Govt becomes flexible as no joint secretary-ranked officer wants to be shifted out to Raebareli

WITH no joint secretary-ranked officer willing to be stationed in Uttar Pradesh’s Raebareli as the project director of yet-to-be-built Rajiv Gandhi National Aviation University (RGNAU), the government has now given flexibility on the posting by issuing a fresh circular on March 19, 2014, whereby there is no insistence that the selected officer would be based out of Raebareli. The hunt for a joint secretary-level person for the Raebareli project actually began on…

DoPT may move a cabinet note to “protect” IAS, IPS officers working in state governments

A letter that forces DoPT to act

WILL the Centre amend AIS (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969, to create safety valves for All India Services officers belonging to IAS, IPS and Indian Forest Service, currently working in state governments? If the reply of an RTI query is anything to go by, the government’s personnel department, DoPT, may move a Cabinet note amending the 45 year-old rules to…

No taker for JS level job at Raebareli? DoPT re-circulates RGNAU vacancy notice

SURPRISING! There is no taker for a high-ranked bureaucrat’s job located at Raebareli, arguably one of the major political hotspots that elects Congress president Sonia Gandhi to Lok Sabha. After one and half months of the DoPT issuing a vacancy circular for the post of…

Back in PMO: Pulok Chatterji joins as principal secretary to Prime Minister

FINALLY, the most talked about Indian bureaucrat Pulok Chatterji is back in corridors of power. A few hours from now, Chatterji, a 1974 batch UP cadre IAS and close confidante of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, is taking charge as principal secretary to PM replacing TKA Nair. Chatterji was called back from his current position of executive director of the World Bank even before his term ended. Nair, who has been anchoring the PMO from May 2004, will continue to remain in PMO at least for time being as an adviser to PM in the rank of a minister of state.

On September 5, BoI (babusofindia.com) while declaring Chatterji as the 2^nd Most Powerful Indian Bureaucrat, 2011, said: “Chatterji’s joining the PMO as the top bureaucrat may even facilitate Gandhi scion Rahul Gandhi’s elevation to the top job in the event that 79-year-old Manmohan Singh demits office before May 2014. Chatterji is supposed to be an effective conduit between the PMO and 10 Janpath, ensuring fast-tracked implementation of flagship schemes that may determine the fortunes of the UPA-II in the next general elections.”

Two years ago, BoI ranked Chatterji as the most powerful Indian bureaucrat despite being stationed in US. That surprised many readers. But most insiders in Raisina Hill knew it for sure that Chatterji who was Manmohan Singh’s private secretary and then secretary in PMO during UPA-I would eventually take the centre-stage. He is a rare bureaucrat who has direct access to 10 Janpath, the official residence of Sonia Gandhi. Chatterji first came into contact with the Gandhi family when he was the district magistrate in Rae Bareli in 1980s. He then became a director in the PMO during Rajiv Gandhi’s time. Later he became a secretary (joint secretary equivalent) in Rajiv Gandhi Foundation in early 1990s, and then private secretary to Sonia Gandhi when she was the leader of the Opposition.

Chatterji’s entry into PMO is likely to strengthen the National Advisory Council (NAC) headed by Sonia Gandhi, as many of its high profile activist members are currently unhappy with a number of government decisions including Planning Commission’s recent definition of rich at Rs 32. NAC secretary Rita Sharma is his batch-mate from the same UP cadre. With Chatterji at the helms, NAC’s views and suggestions are bound to be taken more seriously by babus in every ministry.

Action and Appointments

a) Kumar Sanjay Krishna, a 1985 batch Assam cadre IAS, is now pursuing a DoPT-sponsored advance certificate course in public administration in Syracuse University, USA. The course will end in December. Krishna had earlier served as a director in PMO and joint secretary in finance ministry.

b) BK Sinha, a 1975 batch Bihar cadre IAS, and rural development secretary has been given additional charge of the post of secretary in the ministry of drinking water and sanitation for a period of three months.

c) The government has extended the term of Gokul Chandra Pati, 1978 batch Orissa cadre IAS and additional secretary in department of agriculture, for three months beyond October 6, 2011.

d) Unmesh Sharad Wagh, a 2000 batch IRS officer and former OSD to then minister of state for communication and IT has now become the private secretary to the minister of state for coal Pratik P Patil at the level of a deputy secretary.

babuz no 1: Pulok Chaterji is India’s most powerful bureaucrat; find out who are no 2, 3, 4 & 5

IN GOVERNMENT, no one feels he is unimportant. From the person who signs and receives a letter to the secretary of a department who takes all major decisions, everyone in power corridor seriously attempts to make his or her presence felt. After all, each individual in the government is powerful enough to speed up a process, or paralyze it completely. If everyone in the system is so powerful, who should qualify to be babuz or India’s most powerful bureaucrats? According to the feedback received by babu blogger from at least 30 senior bureaucrats in the country, 5 babuz or 5 most powerful bureaucrats in India have been chosen. While selecting the list of top 5 babuz, more weightage is given to the clout that he or she has on the system rather than the significance of the post that the bureaucrat is currently holding.

Pulok Chaterji, babuz no 1 A 1974 batch IAS from Uttar Pradesh cadre, Pulok Chaterji could now be posted far away in Washington DC as an executive director of the World Bank, but his one phone call carries more power than many important files doing round the power corridors of Delhi. But what makes him so special and powerful? 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. After all, he served as district magistrate of Rae Bareli in early 1980s, a director in the PMO during Rajiv Gandhi’s time, a secretary (joint secretary equivalent) in Rajiv Gandhi Foundation in early 1990s, and then a private secretary to Sonia Gandhi when she was the leader of the Opposition. What’s more, he is a highly efficient officer with a clear focus on delivery. There is already a buzz 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. Watch out this space in the coming days to find out who are the babuz no 2, 3, 4 & 5. Read "BoI announcement on Spotting The babuz" posted on July 28, 2009. Other News: Over 3000 vacant posts of judges to be filled up The government may soon expedite the process of filling up vacancies of judges in various courts including those in High Courts, Prime Minister indicated it in a joint conference of chief ministers and chief justices in New Delhi on Sunday. “The existing vacancies in High Courts are quite high in number and need to be filled up urgently. I would urge the Chief Justices of High Courts to initiate proposals for quickly filling up these posts, he said. Also, the process will begin to fill up about 3000 posts of judges in the country which are now vacant because of delay in recruitment, he indicated.