Batchmates’ Budget: How officials ensure that Budget does not get leaked

Gopalan (L), Gujral, Bose (R). FM's adviser Omita Paul is seen

IT’S a rare occasion that preparations of this general Budget were anchored by three IAS batch-mates. Call it a mere coincidence. RS Gujral, finance secretary in charge of revenue department, Sumit Bose, expenditure secretary and R Gopalan, secretary, department of economic affairs (DEA) are in fact 1976 batch IAS. The other two North Block secretaries, financial services secretary DK Mittal and disinvestment secretary Mohammad Haleem Khan are both one batch junior to them.

The job of preparing the Budget that begins in November every year is handled by DEA. But departments like revenue and expenditure give critical inputs to the document and become part and parcel of the entire Budget making process. The finance minister can undertake changes in the document till it goes for printing six days before it’s to be presented in Parliament. As high degree of secrecy is maintained, the Budget document is printed at the press located in North Block’s basement itself.

Most officers working in finance ministry have no idea whether there will be any tax cut or increase in excise duties! Also, a secretary in charge of one department does not know what’s in store for issues related to other departments. The one person who reads the Budget from top to bottom is the DEA joint secretary in charge of the Budget. He along with a few junior officials stay round the clock in North Block at least for the last 10 days. They need to ensure that nothing gets leaked before it’s presented in Parliament on the B-Day. The guys working in the printing press are not allowed to go home when the document is being printed. Packed lunch and dinner, brought from outside, are served there.

But should there be such an aura of secrecy when many policy announcements and even hikes of petroleum prices are done outside the Budget? Once the Direct Tax Code is in place, there will be no surprise tax front in any future Budget. The reality is that in days to come, the Budget may no longer be such a high secret affair!

RS Gujral pipes R Gopalan, Sumit Bose; becomes new finance secretary

Gujral (R) was reportedly sidelined by CP Joshi (L)

NINETEEN days after Sunil Mitra retired as finance secretary, the North Block finally found its new man at the helms --- 1976 batch Haryana cadre IAS, RS Gujral. Till recently, he was not even in the reckoning to clinch the coveted North Block post. But with his appointment as the new finance secretary, Gujral will now be the boss of his two outstanding batch-mates, DEA secretary R Gopalan and expenditure secretary Sumit Bose, both come under finance ministry. Gujral will continue to handle the revenue department which oversees the work of CBDT and CBEC.

A Humphery fellow from US, Gujral was the Director General of Foreign Trade and had closely worked with Kamal Nath when the latter was the minister of commerce and industry during the last UPA government. When Nath became the minister for road transport and highways, he brought Gujral to his ministry. But Gujral did not get along with new road transport and highways minister CP Joshi over the ministry’s dealings with Planning Commission.

Only three weeks ago, he moved into the finance ministry as revenue secretary. But Gujral’s seniority over his batch-mates Gopalan and Bose helped him getting the finance secretary’s post. Sumit Bose still has a chance to be finance secretary three years from now, as he will retire only in March, 2014, but Gopalan will retire in April, 2012. Gujral will have a fairly long period as finance secretary as he will retire in November 2013.

MHA clarifies on 1981 batch IPS JV Ramudu

After JV Ramudu, a 1981 batch Andhra Pradesh cadre IPS, was made a member of Special Investigation Team (SIT), it was now found that Ramudu would not be a part of the panel because of a surgery that he had sometime ago. The surgery requires constant medical check-ups. The SIT was constituted by Gujarat High Court to investigate the alleged fake encounter of Ishrat Jahan and others.

Here is the clarification of the ministry of home affairs: “The medical condition of Shri J.V. Ramudu was brought to the notice of the Ministry of Home Affairs only after his name had been approved by the High Court and Home Ministry had to approach the Hon’ble High Court to nominate another officer from a fresh panel of three names, which has since been accepted by the High Court. Neither the State Government of Andhra Pradesh nor the officer himself had brought to the notice of MHA the inability of the officer to be a part of SIT, although his name had been indicated in the High Court’s order in May, 2011”.

Road to North Block: RS Gujral appointed new revenue secretary

ALL roads don't lead to North Block. But RS Gujral, a 1976 batch Haryana cadre IAS and presently secretary of the ministry of road transport and highways has been appointed as revenue secretary in place of Sunil Mitra, a 1975 batch West Bengal cadre IAS who is retiring on June 30, 2011.

An old hand of minister Kamal Nath, Gujral was brought in as secretary to the ministry of road transport and highways when Nath was the road transport and highways minister. A Humphery fellow from US, Mr Gujral was the Director General of Foreign Trade and had closely worked with Nath when the latter was the minister of commerce and industry during the last UPA government.

Gujral lost his grips in the ministry after Nath was replaced by CP Joshi as road transport and highways minister. That Gujral did not get along well with Joshi became widely known inside and outside the ministry.  Also Read

Gujral, an old Kamal Nath hand

Action and Appointments

a) Mohammed Haleem Khan, a 1977 batch UP cadre IAS, presently Director General, Council for Advancement of People’s Action and Rural Technology (CAPART) under the department of rural development has been appointed as secretary in the department of disinvestment in place of Sumit Bose, a 1976 batch MP cadre IAS.

b) Alok Rawat, a 1977 batch Sikkim cadre IAS, presently secretary, UPSC, has been appointed as secretary (coordination and public grievances) in Cabinet Secretariat in  place of Ajit Kumar Seth who was elevated as cabinet secretary.

c) K Jose Cyriac, a 1977 batch Kerala cadre IAS, presently special secretary in the department of revenue has been appointed as secretary, department of chemicals and petrochemicals.

d) AK Upadhyay, a 1975 batch Bihar cadre IAS, presently secretary, department of youth affairs, has been appointed as secretary in the ministry of road transport and highways in place of RS Gujral.

e) The Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) has approved the repatriation of Sanjay Mitra, a 1982 batch West Bengal cadre IAS and joint secretary to PM with effect from July 4, 2011 to his cadre.

f) Rakesh Kacker, a 1977 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS, presently special secretary, department of consumer affairs has been appointed as secretary, ministry of food processing industries in place of Ashok Sinha, a 1975 batch Maharashtra cadre IAS who is retiring on June 30, 2011.