Know more about VK Shunglu, a 1962 batch retired IAS who’s given Padma Bhushan

A DAY after the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi ended with much fun-fare in October 2010, the then Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, appointed a panel to look into the allegations of corruption related to the mega sporting event. The man at the held was former Comptroller and Auditor General and 1962 batch IAS, V K Shunglu. On Friday, the present Modi Sarkar conferred him Padma Bhushan for his exceptional performance in the field of civil service. The only other civil servant who was also given the Padma award this year was…

ED links anti-corruption crusader VS Pandey with Hasan Ali case; Shunglu, Lyngdoh in core team of Pandey’s IRI

MAYAWATI government might have distanced itself by immediately removing principal secretary (information) and 1979 batch IAS Vijay Shankar Pandey in the wake of Enforcement Directorate’s possible probe on his alleged linkage with Pune stud farm owner Hasan Ali Khan, but this process of investigation is likely to damage the reputation of an anti-corruption group called India Rejuvenation Initiative in which Pandey has been actively involved.

According to reports, Pandey and Puducherry Lt Governor Iqbal Singh could be summoned by the ED in connection with the passport procured by Hasan Ali who reportedly evaded an income tax of over Rs 70,000 crore. The ED is also probing possible money laundering by Hasan Ali.

Pandey is known to be an honest officer and was one of the first civil servants to publicly declare his assets one and half years ago. Pandey is a key driver of anti-corruption group India Rejuvenation Initiative in which several eminent civil servants including former CAG VK Shunglu, former chief election commissioner JM Lyngdoh, and former Planning Commission secretary Dr NC Saxena are executive members. Significantly, Shunglu is now probing the Commonwealth Games scam and Saxena is a member of UPA chairwoman Sonia Gandhi-headed National Advisory Council.

Shunglu committee recommends action against Doordarshan DG Aruna Sharma too

Aruna Sharma, Director General of Doordarshan and 1982 batch Madhya Pradesh cadre IAS officer, could be in trouble as VK Shunglu committee probing alleged irregularities in the Commonwealth Games, has recommended that criminal cases be registered not just against former Prasar Bharati CEO BS Lalli but against DD Director General too, according to reports.

Whereas Lalli, a retired IAS officer, was under fire for last few months and was suspended as CEO on December 21, Aruna Sharma’s name has been dragged in only now. The Shunglu committee’s recommendation is based on their alleged role in granting CWG broadcasting rights to UK-based SIS Live causing an estimated Rs 135-crore loss to the exchequer. According to reports, Shunglu committee found that granting rights to SIS Live for Rs 246 crore was quite high as the actual cost of coverage could be around Rs 111 crore.

Both Lalli and Ms Sharma had earlier refuted the charges levelled against them.

A doctorate in physiological health management, Aruna Sharma had earlier served as secretary (state cadre) of Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Department and joint secretary in National Human Rights Commission in addition to handling many key departments in Madhya Pradesh.

It remains to be seen who are other bureaucrats who have been indicted in the Shunglu committee report running into about 1,000 pages with annexures?

Action and Appointments

a) R Gopalan, a 1976 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS, presently secretary in the department of financial services has been appointed as secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, under the ministry of finance in place of Ashok Chawla, a 1973 batch Gujarat cadre IAS who retired on January 31.

b) DK Mittal, a 1977 batch UP cadre IAS, presently additional secretary in department of commerce has been appointed as secretary in the ministry of corporate affairs in place of R Bandyopadhyay, a 1974 batch West Bengal cadre IAS who retired on January 31.

c) SR Rao, a 1978 batch Gujarat cadre IAS, presently additional secretary in the department of information technology has been appointed as additional secretary in department of telecommunications.

d) Desh Deepak Verma, a 1978 batch UP cadre IAS and additional secretary in department of food and public distribution has been repatriated to his cadre.

e) Madhav Lal, a 1977 batch IAS officer of J&K cadre has been appointed as chief secretary of Jammu and Kashmir. Prior to his appointment, he was in the Centre as additional secretary in the ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises.

Shunglu committee spots CWG officials with fat salaries; check out complete list

VK Shunglu committee investigating the affairs of Delhi Commonwealth Games has indicated that several officials involved in the preparation of the Games received more salaries than they deserved. What’s more, many of those appointed for the preparation of the mega sports event were either relatives or acquaintances of VIPs or office bearers of the Organising Committee.

In first of its actions, the High Level Committee under former Comptroller and Auditor General of India VK Shunglu, has published information about 2100 persons appointed by the Organising Committee of Commonwealth Games, 2010. A press release issued by the ministry of youth affairs and sports said that the committee had received representations and information that “several of the persons appointed were paid salaries not commensurate with their qualifications and that some of them were relatives/acquaintances of VIPs or office bearers of the Organising Committee.”

Just a day after the Commonwealth Games were over, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh appointed a high-level committee headed by former CAG and 1962 batch retired IAS, V K Shunglu to go into allegations of corruption related to the mega sporting event. Shunglu, who was the Comptroller and Auditor General between 1996 and 2002 and has been a trail blazer in ongoing crusade of forcing civil servants declaring their assets, was asked to prepare a report in three months. Later, ex-DoPT secretary Shantanu Consul joined the committee as its Member.

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Complete list of 2100 officials, salaries

Real Games: Who is VK Shunglu

Action and Appointments

a) Bira Kishore Misra has been appointed as an Additional Judge of the Orissa High Court.

b) Arup Kumar Goswami has been appointed as an Additional Judge of the Gauhati High Court.

c) Justice Jaya Roy has been appointed as Judge of Jharkhand High Court.

d) Prashant Kumar and Pradeep Kumar have been appointed as Additional Judges of Jharkhand High Court.

e) Gurijala Krishna Mohan Reddy and Kolla Surya Appa Rao have been appointed as Additional Judges of Andhra Pradesh High Court. 

Know Shunglu Panel’s second member -- Shantanu Consul, 1974 batch Karnataka cadre IAS

FOR Shantanu Consul, a 1974 batch Karnataka cadre IAS officer retiring October 31, there won’t be a rest even for a day. Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has named Consul the only other Member of the VK Shunglu Committee probing alleged financial irregularities in the recent held Delhi Commonwealth Games. Consul is currently secretary department of personnel and training (DoPT) in the ministry of personnel, public grievance and pensions.

An MA in history and certificate holder in German and marketing, Consul started his career as deputy commissioner in Bidar in Karnataka way back on March 1, 1982 only to rise as a government of India secretary. Later in 1990, he competed his MBA from the University of Hull, UK, (1990).

Consul had earlier served as secretary, border management under MHA (February 2008 to July 2008), secretary, ministry of mines and minerals (July 2008 to March 2009) and then secretary, department of drinking water supply (March 2009 to September 2009)

Shunglu panel has been asked to submit its report in three months.

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Who is VK Shunglu?

Railways Gold Track: Now a new sports policy

Call it a golden track. Buoyed by gold rush by the Indian Railways employees in Commonwealth Games recently, minister of railways Mamata Banerjee directed Railway Board to formulate a new sports policy. The policy would provide encouragement, incentive, better career prospects and better professional and practical support to Railway players. In CWG-2010, railway sportspersons won 25 medals for India which include 13 gold medals, 3 silver medals and 9 bronze medals. The Railways gave given them cash awards.

For the record, here is the list of the gold medalists from the Indian Railways according to their zones:

1) Ms Anisha Sayyed, (Western Railway), Shooting (25m Pistol Team)

2) Ravinder Kumar, (Northern Railway), Wrestling (60 kg Greco Roman)

3) Sanjay, (Northern Railway), Wrestling (74 kg. Greco Roman)

4) Ms Anisha Sayyed, (Western  Railway), Shooting (25m Pistol Indv.)

5) Ms Y Renubala Chanu, (Northeast Frontier  Railway), Weightlifting (58 kg.)

6) Rajinder Singh, (Western Railway), Wrestling (55 kg Greco Roman)

7) Ms Dola Banerjee PP, (Eastern Railway),

Ms L Bombayla Devi , (Eastern Railway), Archery (Recurve Team Event)

8) Narsingh Yadav, (Western Railway), Wrestling (74 kg Free Style)

9) Sushil Kumar, (Northern Railway), Wrestling (66 kg Free Style)

10) Ms Krishna Punia, (North Western Railway), Athletics (Discus Throw)

11) Ms Ashwani AC (South Western Railway), Ms Sini Jose (Southern Railway),  Athletics (4X400 Relay)

12) Manoj Kumar (Northern Railway), Boxing (64 kg), ld

13) Pramjit Samota (Eastern Railway), Boxing (91 kg)

85,000 banking jobs

Imagine 85,000 jobs in Indian banking for the next three years? A finance ministry background paper disclosed the figure. For details, check http://www.jobcorridor.com/

What transpired in PM-Shunglu meet? Panel members to be named this week

THE exact terms and references, and also the members of the VK Shunglu panel, investigating alleged financial irregularities in just-concluded Delhi Commonwealth Games, are likely to be announced this week. The broad consensus took place when Shunglu, a former CAG, met with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday. Principal adviser to PM, TKA Nair and cabinet secretary KM Chandrasekhar were also present during the meeting. According to reports, Shunglu had a preliminary meeting with Nair to finalize the broad contours of the probe before he met with the PM.

India’s largest opposition party, BJP, wants Shunglu committee to probe the alleged role of PMO in addition to demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to investigate the matter. BJP president Nitin Gadkari had earlier said in a press conference that he had enough evidences to substantiate his claim that PMO too had a role in the scam, but his comments were widely criticized by analysts as “irresponsible”.

Shunglu committee has been asked to submit its report in three months. A number of government agencies including CVC, CBI, ED and the Income Tax department have launched their independent investigations once the Games were over.

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Who is VK Shunglu?

Mayawati doles out Diwali bonanza to UP employees

It’s party time in UP as chief minister Mayawati has announced a bonus equivalent to one months’ pay for a section of state employees for the financial year 09-10. But this order won’t make all employees happy as only permanent non-gazetted state employees, teachers of aided schools and technical institutes, local bodies and zila panchayats etc. would get the bonus. Even they have to fulfill a few conditions listed out by the state government to make themselves eligible for the bonus payouts.