Foreign dignitaries carry carpets (red?) as gifts for Indian politicians and officials

WHEN a foreign dignitary comes to New Delhi, India’s top diplomats leave no stone unturned to give them a red carpet welcome. What do they give in return? Believe it or not, foreign dignitaries too carry carpets as gifts for Indian politicians and officials. Carpet has emerged as one of the most preferred gift items of foreign dignitaries, as out of 41 gifts listed in the…

Four bureaucrats to assist PM during US president Obama’s visit to India

FOUR top Indian bureaucrats who have been assigned to help PM in formulating India’s standpoint during the three-day long visit of US president Barack Obama, are principal secretary to Prime Minister TKA Nair (1963 batch retired IAS), National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon (1972 batch retired IFS), foreign secretary Nirupama Rao (1973 batch IFS) and India’s Ambassador to USA Meera Shankar (1973 batch IFS).

In addition, there would be seven ministers and deputy chairman of Planning Commission who will also assist PM during Obama’s visit which begins on Saturday in Mumbai, only to conclude on Monday night in New Delhi. In a statement to media, India’s foreign secretary said, “Prime Minister will be assisted by Ministers of Finance, Agriculture, Defence, Home, External Affairs, Human Resource Development, Commerce and Industry, Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister, National Security Adviser, myself and our Ambassador to USA.”

Here is President Obama’s schedule in India:

November 6

1)      Will reach Mumbai in the forenoon of November 6.

2)      Will begin his program by paying homage to the victims of the terrorist attack in Mumbai.

3)      Visit Mani Bhavan to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi

4)      Attend a business summit organized by the US India Business Council in association with FICCI and CII.

November 7

1) On November 7, he will address a ‘Town Hall’ meeting and associated events at the St Xavier’s College

2)      Celebrate Diwali at a Primary School.

3)      Will leave Mumbai and reach Delhi in the afternoon of November 7.

4)      Will have a brief visit to Humayun’s tomb.

5)      He will be the guest of honour at a dinner hosted by Prime Minister and Mrs Kaur.

November 8

1)      The ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan

2)      Visit to Raj Ghat.

3)      President Obama and Prime Minister will meet in the forenoon and discuss bilateral, regional and global developments of mutual concern.

4)      They will preside over the meeting of the India-US CEO Forum.

5)      Two leaders will address a joint press conference.

6)      In the afternoon, Vice-President, Leader of Opposition and Chairperson UPA Ms Sonia Gandhi will call on President Obama.

7)      President Obama will address a joint session of both houses of our Parliament, in the Central Hall.

8)      His official program concludes with a meeting with President, and a State dinner for him and the First Lady at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

November 9

      1)      President Obama leaves Delhi in the forenoon of 9 November 2010 for Indonesia.

Action and Appointments

a) M Ramachandran assumed charge as Principal Registrar at the head quarters of the Central Administrative Tribunal at New Delhi on November 4. He had earlier served in various capacities in different departments of government of India and had worked as deputy registrar and joint registrar of the tribunal in Bombay Bench and as registrar for many years in the Ernakulam Bench of the tribunal. He holds masters degree in history, public administration and law. 

Minister Dinesh Trivedi says college kids would do better in health ministry than bureaucrats

IN WHAT could be described as the harshest criticism of bureaucracy by an Indian politician in a television interview during recent time, minister of state for health Dinesh Trivedi, a senior Trinamool Congress leader, termed Indian bureaucrats “ineffective” and suggested the need for secretary level officers to visit villages with Members of Parliament to have some sense of accountability.
He went ahead to say that college kids would run the health ministry better than the bureaucrats. (Read: Who is India’s health secretary K Sujatha Rao?)

“Why do we have to wait for the CBI to unearth them (about scams like Medical Council of India)? Where is the accountability for bureaucracy? Politicians are accountable as they have to go back to the people,” he said in an interview with CNN-IBN news channel.

And that’s not all. Mr Trivedi further said that bureaucrats are not innovative, and that’s a major roadblock. “They don’t understand technology. Young people fresh out of college would be able to run the health ministry better that these bureaucrats,” he said.

He also told the news channel that had his senior minister Ghulam Nabi Azad not been pro-active during the H1N1 flu and left it to the bureaucracy, there would not have been any solution to the crisis.

In a report by Indian Express, health secretary K Sujatha Rao was quoted denying the charges and said that Indian bureaucracy “was among the most scrutinised in the world” and charges of red-tapism couldn’t stand.

The report further investigated to find that the conflict between the Trinamool Congress leader and health secretary Ms Rao arose over a concept note sent by Trivedi for a web portal that he, along with the Knowledge Commission, proposed to launch. The ministry did not release money for the portal.

Also Read 

Bureaucracy bashing as a fashion statement

BoI survey on Indian bureaucracy: Fractured verdict

Western media on Indian bureaucracy

Action and Appointments

a) National Security Advisor, Shivshankar Menon will be visiting Beijing as Special Envoy of the Prime Minister of India, from 3rd to 6th July, 2010.

b) ACC has also approved the appointment of Jayant Prasad, a 1976 batch IFS as special secretary in the ministry of external affairs.

c) Arun Kumar Misra, a 1976 batch UP cadre IAS, presently Principal Adviser, Planning Commission, has been appointed as secretary department of drinking water and sanitation in the ministry of rural development

d) Bijoy Chatterjee, a 1973 batch West Bengal cadre IAS and secretary in the department of chemicals and petrochemicals in the ministry of chemicals and fertilizers will hold the additional charge of the post of secretary, department of fertilizers during the period of absence on leave of S Krishnan, a 1975 batch Uttarakhand cadre IAS from July 10 to July 14, 2010.

Woman On Top: Nirupama Rao to be India’s next foreign secretary

NIRUPAMA Rao, a 1973 batch IFS and currently Ambassador to China, will be India’s next foreign secretary on the retirement of the present incumbent Shivshankar Menon on July 31, 2009. She is the second woman foreign secretary after Chokila Iyer. Had labour secretary Sudha Pillai clinched the cabinet secretary’s job, country’s top administrative and diplomatic posts would have for the first time been occupied by women officers. Ms Pillai, who was the senior most officer in the merit list, missed the bus as incumbent cabinet secretary K M Chandrasekhar was given one year’s extension. Another prominent foreign service post, India’s ambassador to US, recently went to Meera Shankar, another woman officer and batch-mate of Ms Rao. Incidentally, both the President of the nation and Lok Sabha speaker happen to be women. babu blogger in his post on June 3, 2009, said that “India’s ambassador to China Nirupama Rao’s ability to grab the crucial foreign secretary’s post would determine the degree of celebration for woman leadership in the country.” In fact, Vajpayee government appointed Chokila Iyre, a woman IFS officer, as foreign secretary in 2000, but it was a different story while filling up the top IAS post. An extension of former cabinet secretary B K Chaturvedi had stalled Reva Nayyar, an IAS from Haryana cadre, becoming the first woman cabinet secretary.

Know Your Babu: Nirupama Rao

Date of Birth: December 6, 1950 Educational Qualifications: MA in English Literature from Marathwada University. A Fellow at the Centre for International Affairs in Harvard University specializing on Asia-Pacific security. Postings January 1976 - October 1983: At Indian Missions in Vienna and Colombo, and as Desk Officer in the Southern Africa and Nepal Desks in the ministry of external affairs. 1984 to 1992: Worked in the East Asia division of the MEA, with special focus on India-China relations. October 1993 to October 1995: Minister for Press Affairs at the Indian Embassy in Washington. 1995-May 1998: India's Ambassador to Peru. June 1998 and August 1999: Deputy chief of mission at the Embassy of India, Moscow. June 2001 to October 2002: Joint Secretary (external publicity) and official spokesperson of the MEA, the first woman officer to hold this post in the ministry. Major assignments: Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and then Indian Ambassador to China from September 2006 Prasad to continue in PMO Continuity seems to be the mantra for Dr Manmohan Singh’s second innings as many officers from the cabinet secretary downwards are holding on to same positions under the new government. M N Prasad, a 1972 batch IAS, will remain a secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), but on contract basis. Mr Prasad, who would have retired now, is continuing in the PMO on a contract basis but in the rank, pay and status of secretary to the government of India with effect from July 1, 2009, and until further orders, a release said.