Kejriwal says 90% IAS don’t work; ex-Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit refutes it, saying Delhi has efficient bureaucrats

AFTER Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s allegation that 90% of the IAS officers “do not work” and “obstruct files” related to development work, former chief minister Sheila Dikshit among others have slammed the CM saying that Delhi has “efficient” bureaucrats. Taking to Twitter, three-term Delhi CM says:

Dikshit’s confidante PK Tripathi appointed as new chief secretary of Delhi

Sheila Dikshit’s right hand man and 1977 batch IAS Praveen K Tripathi will be Delhi’s new chief secretary. Tripathi who started his career as assistant commissioner in July 1979 in Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh, became a close confidante of Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit when he was picked up as the principal secretary to CM in June 2006.

Dikshit has now chosen Tripathi to head Delhi’s bureaucracy at a time when she receives flaks from PM-appointed Shunglu committee on Commonwealth Games’ extravaganza. Dikshit and her team of bureaucrats have however refuted the charges leveled against her government. Significantly, Tripathi too was engaged closely with the Games as he was the principal secretary in charge of information and publicity of the Commonwealth Games between December 2007 and July 2009.

Some of Tripathi’s key postings included CEO of Delhi Jal Board and chairman of Delhi Tourism and Transportation Corporation. On a Central deputation, Tripathi also served as a joint secretary in information and broadcasting ministry.

An MA in political science, Tripathi hails from Uttar Pradesh, and had earlier served in Arunachal Pradesh, Delhi and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

FAIR PLAY: DoPT wants quick comments on whether the selection of plum foreign posts is transparent

ARE procedures adopted for selection to captive posts in international organizations like IMF, World Bank, ADB etc. and foreign government of India posts like PMI and WTO Geneva, transparent? This forms one of 20 questions of a detailed questionnaire sent out by the Establishment Officer’s wing of the DoPT recently to state governments and Central government ministries and departments as a part of the government’s introspection on officers’ postings.

In fact, the selection process of some of the plum foreign posts earmarked for government officers was questioned earlier, as there have always been huge a competition to get such posting for which occasional political interferences are also witnessed. Significantly, the questionnaire also includes a few other frank queries like whether the approval of the minister-in-charge on the recommendations of the Civil Services Board usually takes a lot of time resulting in delays, or whether the selection under the Central Staffing Scheme is done in an impartial and transparent manner.

The secretaries of the personnel departments of all the state governments and secretaries of all the ministries or departments of the Government of India are expected to take out “5 to 7 minutes” of their busy schedule to answer the questions by April 12, 2010. Suggestions are also sought on how to deal with the complaints received immediately before, or after finalization of selection process for a post as these complaints often delay the processing of the ACC proposals.

The questions also touch upon missing ACRs of the officers and the development of a software for processing of nominations for foreign training.

You can also download the 20 questions by clicking on the DoPT CIRCULAR, dated April 7, 2010

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Action and Appointments

a) As many as 95 IAS officers of 1991, 1992 and 1993 batches would fly Air India on April 10 on a two-week-long exposure tour to South Korean capital city of Seoul. The visit is designed to provide the selected officers a global perspective and an exposure to international best practices.

b) The next of kin of 75 CRPF personnel who lost their lives in the Naxal attack in Dantewara district of Chhattisgarh on Tuesday would be granted compensation of Rs 38.6 lakhs from various heads including ex-gratia by Central government, state government, insurance among others.

c) Task Force on MSMEs set up under the chairmanship of the Principal Secretary TKA Nair was presented to the Prime Minister. The report provides a roadmap for the development and promotion of the micro, small and medium enterprises.

d) Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit asked the CAG to desist from “nit-picking” on small issues as it discourages the policymakers and especially bureaucrats. The country’s top auditor recently said that Delhi government procured low-floor buses at a higher cost.