ICT for socio-economic development, a government release said. The Academy launch was presided over by PK Gera, joint director of LBSNAA, Shankar Agrawal, additional secretary, DIT and Dr Hyeun-Suk Rhee, director of APCICT. In addition to LBSNAA, the institutions that are participating in the workshop include SVP National Police Academy, National Academy of Customs Excise and Narcotics, National Academy of Direct Taxes, National Academy of Audit and Accounts, Indian Railway Institute of Transport Management, Railway Staff College, Postal Staff College India. Over 30 Indian government officials and senior training instructors from these institutions are now in Mussoorie to attend the workshop.

Private Party at ministers’ office!

At least three private secretaries from IAS and IPS cadres were appointed to Union ministers during the last one week. Here are these three new private secretaries and their batches:

a) Rajeev Singh Thakur, a 1995 batch Rajasthan cadre IAS has been appointed as private secretary at the level of a director to the minister of road transport and highways Dr CP Joshi on a lateral shift basis.

b) Puneet Kansal, a 1996 batch Sikkim cadre IAS has been appointed as private secretary at the level of a director to the minister of state for mines (independent charge) Dinsha Patel.

c) Alok Singh, a 1995 batch UP cadre IPS has been appointed as private secretary at the level of a director to the minister of water resources Salman Khurshid.

Action and Appointments

a) Sanjay Singh, a 1976 batch IFS officer, presently ambassador in Tehran, has been appointed as secretary (east) at the headquarters of the ministry of external affairs in place of Ms Vijay Latha Reddy, IFS, on her relinquishing the charge of the post.

b) Ms Vibha Govil Mishra, a 1997 batch IP and TA and FS has been selected for appointment as deputy secretary in the DoPT.

Mussoorie Musings: An IAS officer kidnapped, but only in reel life!

IF THE earlier years’ trends continue, hotels in Mussoorie might have been booked for the next few days. Call it a groom-searching tourism when parents of prospective brides, mainly from Bihar and parts of UP, land up in the Indian hill station, Mussoorie, with their daughters’ kundlis to spot bright civil servant grooms.

The newly selected civil servants of India have gathered in Mussoorie’s prestigious training institute Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), for the foundation course beginning today. For the record, IAS, IPS, IFS and other group A service officers will attend the course to be held between August 30 to December 10, 2010 before other officers except IAS leave the Academy for advanced training in their respective training institutes.

This is the period when match-making takes place alongside hard work in training sessions. Come Diwali, young probationers from all services including IAS, IFS, IPS would meet at Happy valley grounds in Mussoorie to participate in the annual fete. It is a festival when mehendi to astrology stalls are being set up besides organizing mock-jails and dance competitions. And eateries sell chole bhature and chaat to Bengali fish curry!

If 2008 batch Punjab cadre IAS, Dr Joram Beda’s video of LBSNAA is any proof, life is fun at the Academy, and no officer trainee would forget the sweet memories of those days in the rest of his or her life. Dr Beda, who hails from Arunachal Pradesh, has captured in his 5-minute video a number of golden moments -- Ganga hostel, Monday blues, tracking, birth day bashes and folk dances etc.

Bollywood’s latest movie, Sushil Rajpal’s Antardwand, may not be based on such a fun atmosphere, but is definitely telling a true story of bureaucrats being forcefully married. The film revolves around a story about a prospective IAS being abducted and forcefully married to a girl, a practice that is witnessed mostly in Bihar. Director Rajpal told media how mostly IAS officers and government engineers are targeted for forceful wedlock as private sector is yet to make any mark in Bihar. Don’t worry guys, it’s a story of kidnapping and forceful marriage only in reel life. BoI (babusofindia.com) extends best wishes to all new civil servants gathered at LBSNAA who would begin a new journey in public life for the next 35 years or more.