How diplomats are perceived, and what they are? Ex-foreign secretary Nirupama Rao explains it during a UNESCO talk

“We as diplomats like to see ourselves as change makers and pace setters in the corridors of government and in the ecosphere of statecraft. Of course, as the skeptics might say, conditions apply”, said former foreigner secretary of India Nirupama Rao during a recent talk in UNESCO. Rao at the begging of her speech on the subject titled “Diplomacy in the age of social media”, said how diplomacy is a fine art, an heir to…

IFS Ruchira Kamboj’s successor in UNESCO has to be an IAS; Govt changes eligibility criteria for this Paris-based post

THE government has now made it mandatory that only IAS officers can apply for the post of Permanent Representative of India in UNESCO, Paris, which will be lying vacant with incumbent Ruchira Kamboj, a 1987 batch IFS, ending her term next year. This joint secretary-ranked post which comes under the administrative control of department of higher education under the ministry of human resource development (HRD), was not reserved earlier only for IAS. And that's which is why an IFS officer got selected for the post. But a DoPT letter, dated October 25, 2016 which was addressed to union secretaries and state chief secretaries, said that the first mandatory qualification for an applicant to be eligible is as follows:

Daughter's “educational requirements" prompts ACC to extend VS Oberoi’s UNESCO tenure

IN AN unusual move to display transparency, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet in a recent order mentioned clearly that 1979 batch IAS VS Oberoi’s tenure in Paris has been extended because of the “educational requirements of his daughter”. Academic sessions of children are often factored in, though with a large number of exceptions while...

“Wild” life of IFS officer MN Jayakumar brings home international photo award

FOR MN Jayakumar, a 1979 batch Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer and Karnataka’s Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, an affair with camera developed nearly two decades ago. Jayakumar has now been selected for an UNESCO award, MFIAP, the highest distinction awarded by International Federation of Photographic Art for 20 of his images named “Spectacular Indian Birds”. According to reports, he is the fourth Indian to have been awarded Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society (FRPS) and MFIAP, two of the highest distinctions awarded in the field of photography for nature photography.

A passionate environmentalist who travels extensively to capture some defining moments in the world of forest, the forest officer won over 50 awards and 50 certificates of merit in national and international photography. Jayakumar’s photographs were displayed at exhibitions in countries such as England, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Finland, Australia, Scotland, USA and South Africa, apart from getting recognition at various forums in India.

In addition to co-authoring a book in on wildlife, he was also a member of the Indian team at the 14th FIAP nature biennial world cup competition for nature photography held in Spain which won the silver medal in the nature prints category. (In picture: One of Jayakumar's photographs) 

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Bureaucrats can do better than politicians, says Vice President

Vice President of India M Hamid Ansari said in a function in Kerala that there are vital areas where the contribution of civil servants could be more than politicians as bureaucrats are “better equipped to work out details of projects”. He was speaking at AK Nair memorial award function. The award this year was given to TKA Nair, one of the most powerful bureaucrats in the country and principal secretary to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

My Take: Low Level European Civil Servants Lead In Brand-Building Of Europe’s Bureaucracy

ONE of my esteemed readers rightly pointed out that I did not write much about my recent experiences in Europe despite my tall promise in my post from New Delhi airport before taking a flight to Amsterdam that I would give a sense of how European bureaucracy works so well vis-à-vis the Indian babudom. Let me be honest with you that I did not have much interaction with any senior government officials in the continent except one with an official at Mayor's office in city of Stockholm who walked me through how the city in Sweden adopted a holistic approach to convert itself into the green capital of Europe. Anyway, based on my earlier visits to Europe in 2001-02 and 2005, let me paint one aspect of European civil servants which stands out all the time. As an ordinary citizen traveling across the continent, you won’t be harassed by any civil servant whatsoever. No one will ask for bribe from a citizen for fixing any basic amenities. I have no idea whether corruption exists at the highest level of European bureaucracy or not, but ordinary citizen won’t find their country’s bureaucracy “suffocating”. In India too, gone are the days when an ordinary citizen had to pay a bribe to get his phone connection, but citizens even now encounter with low-rung officials, mainly police personnel, who ask for bribes to get wrong things right. Though I myself did not participate in BoI’s poll on Hong Kong-based Perc survey’s remarks on Indian bureaucracy, I personally disagree with the report’s terming of Indian bureaucracy as “suffocating”. Yet, I feel that senior civil servants in India who are quite friendly towards aam aadmi and their welfare ensure that their juniors on the streets follow some basic guidelines as they are the real ambassadors of Indian babudom. Babus In Demand Permanent Representative of India, UNESCO: The government has been looking for the right candidate to fill up the joint secretary level post of Permanent Representative of India, UNESCO, Paris, under the department of higher education, which falls vacant on June 30, 2009. The officer must have been empanelled to hold joint secretary or equivalent posts at the Centre, and should be at least three batches below the batch next to be considered for empanelment at the additional secretary level. The officer also must have worked for at least 2 years at the Centre under Central Staffing Scheme.