Know Your Babu: New defence finance secretary Nita Kapoor, 1973 batch IDAS

 AT LEAST one of the secretaries of the male-dominated defence ministry of India has remained with a woman officer once again. Ms Nita Kapoor, a 1973 batch IDAS will take charge as secretary of defence finance as Ms Indu Liberhan, a 1972 batch IDAS is retiring on May 31, 2010. She has now been serving as Controller General of Defence Accounts

Profile of Nita Kapoor

a) Date of Birth: March 11, 1951

b) Educational Qualifications: BA

c) Date of appointment: July 23, 1973

d) Promotion to SAG: June 30, 1993

e) Promotion to HAG: December 30, 2003

f) Home Town: Shillong

Major Postings

i) Under Secretary: Department of Personal and Administrative Reforms, New Delhi (May 10, 1979 to June 28, 1982)

ii) Controller of Accounts, Department Of Science & Technology, New Delhi (October 12, 1983 to September 2, 1985)

iii) Deputy secretary, UPSC, New Delhi (From September 2, 1985 to December 8, 1988)

iv) Joint secretary (director level post) in UPSC, New Delhi (From December 29, 1988 to June 30, 1990)

v) Student Officer, National Defence College, New Delhi (From January 13, 1992 to November 20, 1992)

vi) Joint Secretary, National Commission for Women, New Delhi (From October 15, 2001 to June 30, 2005)

Commonwealth Games could be an excuse for govt to give yet another extension to cabinet secretary Chandrasekhar

 THE government may find the Commonwealth Games preparation an excuse to give yet another extension to incumbent cabinet secretary KM Chandrasekhar, a 1970 batch Kerala cadre IAS and former revenue secretary in Government of India. Mr Chandrasekhar, who got an extension of one year in June 2009 only to dash hopes of then labour secretary and now Member Secretary in Planning Commission Sudha Pillai becoming the cabinet secretary, may now play a spoilsport to the bids of urban development secretary M Ramachandran of 1972 batch and finance secretary Ashok Chawla of 1973 batch becoming the country’s top bureaucrat. Mr Ramachandran is retiring next month and Mr Chawla will retire in January 2011.

According to highly placed sources, the need for a continued co-ordination with various ministries in the run-up to the Commonwealth Games could be assigned as a reason for the unusual second extension for the incumbent cabinet secretary.

What this extension may also mean is a possible homecoming for Pulok Chaterji, a 1974 batch UP cadre IAS, who had earlier served as a secretary in PMO dealing with all important issues including transfers and appointments.

Significantly, babusofindia.com (BoI) speculated such a situation in a post dated way back to March 2, 2010. It wrote, “…if Mr Chandrasekhar is given another extension, it could also pave the way for Pulok Chaterji, a 1974 batch UP cadre IAS and close confidante of UPA chairwoman Sonia Gandhi, to supersede a few officers to grab the top bureaucrat’s job. A secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) during UPA’s first innings, Mr Chaterji is now in Washington DC serving as the executive director of the World Bank…”

(In Picture: Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh congratulating Dr Shah Faisal, the Civil Services topper for 2010 from Jammu and Kashmir, in New Delhi on May 26, 2010.)

Action and Appointments

a) The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Ms Nita Kapoor, a 1973 batch IDAS as secretary (defence finance) in place of Ms Indu Liberhan, a 1972 batch IDAS who is retiring on May 31, 2010.

b) The ACC has also approved the appointment of Manbir Singh, a 1976 batch IFS as secretary, at the headquarters of the ministry of external affairs (MEA) in place of Ms Parbati Sen Vyas, a 1975 batch IFS who is retiring on July 31, 2010.

c) Niten Chandra, a 1990 batch Orissa cadre IAS, presently working as director in the department of rural development has been appointed as joint secretary in that department.

BoI Extraa

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