Know about "public health expert" & new PMO JS Anu Garg; Atheeq joins Bank

Anu Garg

IN A minor reshuffle in Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Anu Garg, a 1991 batch Orissa cadre IAS currently working in department of health and family welfare, has been appointed as joint secretary in PMO. Armed with a decade-long association with health issues both at the state and the Centre, Ms Garg will be a resource on public health issues in the PMO in government’s social drive ahead of the 2014 general elections. The lateral shift of Ms Garg was necessitated…

Mrutyunjay Sarangi, one of 3 Sarangi IAS of 1977 batch, appointed as labour secretary

Mrutyunjay Sarangi, a 1977 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS with a PhD degree from US on demography, has bee appointed as India’s new labour secretary. Current secretary in the ministry of labour and employment PC Chaturvedi, a 1975 batch IAS, is retiring on August 31. Sarangi is currently working as a special secretary in the Cabinet secretariat.

An LLB and MA in political science Sarangi hails from Orissa. Joining as an assistant collector in the state in 1978, Sarangi was collector in Kancheepuram district. In 1990, he first joined the Centre on deputation. During the era of liberalization in early 1990s, Sarangi was a director in the ministry of power in New Delhi.

Significantly, three Sarangis, all hailing from Orissa, joined IAS in 1977. While Maharashtra’s additional chief secretary (home) and 1977 batch IAS Umesh Chandra Sarangi has recently hogged the limelight because of his engagement in back-channel talks with Anna Hazare, Tamil Nadu chief secretary Debendranath Sarangi is also Mrutyunjay Sarangi’s batch-mate.

Mrutyunjay Sarangi was with the Election Commission of India, particularly in delimitation commission, before joining as an additional secretary in the cabinet secretariat in July 2008.
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Anna Moment: “Invisible” IAS officers in AP

Call it an Anna effect. A few young IAS officers in Andhra Pradesh have begun a unique method to fight corruption. Calling themselves “The Invisible Crusaders”, these IAS officers give leads about corrupt employees to the state’s anti-corruption bureau, according to a local media report. Rather than taking disciplinary action against a corrupt employee, they collect a lot more evidence and hand those over to the right authority so that legal action can be taken against him.

Action and Appointments

a) R Ramanujam, a 1979 batch MP cadre IAS, presently in the cadre, has been appointed as additional secretary to the Prime Minister with effect from September 1, 2011.

INCUBATION: An Orissa university to begin a cell to train future IAS, IFS, IPS…

NOW, a Central university in Orissa will take the IAS coaching centers head-on, as the Koraput-based university is planning to start a specialized cell to train its students for appearing for competitive examination with a thrust on UPSC exam being held annually to select IAS, IFS IPS and other allied services.

Though many students from universities across India appear for such competitive examinations every year, universities never get involved in the process and remain focused on its own curricula. But the Central University, Koraput will now train those students separately for which IAS officers would be roped in as guest faculty, a report by The Times of India said.

Significantly, poor success rate of students from Orissa in such competitive examinations is believed to be the key reasons for such an initiative. According to the Vice Chancellor of the University, an advisory committee, comprising some senior IAS officers, was formed which will work out the course and the method of coaching.

Significantly, the University is collaborating with the British Council to improve the students’ communication skills and knowledge of English language.

If this trend is replicated by other universities too, there will be much more incubation space for future IAS, IFS, IPS across India.

Mizoram CM is unhappy with bureaucrats

Mizoram chief minister Pu Lal Thanhawla has found the demand of a pay hike for state government servants unreasonable as their output is not satisfactory. According to local media, the chief minister has blamed the bureaucrats for the state’s inability to spend Rs 70 cr Central funds. The CM was addressing Mizoram Civil Pensioners’ Association General Assembly in Aizawl recently. What has concerned the CM is the report that many civil servants devote just 2 hours for their office work.

Action and Appointments

The UP government has once again engineered a minor administrative reshuffle transferring four IAS officers including the Greater Noida CEO Mukul Singhal. Divisional Commissioner (Moradabad) Manoj Kumar will now be the new Greater Noida CEO after incumbent Mr Singhal has been transferred as Member (Judicial) in the Allahabad Revenue Board.