ARC recommendations to be implemented with speed, says Prime Minister; RTI Act to be improved

IN AN attempt to make public administration more efficient, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh made a commitment in his Independence Day speech that the government would speed up implementing recommendations of the Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) to strengthen governance. Prime Minister also said that Right to Information (RTI) Act would be improved further so that it becomes more effective in bringing in accountability and transparency in public life. “We will act with speed on the recommendations of the Administrative Reforms Commission to strengthen governance,” he said while emphasizing the need to make public administration more efficient. In fact, 2nd Administrative Reforms Commission or ARC, chaired by Veerappa Moily came out with a number of reports on administrative reforms, but most of its recommendations have not been implemented so far. Significantly, Prime Minister Dr Singh devoted a large part of his Independence Day speech on the need to have better administration, decentralization and effective delivery of public services both in urban and rural areas. “Renewed efforts will be made to decentralize public administration through the Panchayati Raj Institutions and to ensure greater involvement of people in it. Initiative will be taken for a new partnership between the civil society and the government so that tax payers’ money is better spent,” he said. He said the government would make special efforts to strengthen the administrative machinery for rural programmes. “Those who live in villages and semi-urban areas should get services similar to the residents of urban areas. Communication and Information Technology can go a long way in achieving this objective. Recently, we have set up the Unique Identification Authority of India. This is a historic step to link up the whole country through a high quality administrative arrangement. We expect the first set of identity numbers to be available in the next one to one and a half years,” he said.

Know Your Babu: A 1978 batch IAS to be Mission Director of Nilekani’s unique ID venture

NANDAN Nilekani’s UID project will now have a dedicated project director. Ram Sewak Sharma, a 1978 batch Jharkhand cadre IAS, has been brought in from the state to appoint as Director General & Mission Director of Unique Identification Authority of India, in the rank and pay of additional secretary. A post graduate in mathematics, Mr Sharma hails from Uttar Pradesh and is now serving as principal secretary in state science and technology department. Major Postings Director, Finance & Company Affairs in department of economic affairs (DEA) under finance minister, New Delhi (From May 1, 1995 to November 17, 1998) Joint secretary in ministry of Finance & Company Affairs (From November 17, 1998 To August 4, 2000) Member Secretary (JS Level) in Personnel & General Administration (From October 26, 2002 to December 31, 2002) Managing Director (additional secretary level) State Electricity Board, Jharkhand (From March 30, 2006 to October 30, 2006) Principal Secretary (additional secretary level) at Info Tech Department, Jharkhand (From May 3, 2007 to September 16, 2008) Principal Secretary (Additional Secretary Level) in Science & Technology Department, Ranchi (From September 19, 2008 till now) Action & Appointments Joint secretary in the National Authority for Chemicals Weapons Convention Ms Ajanta Dayalan, IA&AS (1978 batch) has been appointed by lateral shift as the joint secretary in cabinet secretariat (main) in place of Dr A R Sihag, a 1983 batch Himachal Pradesh cadre IAS. National Authority for Chemicals Weapons Convention also comes under the cabinet secretariat.

Non-Sarkari Feel: Nilekani’s secretariat in Planning Commission has wooden flooring

A CORNER area of the third floor of the Planning Commission is ready for accommodating the support staff of newly-created Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)’s chairman Nandan Nilekani. The area with wooden floor and glass separators looks more like a small corporate office, and is strikingly different from other parts of the Yojana Bhawan located in New Delhi’s Parliament Street. Mr Nilekani, who is resigning as co-chairman of software giant Infosys Technologies, is likely to be given a room in the first floor somewhere near deputy chairman of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia’s office. All Members of the Planning Commission too have their rooms in that floor. The UIDAI office may finally be shifted out of the Planning Commission once it has the full strength. Some of the staff, who had come from other government departments on a temporary basis, began work in UIDAI. Tuhin Kanta Pandey, a 1987 batch Orissa cadre IAS, was appointed for a period of five years as deputy director general (DDG) of the Authority, but he has not joined the office as yet. One of the deputy director generals of National Informatics Centre Dr (Ms) Shefali S Dash, who temporarily joined the Authority, has now been playing a key role in setting up the office. The Planning Commission of India had already begun the process of recruiting 35 officers at the level of joint secretary or equivalent both at the Centre and states. Once the forthcoming Budget allocates the fund, the UIDAI will have the requisite infrastructure both in New Delhi and state capitals across the country. But for now, officers in Planning Commission have begun to gossip how easy or difficult it would be for Mr Nilekani to cope up with government’s rule books. You need a sanction even for buying a pen, they said. After all, the only big sarkari success story, Delhi Metro man E Sreedharan, had a long innings in working with the government! Babus In Demand National Institute of Disaster Management, which is an arm of the ministry of home affairs, intends to empanel consultants both from government and private sector. The Institute is looking for both retiring and serving civil servants to work as consultants. For further details, please log on www.nidm.gov.in Appointment Special secretary (internal security) in the ministry of home affairs (MHA) Raman Srivastava has been appointed as Director General of the Border Security Force (BSF) with effect from August 1, 2009, a government release has said. He will replace M L Kumawat who retires on July 31, 2009. Mr Srivastava is a Kerala cadre IPS officer of the 1973 batch.

Corporate Citizen: Infosys co-chairman Nilekani to head Unique Identification Authority of India

IN A rare instance of choosing a corporate honcho over a politician or a bureaucrat to spearhead a mega government initiative, Nandan Nilekani, co-founder of leading software company Infosys Technologies, has been invited to join newly created Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) as chairman in the rank of a cabinet minister, a government release said on Thursday. The invitation has come from Prime Minister himself. The government made a provision of Rs 100 crore in the interim budget for 2009-10 for its ambitious unique identification project which would give a unique number to every citizen of the country. No wonder, Mr Nilekani will be supported by a huge contingent of civil servants across the country as the Planning Commission of India had already begun the process of recruiting 35 officers at the level of joint secretary or equivalent both at the Centre and states with a pay scale is Rs 37400-67000 (PB-4) along with a grade pay of Rs 10,000. BoI (Babus of India) had earlier mentioned that Tuhin Kanta Pandey, a 1987 batch Orissa cadre IAS, was appointed for a period of five years as deputy director general (DDG) of Unique Identification Authority of India in the pay band of Rs 37400-67000 (PB 4), with a grade pay of Rs 10,000. Mr Nilekani, who was one of the key corporate leaders to create a niche for Indian IT industries globally, is expected to bring in new ideas to this gigantic task involving each of the country’s 100 crore population. Mr Nilekani recently wrote a book titled Imagining India: Ideas for the new century (See pic). Mr Nilekani, warm welcome to power corridors of Delhi!

RTI decisions should not be taken up Benches set up by CIC, says Govt Uneasy tension between India’s personnel ministry and Central Information Commission (CIC) has been continuing, as department of personnel and training (DoPT) has now highlighted a circular brought out a month ago saying that under the provision of Section 12(4) of the RTI Act, the chief information commissioner is not empowered to constitute Benches for taking decisions on complaints and appeals. “In view of legal position, it is advised that decisions on the complaints and appeals should be taken by the Central Information Commission as defined in Section 2(b) of the RTI Act, 2005 and not by the Benches of the Commission,” the government’s clarification said.

Babus Under Check: Government finally gives clarification on disclosure of file noting by bureaucrats under RTI

THE government has said that file noting by civil servants can be disclosed with an exception of a few items which are still exempted under section 8 of the RTI Act. The clarification came after a major showdown between the personnel ministry and Central Information Commission (CIC) for quite sometime. Various government ministries and departments sought clarification from the personnel ministry after CIC chief Wajahat Habibullah summoned two officers --- joint secretary S K Sarkar and deputy secretary Anuradha Chagti --- to explain why they should not be prosecuted under RTI provisions as the department of personnel and training (DoPT) refused to correct the information in its website that file noting was not part of information that could be disclosed under the RTI. According to media reports published earlier, CIC even claimed that erring officials could even face jail terms. In fact, CIC is one of the organizations that come under DoPT.

Extension & Appointments A) Joint secretary in the department of financial services Amitabh Verma, a 1982 batch Bihar cadre IAS, has been given an extension of central deputation for a further period of three months upto September 18, 2009. B) Tuhin Kanta Pandey, a 1987 batch Orissa cadre IAS, as been appointed for a period of five years as deputy director general, in the Unique Identification Authority of India under the Planning Commission, in the pay band of Rs 37400-67000 (PB 4), with a grade pay of Rs 10,000. The posting will be at the level of a joint secretary at the Centre. C) Secretary of the department of agriculture and cooperation under the ministry of agriculture T Nanda Kumar, will hold additional charge of the post of secretary, department of animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries, ministry of agriculture with immediate effect. Mr Kumar is a 1972 batch Jharkhand cadre IAS.

Unified Commanders conference today

A two-day-long Unified Commanders Conference beginning in New Delhi on Thursday will chalk out the possibility of development of integrated war fighting capability, a government release said on Wednesday. It will deliberate upon various issues relating to Services capabilities to meet the security challenges faced by the nation. To be inaugurated by defence minister AK Antony, the conference will be attended by the chairman chiefs of staff committee Admiral Sureesh Mehta, chief of air staff Air Chief Marshal PV Naik and Chief of Army Staff General Deepak Kapoor, Air Marshal SC Mukul, CIDS, C-in-Cs of Andaman & Nicobar Command and heads of various tri-Services training Institutions such as Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, College of Defence Management, Secunderabad and National Defence Academy, Pune.

Babus In Demand: Planning Commission to recruit 35 joint secretary level officials

THE PLANNING Commission of India is recruiting 35 officers at the level of joint secretary or equivalent, the department of personnel & training, or DoPT has announced. It is proposed to fill up the posts of Unique Identification (UID) Commissioners (Central government’s joint secretary level) one each in the capital of each state and union territory of India in Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) under the Planning Commission. The pay scale is Rs 37400-67000 (PB-4) with a grade pay of Rs 10,000. It’s also announced that the names of willing officers empanelled to hold joint secretary or equivalent posts at the Centre may be recommended within four weeks. The applicants need to be clear from any case with vigilance and their integrity have to be certified. For the starter, the government made a provision of Rs 100 crore in the interim budget for 2009-10 its ambitious unique identification project which will give a unique number to every citizen of the country. An authority called Unique Identification Authority of India was already set up, and the government has already notified that.