CBI raids residences of Behura, Chandolia and two other officials

INDIA'S top investigating agency CBI on Wednesday raided the residences of four bureaucrats in addition to Delhi and Chennai premises of former telecom minister A Raja in connection with the 2G spectrum scam.

The bureaucrats whose residences were raided in wee hours on Wednesday are Siddhartha Behura, former telecom secretary and 1973 batch retired IAS, RK Chandolia, a 1984 batch Indian Economic Service, K Sridhar, Member Telecom Commission and A K Srivastava, former Deputy Director General in the department of telecom, according to reports quoting CBI sources.

Behura, who is now working as chairman of C-DoT Alcatel-Lucent Research Centre based in Chennai post retirement, had claimed that when he joined office as telecom secretary on January 1, 2008, all decisions with regard to granting of licences were taken either verbally or on files. The licences were announced on January 8, 2008.

But Behura is considered to be in good books of A Raja even before he had joined telecom ministry. Behura was an additional secretary in environment ministry between 2005 and 2007 when A Raja was the environment minister.

RK Chandolia, who had served as private secretary to A Raja was later promoted as economic adviser in the department of telecommunications who had reportedly played a key role in appointments in the state-owned firms like Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL). Also, it’s alleged that he was reporting to the DoT secretary directly which many say is a clear proof of jumping the official structure.

Both Chandolia and A K Srivastava were shifted out of the DoT after Kapil Sibal was given charge as telecom minister.

The CBI raids is a part of an investigation of a Rs 22,000 crore telecom scam. The investigating agency had earlier registered a case on October 21, 2009 against unknown Department of Telecom officials and private persons and companies connected to the doling out of telecom licences.

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Action and Appointments

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the following appointments:

a) Ms Naini Jayaseelan, a 1980 batch UT cadre IAS as adviser, Planning Commission in the rank of additional secretary.

b) Arbind Prasad, a 1980 batch Bihar cadre IAS, presently joint secretary, ministry of social justice and empowerment as advisor, Planning Commission in the rank of additional secretary.

c) Shyam S.Agarwal, a 1980 batch Rajasthan cadre IAS, as additional secretary, department of commerce on in-situ basis, by temporarily upgrading the post.

d) Upendra Tripathy, a 1980 batch Karnataka cadre IAS, as additional secretary in cabinet secretariat, on in-situ basis, by temporarily upgrading the post.

e) Nandita Chatterjee, a 1980 batch West Bengal cadre IAS, as DDG, CAPART, under the Department of Rural Development, in the rank of additional secretary, on in-situ basis, by temporarily upgrading the post.

f) Satish Balram Agnihotri, a 1980 batch Orissa cadre IAS, as Director General of Shipping in the rank of additional secretary.

Private Life: Lessons from IES officer RK Chandolia saga

50-year-old RK Chandolia, a 1984 batch Indian Economic Service officer, is one of many officers of elite IAS and allied services of Indian administration who have served as private secretaries to ministers. Nothing unusual about it considering ministers always handpick one of their trusted officers as private secretaries. But after Chandolia’s boss, A Raja was forced to resign as telecommunications minister in the wake of 2G spectrum scam, fingers are now pointed at Chandolia’s alleged role in the telecom saga which had reportedly led to the loss of Rs 1.76 lac crore to the exchequer, according to Indian auditor, CAG.

Even after he was promoted by Raja as an economic adviser in the department of telecommunications, he reportedly played a key role in appointments in the state-owned firms like Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL). Also, Chandolia was reporting to the DoT secretary which many say is a clear proof of jumping the official structure. The Indian economic service officer is now shifted to finance ministry, and it remains to be seen whether he is proved innocent or guilty.

But the episode is a big lesson to hundreds other private secretaries who are with ministers in Centre and the states as they could be vulnerable if their minister bosses are trapped in any scam. The challenge is how to remain insulated from the minister’s wrongdoings even when remaining a part of his inner coterie. For most bright officers who have a long way to go in the administrative ladder, making money as a private secretary is the least of the priority. Why then officers prefer to become a minister’s private secretary? While several IFS officers join as private secretaries in search of home postings, the allied services officers join the bandwagon mainly to break the monotony.

But for most, it’s a window to develop political clout which is indispensable as one goes up. At times, it turns out to be a risky proposition too if one becomes too close to a senior minister of a political party because one can’t rule out the Opposition party grabbing the power later.

Even the government has realized the tendency of a few officers to remain serial private secretaries for years. The DoPT has recently imposed a 10-year cap for an officer to become private secretary (PS) or Officers in Special Duty (OSD), but spared the PMO from the order.

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Who is V Vidyavathi of PMO?

When 11-page affidavit from the PMO was submitted in Supreme Court in connection with 2G spectrum issue, it was V Vidyavathi who signed the much talked about legal document. For the record, Vidyavathi is a 1991 batch Karnataka cadre IAS who has been in the PMO first as deputy secretary and now as director. She joined PMO in February 2004, and is now on an extension.