Any guess on UPA ministers, bureaucrats who requested Vinod Rai to drop names from CAG reports?

THIS photo shows former Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) Vinod Rai (standing left) with three UPA ministers: P Chidambaram, Pawan Kumar Bansal and SS Palanimanickam (of the DMK). Rai was the then the banking secretary, and he posed for this official photo ahead of one of Chidambaram’s budgets during UPA-I. Bansal and Palanimanickam were then the MoS, Finance, and in hierarchy Rai was junior to all those three ministers. But days before the release of his supposedly tell-all book, “Not Just An Accountant”, speculations have risen about the names of the UPA ministers who had visited his home with a request to…

PM recalls how P Chidambaram sent civil servants to IIMs in late 1980s

ON Wednesday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh talked about his ‘reformer’ colleague and current finance minister P Chidambaram while addressing a small gathering at his 7 Race Course Road residence. Incidentally, PM recalled how Chidambaram initiated a programme for civil servants 25 years ago, and what bureaucrats participating in that programme told Singh about it…

Will Guv Subbarao relent after meeting his ex-boss Chidambaram last weekend?

Chidambaram with Sebi chief UK Sinha

Will P Chidambaram’s maiden visit to Mumbai after he had taken over as finance minister on August 1, impact the amount that we pay as EMIs for our home and car loans? Along with three top North-Block bureaucrats, the finance minister flew down to the financial capital on Saturday and held serious deliberations with two former bureaucrats among others. Who are they, and what had transpired in those closed-door talks?

Has CAG Vinod Rai saved his ex-boss Chidambaram by dropping Padma audit?

CAG Vinod Rai

Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai, who took a hawkish stand against the government policies both in 2G spectrum allocations and Commonwealth Games, decided not to enter into the policy turf this time and dropped the move to audit Padma Awards selection. Had Rai, a 1972 batch IAS officer, allowed Director General Audit Central Expenditure (DGACE) Roy S Mathrani to carry on the Padma audit, it would have been embarrassing for home minister P Chidambaram who was Rai’s boss when Chidambaram was finance minister and Rai the banking secretary.

Padma Awards were instituted in the year 1954, but it has become more and more controversial in the recent years. It’s alleged that awards like Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri are at times given to the persons who had helped the ruling party in one way or the other.

The Joint Parliamentary Committee members, particularly of the Congress, grilled Rai on two occasions questioning the CAG’s calculation of the presumptive loss of whopping Rs 1,76,000 crore for not auctioning the 2G spectrum in January 2008.

The home ministry is the nodal ministry to select Padma awardees. Interestingly, Rai’s batch-mate in IAS, and that too from the same Kerala cadre GK Pillai was the home secretary till June, 2011.
Also Read

20 ex-bureaucrats in support of CAG

Vinod Rai's closed door meet in Shimla

Vacancy of Adviser’s post in Brussels

For officers at the rank of deputy secretary and director in government of India, here is a chance to work in Belgian capital Brussels. The government has advertised for filling up the post of Adviser (Industry and Engineering) in Embassy of India, Brussels, under the department of commerce.

The mandatory qualifications include two years of work at the Centre under the Central Staffing Scheme. The officer should have at least “very good” service record and should not be over 54 years of age.

Experiences in bilateral and trade negotiations and exposure to international trade will be added advantages.

Action and Appointments

a) The Centre has accorded its approval for inter-cadre deputation of Manish Kumar Verma, a 2000 batch IAS, from Orissa cadre to Bihar cadre for a period of five years.

Finmin deputy director PGS Rao’s 2G note on Chidambaram jolts UPA

Dr PGS Rao, the finance ministry bureaucrat and author of the 14-page note dragging home minister P Chidambaram into 2G scam, would have walked into North Block grossly unnoticed. Not any longer.

Maybe, you can’t still recognize him even if you walk past him while going on a morning walk at Mandir Marg in New Delhi’s Gole Market where he resides. Rao, a deputy director (infra and energy) in department of economic affairs under finance ministry, was never seen behind Pranab babu when he talks to media in front of the Finmin’s main gate.

The note prepared by Rao and “seen by” finance minister Pranab Mukherjee has already sent tremors in UPA-II government as it clearly stated that Chidambaram, then finance minister, could have tried harder to force A Raja, then telecom minister to auction valuable spectrum, instead of merely agreeing to Raja’s methods. The note was already produced in court as a piece of evidence in support of Chidambaram’s alleged role in 2G spectrum case that according to Comptroller and Auditor General caused a loss of whopping Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the exchequer.

Rao’s note dated March 25, 2011, was sent to Vini Mahajan, joint secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office. An RTI applicant procured it through the official channels from the PMO.

The principal opposition party BJP wants Chidambaram to resign in the wake of the finance ministry note “seen by” none other than UPA heavyweight Pranab Mukherjee. Law minister Salman Khurshid however dismissed Rao’s note saying that it “comes from a junior official in the (finance) ministry...it’s not a paper that is being sent either by a senior functionary or a minister”.

In government hierarchy, a deputy director comes much below in the line up which is as follows: Secretary---Additional Secretary---Joint Secretary---Director---Under Secretary…

Action and Appointments

a) R Gopalakrishnan, a 1979 batch MP cadre IAS and additional secretary to Prime Minister, has been appointed as Member Secretary, National Innovation Council, in the rank and pay of additional secretary, for a period of two years. Gopalakrishnan, who had earlier served as private secretary to former MP chief minister Digvijay Singh, relinquished his charge in the Prime Minister’s Office after completing his tenure on September 23, 2011. He joined PMO soon after UPA-I came into power in 2004. 

Will Dr Faesal and his friends succeed in saving a six-decade old Indian brand, IAS?

IT’S a tale of two doctors, Dr Shah Faesal, the IAS topper of 2009 and Dr Ravi Inder Singh, 1994 batch IAS and home ministry director who was recently detained for allegedly leaking information in lieu of money and sex. Both happen to be MBBS-turned IAS officers, but they are not on the same side when it comes to Brand IAS.

On last Thursday, India’s home minister P Chidambaram released a video entitled “Ray of Hope”, prepared by government-run autonomous organization, National Foundation for Communal Harmony, highlighting the importance of peace, communal harmony and national integration. The video has featured Dr Shah Faesal, 2009 batch IAS topper hailing from the trouble-torn Jammu and Kashmir, as the Goodwill Ambassador of NFCH. In the video, Dr Faesal has highlighted the need of being resilient against odds in life. While home minister Chidambaram released the politically correct video of featuring the young Indian IAS from Jammu and Kashmir, another IAS, a director ranked officer from Chidambaram’s own ministry was already detained as he allegedly leaked sensitive information related to a telecom company. And his reported code language, software from Uzbekistan, meaning sex workers from that country, became a spicy topic for discussion both inside and outside the corridors.

Here comes the big question in corridors of power--- is it the beginning of an end to Brand IAS? Remember, every IAS officer is a big brand in his locality and many middle class families virtually worship IAS officers of their locality or districts as big heroes. And there are many occasions in which IAS toppers are more popular than local MPs and MLAs, both elected representatives.

So, will the young breed of IAS officers being represented by Dr Faesal and his friends be able to stop the fast erosion of a century-old brand, Indian Administrative Service (IAS). Though IAS was formed in 1946, it was a much older brand considering that Indian Civil Service that was created in 1893 was just another name of today’s IAS. But Ravi Inder saga is just one of many recent occasions where brand IAS gets diluted. In February, 2010, Arvind Kumar Joshi and Tinoo Joshi, both 1979 batch Madhya Pradesh cadre IAS, became the talk of the corridors when I-T sleuths recovered a whopping Rs 3.1 crore in cash, jewellery and documents of properties disproportionate to their known sources of income. Similar raids also recovered Rs 52 lakh cash and jewellery worth Rs 72 lakh.from the residence of 1988 batch Chhattisgarh cadre IAS, Babulal Agrawal.

What’s more, in the world of RTIs and growing activism, if the IAS officers finally succumb to the public pressure to disclose their assets, more fall guys are bound to surface. Your assets, your file noting and yes, your telephonic conversations could soon be under public scrutiny!

Also Read

An IAS couple in crores

Officer with 220 bank accounts

Munna Bhai MBBS, an MHA insider

Hardware is Room, Software means Sex

Manmohan Singh's prescription for IAS 

Chidambaram to tighten attendance norms in Home Ministry

THOSE working in home ministry are under pressure now as home minister P Chidambaram is keen to punish those who come late and skip office midway. For the non-serious lot who love to play cards outside the North Block during lunch time, the biometrics machines installed last year to check attendance of office goers have turned out to be quite a threat.

But, the home ministry has now said it will punish workers who come late or leave early after employees are found to have skipped the entire attendance process. There are no data available on how many employees have not participated in Chidambaram’s dream project of biometric attendance which is expected to be followed in other ministries too.

According to rules, a person who is late by 10 minutes three times a month loses a casual leave. According to the attendance rules, employees including officers, put in eight hours of work a day and 40 hours a week.

Also Read
Report of Committee of Experts on Disciplinary and Vigilance Inquiries July, 2010, DoPT

Lady IPS officer who testified against Advani may be shifted to US, claims Pak daily

1990 batch UP cadre IPS officer Anju Gupta, who has recently become a newsmaker thanks to her testimony against BJP leader LK Advani in an 18-year-old case of demolition of Babri mosque, could head towards an US posting because of security reasons, a Pakistani newspaper said.

According to Daily Times who broke the story said the senior UP cadre police officer who was incidentally was an eyewitness of the destruction at Ayodhya on December 6, 1992 is expected to be appointed an attaché at the Indian Embassy in Washington DC.

The newspaper quoting Indian home ministry sources said that she might face security threats because of her deposition and might be shifted to the US along with her husband Safi Ahsan Rizvi, an IPS of 1989 batch. Mr Rizvi who is an MBA from premier B-School IIM-Ahmedabad, is an Officer in Special Duty (OSD) to India’s home minister P Chidambaram.

Significantly, Ms Gupta who as an IPS officer was the part of the administrative arrangements in Faizabad on the fateful days leading to the demolition of the mosque said that Mr Advani delivered a provocative speech to the throng of kar sevaks who eventually tore down the mosque.

Ms Gupta, 47, now serves the ministry of home affairs (MHA) in New Delhi. In late 1990s she was far ahead of her peers in cracking down criminals in and around Lucknow, and was decorated with the Police Medal for meritorious services on February 8, 2009. She also has immense contribution in counter-human trafficking measures in India.

Also Read
Orissa IPS officer booked for torturing wife
Massive IPS recruitment drive may become a reality
Promotion of an IPS makes others unhappy
Prez Patil says she is proud of more women joining IPS

Search Your Name

Wish to know about what's your batch-mates are up to? Just write his or her name, or the year of your batch in “google custom search” above to spot what babu blogger has written about him. Happy searching, and read about the newsmakers.

Massive IPS recruitment drive may become a reality soon; junior state police officers to gain

FOR junior ranking police officers of various states, it’s a rare chance to clinch the IPS status. If home minister P Chidambaram has his way, the department of personnel and training (DoPT) and the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) may have to change rules to conduct a special recruitment drive, open to serving junior ranking police officers from State and Central police forces, to fill about 490 IPS (Indian Police Service) posts.

To overcome the shortage of direct recruitment quota of IPS officers, the ministry of home affairs (MHA) has proposed to fill about 490 posts in that quota through the mode of Limited Competitive Examination in a time span of seven years. The unique proposal is under consideration by DoPT and UPSC. Minister of state in the MHA Ajay Maken revealed it in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

IIM-A discontinues course for bureaucrats 

India’s top B-school IIM-A has suspended a course specially designed for bureaucrats understandably after the government had refused to pay more money for its sponsoring candidates. IIM-A said it will not be announcing admissions to its one-year course, Post Graduate Programme in Public Management and Policy (PGP-PMP), offered to Group A service civil servants in India since 2007.

According a section of media reports, the hike of fee structure is one of main reasons for the suspension of the course. The DoPT, which sponsors the fees of the selected candidates, has reportedly told the institute its inability to pay Rs 20 lakh fee per student, up from Rs 8 lakh last year, and the 3-year-long MoU between IIM-A and DoPT was not extended.

Action and Appointments

a) 3 Selection Grade (deputy secretary) officers of CSS have been elevated as directors. They are, AK Sood (to be director in rural development), Anil Malhotra (director, Planning Commission) and RC Gupta (director, defence).

Babus in Demand

The government has proposed to fill up the post of chairman, Tea Board at the joint secretary level at the pay band of Rs 37,400 to Rs 67000 (PB-4) with a grade pay of Rs 10,000 on deputation basis. The selected officer will be posted in Kolkata. The officers empanelled as joint secretary at the Centre may apply for the post.

Detailed DoPT CIRCULAR, dated March 8, 2010

Chidambaram’s blue-eyed boy Arbind Modi finds his way to Plan Panel

ARBIND Modi, a 1981 batch IRS (I-T) officer and the blue eyed boy of home minister P Chidambaram has been appointed as Consultant in the Planning Commission in the same pay and grade in which he was working in his present cadre, for a period of 3 years. He was one of the main architects of the proposed direct tax code which Mr Chidambaram as the finance minister pursued hard to give it a concrete step. Mr Modi’s tenure as joint secretary in the revenue department under the ministry of finance was however not extended a few months ago despite Mr Chidambaram and deputy chairman of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia had reportedly requested finance minister Pranab Mukherjee at a personal capacity to consider his extension. Significantly, the IRS officers unitedly lobbied against the Code, designed and evolved by their fellow IRS Mr Modi and a handful of his colleagues.

(In Picture: Railway minister Mamata Banerjee with her team of officials on the eve of presenting the railway Budget on Wednesday)

Action and Appointments

a) The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the proposal for the regularization of overstay by VK Singh, a 1987 batch AP cadre IPS officer for the period September 10, 2004 to March 4, 2005, while on inter-cadre deputation from Andhra Pradesh to Bihar.

b) The competent authority has approved that UN Panjiyar, a 1973 batch Bihar cadre IAS IAS and secretary in the ministry of water resources will continue to hold the additional charge of the post of secretary, ministry of parliamentary affairs during the absence on leave of Anil Kumar, a 1973 batch UP cadre IAS up to March 3, 2010.

c) The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has rejected the proposal of the ministry of health and family welfare to appoint Vineet Chowdhry, a 1982 batch Himachal Pradesh IAS, presently joint secretary in the department as senior Deputy Director General(Admn) in Indian Council of Medical Research(ICMR) under the department of health research, on lateral shift basis.

d) Evan Rynjah Solomon, a 1980 batch IA&ASofficer has been appointed as joint secretary in the ministry of minority affairs for a period of five years.

e) Nirmal Kumar Sinha, a 1982 batch IRSE officer has been appointed as Deputy Director General (Joint Secretary level) in the Unique identification Authority of India (UIDAI) at Delhi under the Planning Commission for a period of 5 years.

f) Hindupur Pradeep Rao, a 1981 batch IA&AS officer has been appointed as joint secretary and financial adviser, in the department of expenditure for a period of five years.

g) The competent authority has approved the premature reversion of M Deena Dayalan, a 1978 batch IA&AS as joint secretary and financial adviser in the department of expenditure to his parent cadre with immediate effect in order to enable him to avail the benefit of promotion to the next higher grade in the cadre.

Bureaucrats in Rakesh Mohan headed committee on transport

Who are the bureaucrats in newly formed Rakesh Mohan-headed high level national transport development policy committee? The committee will be chaired by Dr Rakesh Mohan in an honorary capacity, with the rank of minister of state.

The members are chairman, railway board, secretary, ministry of urban development, secretary, ministry of road transport and highways, secretary, ministry of civil aviation, secretary, ministry of shipping, secretary, department of financial services, secretary, ministry of coal, secretary, ministry of power, secretary, ministry of petroleum & natural gas, adviser to Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, chairman, RITES, M Ravindra, former chairman, Railway Board, S Sundar, former transport secretary, DP Gupta, former DG Roads, BN Puri, senior consultant (transport) who will be Member Secretary of the committee.

Why Mittal was sacked by Kalmadi?

Any clue why Sanjeev Mittal, a 1984 batch Indian Defence Accounts officer who was appointed by the PMO in Commonwealth Games organizing committee was sacked by chairman Suresh Kalmadi? Write to babu.blogger1@gmail.com

Behind the scene saga of tax hounds targeting IAS officers’ premises

IF THE recent spurt of income tax raids at the premises of all powerful IAS officers of the country is any indication, there is an underlying message – the high and mighty of Indian administration too have to pay a price for amassing wealth disproportionate to their known sources of income. But who has taken this key decision of intruding into IAS officers’ citadel?

Does it mean that politicians of the ruling party have suddenly woken up to the fact that some of its top administrators, read Arvind or Tinoo Joshi, or Babulal Agrawal, have amasses huge cash-in-hand giving complexity to the country’s most corrupt politicians? Or else, does it mean IAS officers had all along been clean, and their resorting to corruption is a relatively new phenomenon?

Both these arguments are absurd, and rather ridiculous. But why then IAS or retired IAS officers (read former mining secretary of Jharkhand, Jaishankar Tiwari) are being repeatedly targeted by tax sleuths only now? If sources close to the development are correct, I-T officials (IRS officers) who are numbered over 4000 have been silently waging a war to end supremacy of IAS in the department, and in the process have shown their strength by targeting the vulnerable lot among the powerful IAS.

In fact, unlike in the railways or postal departments where IAS officers don’t dictate terms, the IRS officers ultimately come under the revenue secretary of the ministry of finance, and the top IRS officer, or the chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes, holds the rank of a special secretary – one notch below the full-fledged secretary. In other words, the current CBDT chairman, for example, is two batches senior to revenue secretary Sunil Mitra, a 1975 batch IAS, but in the rank he is junior to Mr Mitra.

Significantly, the relations between top taxmen of the country and former revenue secretary PV Bhide, a 1972 batch AP cadre IAS, reached all time low, particularly after the direct tax code was unveiled without consulting the CBDT board members. As the Code proposed to curtail the power of the taxmen by making them a mere a tax collecting entity, all IRS officers fought the battle in unity, and virtually paralyzed the idea originally mooted by former finance minister P Chidambaram and a handful of his key officers. But current finance minister Pranab Mukherjee agreed to the taxmen’s concerns, and the Code is unlikely to get featured in the forthcoming General Budget.

It now remains to be seen whether the country’s top taxmen succeed in converting CBDT into a full-fledged department in line with Indian Railways or India Post, but their recent targets in IAS officers’ premises have sent jitters through powerful administrators across the country who otherwise find their premises almost impregnable from all quarters including the tax hounds!

Also Read

The IAS with 220 bank accounts

Suspended IAS power couple Arvind and Tinoo Joshis' date with Delhi's ministries

Action and Appointments

a) Prabeer Kumar Basu, a 1976 batch Bihar cadre IAS has been appointed as secretary in the department of agriculture and cooperation in place of T Nanda Kumar, a 1972 batch Jharkhand cadre IAS who is retiring on February 28, 2010.

b) The appointments committee of the cabinet (ACC) has approved that SK Singh, A 1984 batch IPS may be relieved with effect from the receipt of orders.

c) The extension of tenure of Rajive Kumar, a 1981 batch UP cadre IAS and joint secretary in Cabinet Secretariat has been approved for a period of one year with effect from March 13, 2010.

Young at 65! Planning Commission’s definition of “young professionals”

Sounds funny, but the Planning Commission has been looking for filling up the post of Young Professionals with the maximum age of 65 years! Read YESTERDAY'S POST on jobcorridor.com

Is bureaucrats' huge land bank in Greater Hyderabad a reason for proposing Union Territory status to the city?

CALL it a logic or falacy in the recent debate of Hyderabad's fate in the entire Telengana controversy, but a Maoist leader now argues that bureaucrats who have purchased huge track of land in and around Hyderabad have their own interest in disassociating the city from Telengana and converting it into a union territory on the line of Chandigarh. Maoist leader Kishenji told a section of media that nearly 40,000 acres of land in Greater Hyderbad belong to either serving or retired bureaucrats, and that has forced many civil servants to create this new controversy whether Hyderabad should be a part of proposed state or not. In fact, a large portion of this land bank is occupied by vineyards, he said. He reiterated that Hyderabad is a part of Telengana region, and it must remain so. In fact, after home minister P Chidambaram first announced that a separate state of Telengana would be created, there was a big debate how Hyderbad's brand value which was created over the years would be diluted to a large extent if the city belongs to the new state. Many analysts believe that land owners of Hyderabad would be able to unlock value if the city is converted into a Union territory instead. Ex-bureaucrat appointed as trustee of Somnath Temple Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and former chief secretary of Gujarat P K Laheri have been appointed as new trustees of the Somnath Temple trust. Senior BJP leader, and the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha L K Advani is already a trustee there. BoI announcement: Posting Comments If you find a note saying "Comment could not be processed" while posting comments, don't get disheartened. Just give a second try, it would be immediately processed. Be a party to babu blogger's attempt to spot the right news in power corridors, and tell what does it mean for you and your life! Hey there! babublogger is now using Twitter Check at http://twitter.com/babublogger

Defence Jobs: 3000 additional personnel to be inducted into Coast Guard

GOOD news for those looking at opportunities in defence sector. Defence minister AK Antony himself announced on Wednesday that government had sanctioned nearly 3,000 additional personnel at various levels and this needs to be filled up on priority. The proposed quantum jump in the number of Indian Coast Guard personnel will make it a potent force to counter terrorism from the sea. Mr Antony was addressing the 28th Coast Guard Commanders’ Conference. Mr Antony asked the Coast Guard top brass to explore innovative ways to develop infrastructure support for the Coast Guard fleet in the days to come. "Since its inception, Coast Guard has maintained its fleet with minimal shore infrastructure. You have been managing the fleet through outsourcing repairs & refit. However, the massive expansion being charted through ship acquisition will significantly develop the shore infrastructure," he said. More jobs are being created in police forces too after home minister P Chidambaram has found manpower shortage a major constraint in ensuring safety and security to citizens. B for Bureaucrats: PM wants to retain his Team B With the tenure of PMO joint secretary Sanjay Mitra being extended for two more years, it has now been almost confirmed that Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh himself is very much keen to retain the same team for his second innings too. Mr Mitra is a 1982 batch West Bengal cadre IAS. Earlier, tenures of PMO joint secretaries R Gopalakrishnan, Ms Vini Mahajan, and secretary M N Prasad were extended. Read: PM retains key officers to bring in continuity (October 1, 2009)

Action & Appointments Dr C S Kedar, a 1979 batch Karnataka cadre IAS, presently working as joint secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat has been appointed as Director General, Employees State Insurance Corporation under the Ministry of Labour and Employment on lateral transfer basis, by temporarily downgrading the post to the joint secretary level for the period upto June 4, 2013, or until further orders.

CVC for major penalty proceedings against 106 officers The Central Vigilance Commission advised initiations of major penalty proceedings against 106 officers. Of these, 21 were from ministry of railways, 21 from public sector banks, 13 from MCD, 8 from Northern Coalfields Ltd., five from Central Coalfields Ltd., four each from CBEC, MHA & ministry of urban development, three each from PG Institute of Medical Education & CBDT, two each from Department of Telecommunications, ministry of labour and ESIC. The Commission also advised imposition of major penalty against 68 officers including 14 from National Aluminum Co. Ltd., 12 each from Central Coalfileds Ltd. & Public Sector Banks, six from ministry of railways, five each from National Insurance Co. Ltd. & DDA, two each from Border Roads Development Board & Central Board of Excise and Customs.

A Panther black Ford Ikon parked near Pranab babu’s white ambassador creates a drama outside the North Block on Tuesday

A BLACK Ford Ikon parked not so far away from finance minister Pranab Mukherjee’s white ambassador outside a North Block gate made a new security guard so upset that he wanted the driver to take it away immediately to the general parking lot. It was Tuesday afternoon when babu blogger witnessed the high-voltage drama of the Ikon’s driver refusing to obey the security personnel’s order saying that the car belonged to a secretary, and he had every right to park it right there. But the security personnel on his part refused to believe the driver as he believed no government officer’s car could be a black one if not a white ambassador. But that’s the reality in the parking lots of Delhi’s power corridors. More and more non-ambassador cars donning red lights and ferrying ministers and officers are quite visible in Lutyen’s Delhi now. In fact, home minister P Chidambaram was the first to get a new Ford Fiesta car replacing the Maruti Esteem used by him during the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. But it’s white in colour which makes it still acceptable amongst white ambassadors. Yet, among the new Ford Ikons bought for finance ministry officials, there were ones in Panther black colour making them stand out in the parking lot. According to media reports, the Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals — a central purchase organisation of the Central government under the ministry of commerce and industries —approved Ford Fiesta and Ford Ikons after those cars were found more suitable than ambassadors. In fact, chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and Infosys Technologies co-founder Nandan Nilekani disappointed many techies from Bangalore who wanted him to travel in a red light-fitted white ambassador in Delhi. Mr Nilekani instead preferred a Tata Indica, and that’s too without a siren! Action & Appointments a) Justice Jiwan Chandra Singh Rawat, Judge of the Uttarakhand High Court has been transferred as a Judge of the Jharkhand High Court. He may assume charge of his office in the Jharkhand High Court on or before October 3, 2009. b) Justice Tarun Agarwala, Judge of the Allahabad High Court has been transferred as a Judge of the Uttarakhand High Court. He may assume charge of his office in the Uttarakhand High Court on or before October 3, 2009. Japan’s new PM not to reprimand excellent bureaucrats Japan’s new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said in his first press conference a few days ago that he might have begun the process of bestowing more power to the country’s elected representatives but had “no reason to reprimand excellent bureaucrats who work hard for the Japanese people”. It was a big relief to the bureaucrats around the world as Japan’s initiatives against bureaucracy could have impacted babudom around the world. After all, those who engage in Yen carry forward trade know it well that a little appreciation of Yen leads to the tumbling of equity markets across the globe!

Read, "Imagine secretary Pillai or Chawla debarred from briefing press; but new Japanese govt bans bureaucrats holding press meets" posted on September 16, 2009

Govt may constitute a high-level committee to recommend changes in Indian civil servants’ training modules

A MAJOR change of the current training programme for Indian civil servants could be a reality soon. The government may form a committee under a secretary or an additional secretary level official to recommend a new set of training modules which are more relevance in today’s context, friends of babu blogger said. In fact, a section of content of the current training modules is said to have become outdated which needs to be replaced by new content which are of more relevance today. Also, the government may look into the dynamic process adopted by other countries in constantly updating the course. An official also told babu blogger that the new package of training may emphasize a lot not just on training at the entry level, but mid-career courses as well. For the beginners, LBS National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie is the main training academy catering mostly to the IAS officers, whereas Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy is meant for Indian Police Service (IPS) officers. The other services of civil servants in India have separate training academies too.

Home minister asks top cops to speak up against arbitrary transfers The Union home minister P Chidambaram asked the country’s top cops to speak up against random transfer. While inaugurating a conference of DGPs/IGPs in New Delhi on Monday, he said that it was a matter of deep regret that many police officers were reduced to “a football, to be kicked here and there, from one post to another, without regard to the damage done to the job as well as the officer”. He further asked senior police officers to speak up against arbitrary postings. “Why do you remain silent when arbitrary postings and transfers are made by the state government? Is it not your duty, as the head of the state police, to raise your voice not only on behalf of your officers but also on behalf of the people that you are duty bound to protect? As one famous Judge said, ‘When there is a duty to speak, silence is culpable’.” he said. Read, "MHA officials in jitters as P Chidambaram writes long comments on performance appraisal reports" posted on June 1, 2009. Also read, "MHA directive! Don’t be late in office or go early; your entry and exit are registered biometrically" posted on September 2, 2009

Action & Appointments a) Tenure of Ashok Kumar, a 1982 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IPS as Joint Director in the CBI has been extended for a period of two years. b) Ranjan Chatterjee, a 1976 batch Assam cadre IAS has been appointed as a consultant in the Planning Commission in the pay of additional secretary for a period of three years. c) Ms Rajwant Sandhu, a 1975 batch Himachal Pradesh cadre IAS, presently special secretary in the ministry of Panchayati Raj has been appointed as secretary, department of drinking water supply in the ministry of rural development in the vacancy of Shantanu Consul, who has become DoPT secretary.

India’s top cops meet in Delhi between September 14 and 16 to brainstorm internal security issues

INDIA'S senior most policemen like DGPs will gather in New Delhi for three days beginning September 14, to deliberate on issues concerning internal security. Union home minister P Chidambaram will inaugurate the meet whereas Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh will address the conference on September 15, 2009 in addition to presenting police medals for meritorious services. The major issues that are likely to dominate the meet include internal security threats, including Left Wing extremism , coastal security, insurgency in the North-East and circulation of fake currency notes among others. The agenda also includes presentations on important policing issues such as national police mission, corporate frauds and security arrangements for the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in 2010. Director, Intelligence Bureau, is the ex-officio chairman of the conference. Following the tradition established by Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, the first home minister of the country, the conference is customarily inaugurated by the Union home minister.

Setting up of employee and pensioner databases proposed The Thirteenth Finance Commission (TFC) has come out with a discussion paper which may help states setting up employee and pensioners databases. It included findings of a study in order to document the experiences of states that have achieved progress with employee and pensioner databases and data management systems, as well as to develop a roadmap through which the remaining states can achieve a similar outcome. Significantly, the Thirteenth Finance Commission was constituted on November 13, 2007 to make recommendations on sharing of net proceeds of Central taxes with the states and on various other specified aspects of Centre-State fiscal relations for the period April 1, 2010 to March 31, 2015. The current study on setting up of employee and pensioners databases was conducted by Subhash Garg, IAS, and principal secretary in government of Rajasthan and Gautam Bhardwaj, MD, Invest India Economic Foundation. “Over the last two decades, expenditure on salaries and pensions has emerged as the single largest expenditure head for state governments… The lack of reliable data on employees and pensioners has also limited the ability of individual states to undertake sound fiscal planning, estimate the impact of Pay Commissions or plan their development expenditure. Though some states have attempted to build employee and pensioner databases, a majority of states are yet to make any significant progress on this front”, the preface of the paper said. For details, visit http://fincomindia.nic.in/

Action & Appointments Justice Bipin Chandra Kandpal, senior-most Judge of the Uttarakhand High Court has been appointed as the Chief Justice of that High Court with effect from September 10, 2009 when the current incumbent Justice Vinod Kumar Gupta retired.

Govt sends reminder No 3 to ministries before fixing lump-sum cash incentives for outstanding sportspersons

THE Central government has continued to remind its ministries to furnish views on the proposal of fixing a lump-sum incentive amount to be granted to sportspersons who win a gold, silver or bronze medal in national or international tournaments. The department of personnel and training (DoPT) has recently issued a letter with a big font-sized hand written letters, “Reminder No III” emphasizing that the ministries should furnish their views on the subject without any further delay. As the Commonwealth Games, 2010, to be held in New Delhi is approaching, and India is seriously bidding for Olympic Games for 2020, the move is believed to encourage outstanding sportspersons and create healthier environment for sports culture. The department had earlier issued two office memos regarding the same, one in August, 2008 and the other in October, 2008. But most ministries have not furnished their views as yet, making it difficult for the government to go ahead in formulating a policy whereby lump-sum incentives for the distinguished sportspersons can be determined. A copy of the office memo dated August 26, 2008 has been uploaded on the DoPT website. “All the Ministries/Departments are again requested to expedite the matter and furnish their considered views at the earliest to enable this Department to review the existing provisions for grant of incentives to Government servants who show excellence in the sporting events of National and international importance,” a DoPT letter said. The policy may also clear doubts whether their earnings are taxable or not. In case of Olympics gold medalist Abhinav Bindra, for example, authorities declared him as a non-professional sportsperson, exempting him from paying income tax. However, several other Olympians such as Gagan Narang, Saina Nehawal, Sathi Geeta and J J Shobha were given cash incentive of Rs 5 lakh each last year by Andhra Pradesh government, but the cheques were given after IT deduction and each sportsperson got a cheque for Rs 3.45 lakh only.

Read, "WATERLOO: Civil servants may show their talent in a Water Polo event in Delhi" dated July 29, 2009 Chidambaram to meet US intelligence officials in New York this week Union home minister P Chidambaram will be on a four-day visit of the United States from Tuesday. During the visit, he will meet the Secretary of State and senior officials involved in security and intelligence matters in the US. The Indian home minister will interact with heads of homeland security and intelligence agencies including the FBI officials, and will also look at the functioning of the New York Police department.

MHA directive! Don’t be late in office or go early; your entry and exit are registered biometrically

IF you are working with the ministry of home affairs (MHA) in Delhi, make sure you reach office dot on time. Home minister P Chidambaram inaugurated a biometric attendance control system on Tuesday under which all officials of the ministry would be registering their arrivals in the morning and departure for the day. According to an Indian government release, the Web-based system consists of 15 machines installed at various gates in three buildings where officers and other employees of MHA are housed, namely – North Block, Jaisalmer House and Lok Nayak Bhawan. The system became functional immediately after Union home minister inaugurated it by registering his attendance on Tuesday morning. If the system is extended to other ministries as well, it would not be easy for any of the five million, or 50 lakh Central government employees to take life easy and come to office late. Meanwhile, in a move that would curb random transfer of police personnel in the country, the government would accord two-year tenures to key police functionaries, except under exceptional circumstances. Also, the government would set up two Police Establishment Boards (PEB) in each UT, one for the ranks of Inspectors and above and the other for Sub-Inspectors and below, which will decide on transfers, postings, promotions and other service related matters would then be decided by those boards. Also, IPS cadre review of the states of West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh were completed, according to a MHA report card for the month of August. It further said that Central government sanctioned additional manpower of 6,478 policemen at a cost of Rs 199.15 crore per annum for the city of Delhi.

Time to Splurge: Rs 17,500 crore for government employees in mid-September

YES, about Rs 17,500 crore will come into the pockets of government employees in mid-September ensuring that five million families in India will have a party time ahead of Diwali and Durga Puja. In fact, government employees are set for the bonanza with the Centre releasing the second and last installment of arrears promised in 6th Pay Commission last year. The government employees received 40% of the arrears last year. Though the office memorandum of finance ministry released last Tuesday did not mention when exactly the remaining 60% arrear would be handed over, sources said, it would be given to the government employees in mid-September. So how are you investing or splurging that amount? Here are a few tips from babu blogger: 1) If you plan to buy a flat, look out for special discounts that many builders give for government employees. 2) If you wish to buy a car, bargain hard with the bank for a lower interest rate insisting that yours is the safest job during this bad time of economy. 3) Don’t splurge everything. Spare some money for rainy days and invest it in a few selective saving instruments. Last but not the least, don’t just save the entire money either. Why? First, during this economic downturn, many durable assets mainly real estates, are priced comparatively less. Secondly, government sincerely wants you to spend rather than save. If you spend 17K crore, it may stir the economy and help reviving many sectors!

Time schedule for completion of PAR for IAS The performance appraisal reports, or PARs of IAS officers are required to be completed at different stages strictly as per the time schedule given in All India (PAR) Rules, 2007, a department of personnel and training (DoPT) memo said. Rule 5.1 of these rules provides that "if PAR for a financial year is not recorded by 31st December of the year in which the financial year ended, no remarks may be recorded thereafter and the officer may be assessed on the basis of the overall record and self assessment for the year, if he has submitted his self assessment in time”. It has been decided that for the PARs of the year 2008-09, only such remarks of the reporting, reviewing and accepting authorities would be kept in the PARs dossier of the officer reported upon as are recorded by 31st December 2009, and that this practice would be followed uniformly in the coming years, it further said. Read, “Can every IAS, IPS or IFS be MS Dhoni or Sachin Tendulkar? Government says NO” posted on June 11, 2009. Also read, “MHA officials in jitters as P Chidambaram writes long comments on performance appraisal reports”, posted June 1, 2009. Tribal affairs ministry claims to have a site allowing citizens contacting officials through web The ministry of tribal affairs has claimed its revamped “Dynamic Website” (http://tribal.nic.in/) help members of the general public contacting the concerned officers directly through e-mail and apprise them of their problems and views. The website has the facility of a “Help Desk” through which people would be able to contact the ministry officials, it claims. Why don’t you try it yourself?

Serious Business: Mamata’s payment for tea in cash-rich railways irks officials

TRINAMOOL Congress leader and railway minister Mamata Banerjee’s actions have made officials in Rail Bhawan awe struck. Railway babus, who get freebies including rail passes to travel around the country, are wondering how they should react to the situation where their minister pays for her cup of tea in the office. In fact, the department of railways is the most profit-making arm of the Central government with a profit of whopping Rs 90,000 cr during the last five years. But officials and employees close to the new minister are worried that they may have to pay everything from their pocket, and days of freebees could be over. What’s if the minister, who has already revoked the rule of giving life-long free first class rail tickets to former railway ministers, asks her employees to pay for everything beginning with tea! The bureaucrats, who went all the way to Kolkata carrying official files for Ms Banerjee to assume office there, now feel that nothing is impossible in Rail Bhawan so long as Didi is well on track. Politicians question Welsh civil servants’ splurge of £5 mn on car hire Forget home minister P Chidambaram receiving a brand new Ford sedan for a moment, the spending of whopping five million pound, or roughly Rs 40 crore by Welsh civil servants in UK for hiring of cars was branded “unacceptable” by the politician who uncovered details of the expenditure. In the politician-bureaucrat showdown, it was pointed out how such a huge amount was spent on car hiring for the last five years when video conference facilities have begun to reduce bureaucrats travel in that part of UK.