Indian Ordnance Factory Service officer Jyoti Mehta appointed as director in Information and Broadcasting ministry; Subir Gokaran's IMF tenure extended

Jyoti Mehta, 1994 batch Indian Ordnance Factory Service officer, has been appointed as director in the ministry of information and broadcasting ministry, New Delhi, under the central staffing scheme for a period of five years. Meanwhile, Anamika Singh, 2004 batch Uttar Pradesh cadre IAS, who is  presently serving as…

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...

“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…

7 non-IAS officers appointed as directors in GoI departments, NITI Aayog, UPSC; Full List

UPSC Building

THE Centre last week appointed seven director-level officers in various ministries and departments, apart from appointing 29 joint secretaries. All new directors are non-IAS; they belong to services such as Indian Ordnance Factory Service, Indian Railway Accounts Service, Indian Information Service, Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers, Indian Railway Personnel Service etc. Here are the details of their appointments:

NITI CEO Amitabh Kant writes to district collectors to assemble “digital army” and “lead the change” for a digital payments economy

ALMOST a month after demonetization of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes and the subsequent scarcity of new notes, the Central government has begun a massive campaign under which district administrations are being incentivized to educate all citizens for expeditious transition into digital payments economy. The government think-tank NITI Aayog, which has been given a mandate to execute the scheme, has asked all district collectors to assemble 'Digital Armies' comprising skilled youth of their areas to speed up the transition into digital payments. NITI CEO Amitabh Kant, the officer who led campaigns such as Incredible India and Make in India has written to all collectors asking them to…

Attend NITI vice-chairman’s session “without fail”: DoPT asks young IAS after show-causing 37 for not attending a session with Debroy

HAS a section young IAS officers of 2014 batch posted as assistant secretaries to the government of India taken life too easy? After as many as 37 of them were found missing in a session with NITI Aayog Member and economist Bibek Debroy last week — something prominently highlighted in national newspapers and for which absentees were show-caused — the DoPT did not want to take any more chance to ensure they attend a session addressed by NITI Vice-chairman Arvind Panagariya. In what could be described as quite an unusual office memorandum dated September 12, the DoPT asked the assistant secretaries posted in various Central government ministries and departments that “they have to attend the aforesaid function without fail”, making the two words—“without fail” in bold letters. Not just that, they were asked to  be present in the function “on time”, again highlighting…

Spot NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant wearing HoloLens; what it is and how it has many industrial applications

Amitabh Kant (Photo Courtesy: Twitter)

LOOK at this photo. The person wearing HoloLens is none but Amitabh Kant, 1980 batch retired IAS currently serving as NITI Aayog CEO in a post-retirement assignment. The photo was posted in Twitter on Saturday after Kant was given a demonstration on what mixed reality is all about and what experiences one gets once HoloLens are worn. In fact, mixed reality, which is also described as hybrid reality, is defined as…

Want an 8-year-tenure in Delhi? Grab one of these 5 NITI Aayog posts

THE Central government has decided to fill up five vacancies of deputy secretary or director level posts in the National Institution for Transforming India Aayog— or NITI Aayog under Central Staffing Scheme on lateral shift basis. This will give an opportunity for the selected officers to have a longer tenure in Delhi, upto a period of eight years, as this later shift “would entail additional...

10 developments about PM’s meeting with secretaries

PM Modi during a meeting of Group of Secretaries, in New Delhi on Jan 12

 PRIME Minister Narendra Modi has begun the process of meeting eight groups of secretaries set up to focus on certain thrust areas.
The first round of meeting was held on January 12. Ministers Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj as also Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog Arvind Panagariya, besides all secretaries to the Group were present there.
Here are 10 developments of the meeting:

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:

Monday Night Reshuffle: Sanjay Mitra is new road transport secretary; Amitabh Kant given additional charge of NITI Aayog’s CEO

THE Central government on Monday night appointed new secretaries in the ministry of road transport and highways, disinvestment and textiles, and gave additional charge of the post of CEO, NITI Aayog to DIPP secretary Amitabh Kant till further order. The moving out of Aradhana Johri from finance ministry (as disinvestment secretary) just a couple of months before the presentation of the general budget and bringing in of West Bengal chief secretary and former PMO official of Manmohan Singh era, Sanjay Mitra, as the secretary of the ministry of road transport and highways were the other two key highlights in the Monday night reshuffle. Here are the 6 key secretary-level appointments:

Plan Panel Secretary to NITI Aayog CEO: What has worked in favour of Sindhushree Khullar

AFTER seven months of deliberation, Planning Commission has become NITI Aayog and the post of secretary in the Commission, which had always remained with an IAS officer, was replaced with a more corporate sounding designation – CEO of NITI Aayog. But on Saturday, the government appointed a retired IAS officer of 1975 batch, Sindhushree Khullar, for the post of CEO, indicating that the clout of IAS officers has not shrunk even by an inch under the…

How Cabinet Secretariat’s January 1 note on formation of NITI Aayog covers RajNITI, ArthNITI and beyond

Quoting sage-poet Tiruvalluvar

IN AN unusual sarkari note on the formation of NITI Aayog replacing the Planning Commission of India, the cabinet secretariat on Thursday touched upon several aspects of politics and economy of the nation by quoting Mahatma Gandhi, Ambedkar and poet scholars Tiruvalluvar and Sankar Dev. Excerpts: