Look beyond financial aspects and focus on overall defence scenario: President Mukherjee to IDAS probationers

President of India with IDAS probationers (2015 batch)

THE focus of the Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDAS) officers should not just be the financial aspects, but they must think for overall defence scenario in the country, said President of India Pranab Mukherjee when a group of IDAS probationers of 2015 batch called on him at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday. Significantly, Mukherjee in his long political career handled both the defence and finance portfolios. President further told the probationers that as watchdogs, Indian Defence Accounts Service officers need to be careful in…

Know more about 3 new books on Rashtrapati Bhavan

ON SATURDAY, three books on Rashtrapati Bhavan containing various facets of the President’s estate, were released. Under Pranab Mukherjee as the President of India, a number of new initiatives — multi-volume documentation project, smart gram initiative, visitor’s conference, laureates and leaders summit —were taken up. But which are these three new books and what do they contain? Here is the brief description of each one of those:

What President Mukherjee tells IIS, ITS officer trainees

OFFICER trainees of various services such as IAS, IPS and other Group “A” services are always taken to Rashtrapati Bhavan for a meeting with the President of India. A couple of days ago, probationers of Indian Information Service, Indian Trade Service and Indian Posts and Telecommunication Accounts and Finance Service called on the President. The President always makes it a point to give his prescription on governance, apart from having customary photo shoots. Here are 10 key points that President Pranab Mukherjee told to these young civil servants on Tuesday:

“You are not in Railways just to earn a living” — President Mukherjee's prescription to IR probationers

INDIAN RAILWAYS (IR) has a deeper meaning than being a mere transportation system, said President Pranab Mukherjee when he had interacted with a group of probationers of various Indian railway services — Indian Railway Service of Engineers, Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers and Railway Protection Force — at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday. President also reminded the probationers that they are not in Indian Railways merely for earning a livelihood, but for making a meaningful contribution to the nation. Based on the statement issued by Rashtrapati Bhavan, BoI here presents 8 major points that President Mukherjee made while addressing the young officer-trainees:

Prez Mukherjee gives a pep talk to young IRS probationers; says tax collection “not easy”

PRESIDENT Pranab Mukherjee on Monday said the role and responsibilities of customs and central excise departments have increased manifold and become more complex over the years. He was addressing a group of…

How political leaders and civil servants often quote classical India’s top thinker, Kautiliya of Arthashastra fame

Chanakya Statue in an I-T office

LAST week, President of India Pranab Mukherjee quoted Kautiliya, once more. “The happiness of the people is the happiness of the king”, he said, quoting the author of the ancient treatise Arthashastra. BoI here picks out a few instances of political leaders and top civil servants remembering classical India’s top thinker Kautiliya, popularly known as Chanakya, to explain the nuances of good governance.

Prez Gives Tips: How bureaucrats should be patient, tactful in withstanding political pressure

LBSNAA

IT WAS sometime in 1970s. “Mr Minister, when I receive instructions from you, I do not look at your face. I look beyond your face, at the vast multitude of people of this country who have chosen you to be here.” This was what a senior Government of India secretary replied to then young minister, now President of India, Pranab Mukherjee when he asked the bureaucrat whether he felt “embarrassed” taking…

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…

With Pranab Mukherjee resigning as FM, PMO is back in North Block

Senior officials giving farewell to Pranab Mukherjee on July25

WITH Congress’ Presidential nominee Pranab Mukherjee resigning as finance minister today, Prime Minister’s Office will have a major foothold in North Block. For the last three years, Cabinet secretariat and PMO did not interfere much in affairs of the finance ministry mainly because of the stature Mukherjee enjoyed both in government and the Congress Party. But things will change now. Here are 5 likely changes that will emerge after Mukherjee’s exit...

Omita Paul got extension on the day Pranab Mukherjee was nominated as President, but…

Omita Paul

EXACTLY on the day, the UPA nominated finance minister Pranab Mukherjee as its Presidential candidate, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) issued an order extending the tenure of his all-powerful adviser Omita Paul. Ms Paul’s three year tenure as adviser to FM would have completed on June 25, 2012. Probably, the extension order was issued for some technical reasons as the order clearly mentioned that…

Pranab as President: Why IRS officers could be orphans again

'Chanakya' at an I-T office

INDIAN Revenue Service (IRS) officers will be "orphans" once again! As finance minister Pranab Mukherjee is likely to move to Rashtrapati Bhawan by the end of July, IRS officers who regained their lost clout during Mukherjee’s stay in North Block, may go back to the days when there were attempts to make them just a tax-collecting machinery by stripping most of their power. When Mukherjee was at the helm, there were instances where tax hounds raided IAS officers’ premises and even argued why CBDT and CBEC chairmen...

List of agencies dealing with black money; also on intelligence “think-tank”

THE White Paper on Black Money presented in Lok Sabha by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday listed out the agencies that deal with unaccounted wealth and its consequences in one way or the other. Is there a “Think Tank” among intelligence agencies? Yes, there is one. Read on:

Was it PMO’s Vini Mahajan who asked for the finance ministry’s controversial 2G note?

Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee’s letter to Prime Minister, as it was published by a section of media, has suggested the controversial 2G note dragging current home minister P Chidambaram into the 2G scam, was sent to PMO “upon the insistence of the JS, PMO through her phone calls to secretary, DEA”. The department of economic affairs (DEA) comes under the finance ministry. As Mukherjee’s letter indicated the joint secretary was a woman officer, the obvious candidate would be Vini Mahajan, a 1987 batch Punjab cadre IAS officer. Ms Mahajan who is now on an extension in PMO has been handling many areas including telecom in PMO.

The 2G note that was made into an Office Memorandum on March 25, 2011, became controversial because it said then home minister P Chidambaram could have prevented the scam by insisting on the auction of 2G spectrum. After the Office Memorandum came out in public domain through an RTI, Mukherjee wrote a 2-page confidential letter to Prime Minister giving details about why and how the note was prepared, and how it landed up in the PMO. After all, the March 25 2G note was released to an RTI applicant by the Prime Minister’s Office.

Mukherjee in his letter said, “DEA was not in favour of sending the note after its finalization through a formal OM (Office Memorandum). It was upon the insistence of the JS, PMO, through her phone calls to Secretary, DEA, that the communication was sent through a formal OM on March 25, 2011.”

Also Read

Ms Mahajan gets "unconditional" extension

Dr PGS Rao, the man who singed the 2G note
 
Action and Appointments

a) Pradeep Kumar Chaudhery, a 1977 batch Haryana cadre IAS, presently special secretary in the department of commerce, has been appointed as secretary in the department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP) in place of Rajinder Pal Singh, a 1976 batch AP cadre IAS, who retired on October 31, 2011.

b) Ms Manjula Prasher, a 1976 batch IPoS officer, has been appointed as secretary in the department of posts.

c) SK Goel, a 1975 batch IRS officer, took charge as the chairman, Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) on October 31, 2011. Goel has handled various assignments in the department of revenue under the ministry of finance all over the country. Prior to his appointment as the chairman, he has been working as Member (Customs) in CBEC. He is a recipient of the President’s Award for Specially Distinguished Services.

Dr Rao, where did you get the Chidambaram “inferences” in your March 25 2G note?

THOUGH the controversy arising out of a 2G note signed by Dr PGS Rao, a deputy director in finance ministry, may have subsided at least for time being, some bureaucrats may have to answer a few uncomfortable questions in coming days. Current home minister calls it a “closed matter”, but can bureaucrats who prepared the note escape questions that may come from judiciary, JPC and opposition parties?

“Apart from the factual background, the paper contains certain inferences and interpretations which do not reflect my views,” said finance minister Pranab Mukherjee while reading out a prepared statement. He was obviously referring to the portion of the March 25, 2011 note which said then finance minister P Chidambaram could have persuaded then telecom minister A Raja for an auction of spectrum.

Finance ministry deputy director Rao’s note was reportedly sent to Vini Mahajan, joint secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office. An RTI applicant procured it through the official channels from the PMO.

Mukherjee in his statement made it very clear that it was prepared by “a group of officers” as inter-ministerial background paper indicating that officers from other ministries were also a party to the preparation of the note. According to reports, officials from PMO, cabinet secretariat, department of telecom and finance ministry were present when this background note was prepared. But the question that still remains unanswered is at what stage a few lines on Chidambaram got inserted into the note? No one but Dr PGS Rao who signed the note could have a better answer.

Read the full text of FM’s statement on the 2G note:

“A number of stories on 2G Spectrum had appeared in the media in January 2011. A view was taken that a harmonized note based on facts should be produced for use by various representatives of the government. A group of officers prepared an inter-ministerial background paper which was sent to PMO on 25th march 2011.

Apart from the factual background, the paper contains certain inferences and interpretations which do not reflect my views.

The policy of the government in 2007-2008 was continuation of the policy adopted in October 2003 and as reiterated by TRAI.”

Action and Appointments

a) UK Bansal, a 1974 batch UP cadre IPS officer, has been appointed as the next Director General of the Border Security Force (BSF). He will take the place of Raman Srivastava who retires on October 31, 2011. UK Bansal is currently secretary (internal security) in the ministry of home affairs.

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. 

Pranab Mukherjee’s key aide Manoj Pant appointed as Sr Adviser to World Bank ED

Pant (right) with his boss Mukherjee

INDIAN finance minister Pranab Mukherjee’s key aide and 1991 batch West Bengal cadre IAS Manoj Pant is not taking a train back to Howrah but a plane to Washington DC. The Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) has appointed Pant, presently private secretary to finance minister, as Senior Adviser to Executive Director, World Bank at the level of a joint secretary. The approval was given on September 13, 2011.

Pant will aid 1972 batch retired IAS and secretary to PM, MN Prasad who was recently appointed as Executive Director to World Bank in place of Pulok Chatterji. Chatterji is taking over as principal secretary to PM in the first week of October.

Pranab Mukherjee’s earlier private secretary Anil Verma got an assignment in Indian High Commission in London, but he had to come back half-way after he was embroiled in a case of domestic violence.

Pant who had earlier served as district magistrate of Murshidabad and North 24 Parganas in West Bengal, will replace BVR Subrahmanyam, a 1987 batch Chhattisgarh cadre IAS who is completing his extended tenure on September 30, 2011. A post graduate in geology, Pant also had an MA degree on public administration from an US university.

Babu Marriage: Rajan Vishal and Archana Singh

The Central government has transferred Rajan Vishal, a 2008 batch Manipur-Tripura cadre IAS and Ms Archana Singh, a 2008 batch Gujarat cadre IAS from their respective cadres to Rajasthan cadre on the ground of marriage. Such transfers are done by exercising powers conferred by sub-rule (2) of Rule 5 of the Indian Administrative Service (Cadre) Rules, 1954 and with the concurrence of the respective state governments.

Action and Appointments

a) Bhaskarjyoti Sarma, a 1999 batch Orissa cadre IAS, has been appointed as deputy secretary in the department of financial services in the ministry of finance. A former IITian, Sarma is currently working as a deputy secretary in cabinet secretariat.

FM presents Presidential Awards to revenue officials; list includes officials from CBEC, DRI and High Commission of London

ON THE eve of the Republic Day, Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee presented the Presidential Awards to the officers of the Customs and Central Excise and Directorate of Enforcement for exceptionally meritorious service.

While appreciating their role, Mukherjee gave a few lessons to revenue officials. “As our country strives to become a global economic power in a constantly changing world, the guardians of economic frontiers and revenue officials would need to be efficient and friendly with those who comply with the law. They would need to be equally vigilant and swift in dealing with those who hoodwink the system for their personal gains,” FM said. (In picture: FM with the winners in New Delhi)

Whereas Satish Hari Kulkarni, Inspector, Customs Commissionerate of Pune won the award for exceptionally meritorious service rendered at the risk of life, New Delhi-based Additional Director General Debi Prasad Dash and Commissioner (Central Excise), Central Board of Excise and Customs Ajay Jain won awards for specially distinguished record of service.

The other officers who also won Presidential award of appreciation certificate include Navneet Goel, Director (Drawback), CBEC, MK Singh, First Secretary (Trade), High Commission of India, London, Subhagata Kumar, Additional Director, Directorate General of Systems and Data Management, New Delhi, Sunil Tated, Additional Director, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Suresh Kumar, Additional Commissioner, Customs Air Cargo Complex, Bangaluru, Manish Kumar Sinha, Additional Commissioner, Central Excise Commissionerate, Pune-III, SD Chand, Deputy Director, Directorate General of Valuation, Mumbai, R Ravikumar, Deputy Director, Directorate General of Central Excise Intelligence, Chennai, SM Mani, Assistant Director, Directorate of Enforcement, Zonal office, Chennai, Dharmvir Singh, Officer on Special Duty, TRU, CBEC, New Delhi, G Gururaghavendran, Superintendent, Directorate General of Systems and Data Management, Chennai, VS Syed Mohammed, Senior Intelligence Officer, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Regional Unit, Cochin, Jayaraj PG Nair, Senior Intelligence Officer, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Zonal Unit, Mumbai, Surinder Singh Dangi, Senior Intelligence Officer, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Zonal Unit, Ahmedabad, I Ramalingeswara Rao, Superintendent, Central Excise Commissionerate, Vishakhapatnam-II, Prabir Kumar Bhadra, Senior Intelligence Officer, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Sub-Regional Unit, Berhampore, KC Meena, Senior Intelligence Officer, Directorate General of Central Excise Intelligence, Regional Unit, Jaipur, Manish Immanuel, Senior Intelligence Officer, Directorate General of Central Excise Intelligence, Regional Unit, Ludhiana, Bijender Singh Yadav, Superintendent, Central Excise Commissionerate, Delhi-III to name a few.

IAS officers’ wives celebrate winter carnival

Members of IAS Officers Wives Association, or IASOWA gathered in New Delhi’s Chanakyapuri on Saturday to celebrate the annual winter carnival with much extravaganza of fun and frolic. According to reports, thousands of people thronged the venue that saw setting up of 70 stalls. The sunny morning made everyone spirited. Significantly, it raised funds for Prerna School meant for children of daily wage earners and Thyagraj Stitching and Computer Training Centre for the needy, both of which are being run by IASOWA.

Video Conferencing: FM motivates I-T officials from CBDT chairman’s office

AHEAD of the annual budget, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee motivated chief commissioners of Income Tax and other senior I-T officials from across India to maximize direct tax collections. I-T officials from 48 cities in India listened to FM on Wednesday through video conferencing organized by the office of new CBDT chairman Sudhir Chandra.

FM was specially invited to the chairman’s office, also located in North Block, to address senior I-T officials through video conferencing and also to release a 30-page “Vision 2020” document of the I-T department. The vision document along with the new Direct Taxes Code (DTC) could form the core of the department’s strategic planning in coming years. While talking to I-T officials, Mukherjee stressed the need for adopting tax payer friendly approach. It was an interactive session in which I-T officials posed questions and narrated the challenges before them.

For the record, CBDT chairman’s room in North Block used to be the office of Lord Mountbatten, the last viceroy of British Raj. (Picture on Right: Sudhir Chandra)

ICAI award for Surat Municipal Corporation

Call it yet another distinction for the city of Surat and its commissioner S Aparna, a 1988 batch IAS. The Surat Municipal Corporation has figured among 17 companies or entities which were awarded the prestigious ICAI Awards for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the year 2009-10. Surat has been awarded the Plaque for Commended Annual Report for the year ended March 31, 2010. A year ago, Surat’s municipal commissioner S Aparna along with the city’s Mayor received the best JNNURM city award from Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.

Read

Who is S Aparna?

Finance Minister wants IRS officers’ rising aspirations to be met; wants CBDT and CBEC to be model employers

INDIAN Revenue Service officers have a reason to cheer about. Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee has asked Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) to aim at becoming model employers and improve the human resource management to meet the rising expectations of the officers and the staff. FM was speaking at a review meeting with the chief commissioners and commissioners of income tax, customs and central excise in Mumbai on Tuesday.

The government has begun to look into the concerns of the IRS officers after annual tax collections have increased manifold during the last six years, and the fiscal discipline of the government is increasingly depending on the taxmen’s ability to meet over-ambitious target of tax collections. The UPA government’s rising expenditure on social sector activities is largely to be funded by increased tax collections.

Mukherjee said that all annual general transfers should be carried out by the second week of April. “I have noticed that transfer orders of the officers are issued in mid of the year, which affects not only the officer, but also the department. The officer has to shift his family and children in the mid of the academic session, which causes avoidable mental stress. Similarly, by shifting of the officers in the mid of the year from one charge to the other charge, the continuity and time available is reduced considerably. This adversely affects achieving the targeted revenue,” Mukherjee said.

(In Picture: FM addressing the press after meeting with Custom, Excise and Income Tax officers, in Mumbai on September 01, 2010)

Action and Appointments

a) Sutanu Behuria, a 1976 batch Himachal Pradesh cadre IAS, currently working as special secretary in the department of commerce has been appointed as secretary, in the department of fertilizers.

b) The ACC has approved the inter-cadre deputation of M Senthil Kumar, a 1999 batch Nagaland cadre IFS from Nagaland to Tamil Nadu cadre for a period of five years.

c) Mukul Joshi, a 1975 batch Punjab cadre IAS, presently secretary, Inter State Council Secretariat has been appointed as secretary in the department of pharmaceuticals.

d) M Raman, a 1976 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS, has been appointed as secretary, department of chemicals and petrochemicals.

10 Chanakya quotes for bureaucrats as finance minister unveils statue of Arthashastra’s author in Gujarat's I-T office

HERE is the caption of this picture: The Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee unveiling the statue of Chanakya, at newly built Income Tax Office, at Ambavadi in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.

As one of the master politicians of Independent India, Pranab Mukherjee, unveiled the statue of ancient India’s super diplomat with a command over economics and politics, BoI (babusofindia.com) presents 10 quotable quotes of Chanakya which some Indian bureaucrats might have heard before, even without reading his Arthashastra and Neetishastra.

1) A person should not be too honest. Just as straight trees are chopped-down first, honest people are taken advantage of first.

2) An egoist can be won over by being respected, a crazy person can be won over by allowing him to behave in an insane manner and a wise person can be won over by truth.

3) Before you start some work, always ask yourself three questions - Why am I doing it? What the results might be? And Will I be successful?

4) Even if a snake is not poisonous, it should pretend to be venomous.

5) If you get to learn something even from the worst of creatures, don’t hesitate.

6) The four greatest enemies of a man are - the father who has taken a loan, the characterless mother, the beautiful but promiscuous wife and the stupid child.

7) The world’s biggest power is the youth and beauty of a woman.

8) There is some self-interest behind every friendship. There is no friendship without self-interests. This is a bitter truth.

9) A woman is four times as shy, six times as brave and eight times as lusty as a man.

10) Prostitutes don’t live in company of poor men, birds don’t build nests on a tree that doesn’t bear fruits and citizens never support a weak administration.

Action and Appointments

a) The Madras High Court stayed an inquiry into alleged accumulation of unaccounted wealth by 1990 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS officer C Umashankar. The interim injunction will be effective till June 28.

b) In the first major reshuffle after Jharkhand came under President’s rule, the government effected transfers of five IAS officials. Rajbala Verma, a 1983 batch Jharkhand cadre IAS, will now be the home secretary becoming only the second woman to become home secretary in the state.