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| The Last of the Mohicans as illustrated by FT Merrill |
IT WILL be an action–packed month-end in Indian power corridors as 15 senior bureaucrats at the level of secretary, being posted at the Centre and states, will retire on September 30, allowing many others compete for key positions.
Among those who are retiring this months include health secretary and 1972 batch UP cadre IAS Naresh Dayal, telecom secretary and 1973 batch UP cadre IAS Siddhartha Behura, secretary of Development of North Eastern Region (DONER) and 1974 batch Manipur-Tripura cadre IAS Jarnail Singh to name a few. Amongst the high-profile ones retiring at the state level are chief secretary of Punjab and 1974 batch Punjab cadre IAS Ramesh Inder Singh and chief secretary of Andhra Pradesh and 1973 batch Andhra Pradesh cadre IAS P Ramakanth Reddy.
According to media reports, Ajit Kumar Seth, secretary, planning & coordination in the Cabinet Secretariat, Atul Chaturvedi of department of fertilisers, Anil Kumar of department of women and child development, and parliamentary affairs secretary P J Thomas are vying for telecom secretary’s post.
Both the health and telecom secretary’s posts are quite significant in the backdrop of intervention related to swine flue and imminent auction of 3G spectrum for third generation mobile telephony.
Telecom secretary Behura is tipped to be the chairman of C-DoT Alcatel-Lucent Research Centre which is a joint venture initiative between India’s telecom department and French company Alcatel-Lucent.
Justice Sinha is top contender to become TDSAT chairman Justice S B Sinha, former judge of the Supreme Court is tipped to become the next chairman of the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT). Appointment Committee of Cabinet (ACC) is taking a call on his name. Incumbent Justice Arun Kumar has already retired. Justice Sinha could be given a two-year term. According to reports, steel secretary P K Rastogi’s name has also been referred before ACC for the post of administrative member.
SON of former bureaucrats Rupan Deol Bajaj and B R Bajaj of Punjab cadre, has been booked for tearing off the uniform of a policeman and misbehaving with cops in Chandigarh on Friday night.
Ranjit Bajaj, 29-year-old son of former IAS couple, had allegedly caused disturbances at a private party and misbehaved with guests, media reports said. Sub-inspector Nirmal Singh was suspended for failing to arrest Bajaj who is still at large.
The organizers of the party said that Bajaj and three youths were not even invited for the party, but they barged into the private area and started dancing. When the hosts tried to stop them, they started abusing and threatening, reports said.
Police reached the spot, but according to the allegation, they remained mute spectators as they feared to arrest Bajaj possibly because of his clout as son of an influential IAS couple. The other three youths were arrested.
The accused later talked to a section of the media and said he was being “wrongly framed” in the case. He said he did not enter into any fight with anyone.
Two years ago, Bajaj was convicted on charges of forgery and criminal conspiracy in a case of May 5, 2000 when a foreign-made .9 mm pistol, seven cartridges, two empty gun holsters and two swords were found in Bajaj’s car. The car had a fictitious registration number CHI 1. Singh was also declared a proclaimed offender.
THE list of babuz, 09, is finally out. These 5 master bureaucrats have the power and ability to fix problems, manage crises, push agenda and get things done. They have clouts not just because of their posts and positions, but for their sharp managerial skills, leadership qualities and last but not the least their sound relationship with India’s political heavyweights.
Methodology of Selection
After taking feedback of over 30 senior bureaucrats and politicians who have mustered in understanding ups and downs of actors in Delhi’s power corridor, babu blogger has finally zeroed in five top babuz, or five most powerful bureaucrats in the country.
Consensus and Controversy
Whereas there was a consensus on Pulok Chaterji being the most powerful bureaucrat despite being stationed in US now, there was a tie between cabinet secretary K M Chandrasekhar and finance secretary Ashok Chawla for the third position. Also, there were anonymous comments in the blog saying that none of the Indian babuz has the intellectual caliber of Henry Kissinger after babu blogger had claimed that these powerful bureaucrats were Dr Manmohan Singh’s Kissinger-type master bureaucrats.
babuz No 1: Pulok Chaterji
A 1974 batch IAS from Uttar Pradesh cadre, he is now posted in Washington DC as an executive director of the World Bank. A secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) till recently, Mr Chaterje’s personal equation with Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s family can’t be ignored by anyone in the government including those who are senior to him. The buzz is that the man who had a say in virtually every appointment of the government during Dr Manmohan Singh’s first innings, may soon come back to power pockets of Raisina Hill. Also read, “babuz no 1: Pulok Chaterji is India’s most powerful bureaucrat; find out who are no 2, 3, 4 & 5” posted on August 17, 2009.
babuz No 2: TKA Nair
Retired over a decade back, this 1963 batch Punjab cadre officer and principal secretary to Prime Minister, was also the secretary to former prime ministers I K Gujral and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. As babu blogger had written earlier, “And his immense clout explains why Reliance Industries’ (RIL) chairman Mukesh Ambani or Jet Airways chairman Naresh Goyal knows who to meet in the Raisina Hills to explain their side of the story on recent gas row and misery of aviation sector respectively,”.
babuz No 3: K M Chandrasekhar
A 1970 batch IAS of Kerala cadre, K M Chandrasekhar is well regarded among top echelon of civil servants in India. He was the architect of government’s 100 days agenda which various ministries were forced to initiate even before the new government was formed.
babuz No 4: Ashok Chawla
A 1973 batch IAS from Gujarat cadre, finance secretary Ashok Chawla would have been equally powerful today, had the BJP come to power after the last general election. A former civil aviation secretary, Mr Chawla served as secretary of department of economic affairs (DEA) only to be elevated as finance secretary eight months later. He is a contender to be the next cabinet secretary.
babuz No 5: M Ramachandran
Urban development secretary M Ramachandran, a 1972 batch Uttaranchal cadre IAS, is gathering clout in power corridors as he is the top contender to be the cabinet secretary next year. Known for following rule books to the core, Mr Ramachandran is pioneered reforms in India’s urban sector. Also read, “Chandrasekhar gets extension; Ramachandran & Chawla to be key contenders for cabinet secretary’s post next year” posted on June 2, 2009.
RETIRED from IAS 12 years ago, 1963 batch Punjab cadre officer is the most powerful bureaucrat in the PMO now, and the second most powerful in India, according to babu blogger’s list of powerful bureaucrats based on feedback of senior civil servants and politicians. Mr TKA Nair, who was secretary to former prime minister I K Gujral and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, had also served in Planning Commission. From day one, Dr Manmohan Singh was very keen on taking him on board as PM had always believed in creating a core team of master bureaucrats to make an impact on overall administration and delivery of services. Read, “babuz aaj kal: India’s most powerful civil servants are being spotted; Indian PM too has Kissinger-type master bureaucrats” posted on August 13, 2009.
The man who attended the first cabinet meeting of Dr Manmohan Singh government in May, 2004, has been calling the shots in the PMO for over five years now. He commands high respect from all officers in government today.
And his immense clout explains why Reliance Industries’ (RIL) chairman Mukesh Ambani or Jet Airways chairman Naresh Goyal knows who to meet in the Raisina Hills to explain their side of the story on recent gas row and misery of aviation sector respectively.
Yes, TKA Nair is India’s Kissinger-type master bureaucrat. Also read, “babuz no 1: Pulok Chaterji is India’s most powerful bureaucrat” posted on August 17, 2009. Watch out this space in coming days to find out who is babuz no 3, 4 & 5.
Action & Appointments
a) The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the request of Dr A K Banerjee, IA&AS (1973 batch) for relieving from the post of chairman, National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority, with the condition that he may continue for three months, by which time a substitute can be in place.
b) Edwin Kulbhushan Majhi, a 1989 batch Kerala cadre IAS has been appointed as Mission Director-cum-joint secretary in the department of agriculture and cooperation, in the pay band of Rs 37400-67000 (PB-4) with a grade pay of Rs 10000.
c) The proposal of the ministry of railways (railways board) for extension of Central deputation tenure of P K Mehta, IPS (1977 batch Haryana cadre), and chief security commissioner, Northern Railway, has been approved for a period of three months beyond August 8, 2009.
d) R K Jain, a 1981 batch Himachal Pradesh cadre IAS has been appointed as chief (joint secretary level), national manufacturing competitiveness council (NMCC) under the department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP) in the pay scale of Rs.18400-22400 (pre-revised), for a period of three years.
a) ASHOK Chawla, a 1973 batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre and current finance secretary, will hold additional charge of the post of Secretary, department of revenue under the ministry of finance during the period from 17th August, 2009 to 28th August, 2009 when revenue secretary P V Bhide, a 1973 batch Andhra Pradesh cadre IAS, will remain on leave.
b) The extension of appointment of Dr C Chandramouli, a 1985 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS as OSD in the Office of the RGI, in the rank and pay of Joint Secretary has been approved for a period of three months beyond July 9, 2009.
c) The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved, ex-post-facto, for entrusting additional charge of the post of Development Commissioner, Dahej Special Economic Zone under Department of Commerce to S N Patil IOFS (1988), Joint Development Commissioner, Kandla SEZ, in addition to his own charge, for a period of three months beyond June 15, 2009 or till such time as the post is filled up on a regular basis.
d) The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has not approved the proposal of the Ministry of Coal for extension of tenure of Rajiv Sharma, a 1976 batch IAS and additional secretary in the ministry of coal.
e) The inter cadre deputation of Ajoy Sharma, a Punjab Cadre IAS of 1999 batch from Punjab to AGMUT cadre for appointment as Joint Secretary (Finance), Chandigarh for a period of three years, has been approved.
f) The Inter-Cadre deputation of Har Sahay Meena, a 1997 batch IAS of Tamil Nadu cadre, from Tamil Nadu to Rajasthan cadre has been approved for a period of 3 years.
g) The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the proposal of the ministry of home affairs for in-situ upgradation of the following officers belonging to the 1974 and 1975 batches of the Indian Police Service as Director General of Police in the pay scale of Rs 75500-80000. They are:
(i) R K Mathur, IPS (CH, 1974), presently working as Director, NCRB(ADG level)
(ii) R Bagchi, IPS (WB, 1975), presently working as Additional Director in IB.
(iii) A B Mathur, IPS (MT, 1975), presently working as Additional Secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat.
(iv) O P S Malik, IPS (UP, 1975), presently working as DG, NCB (ADG level).