5 Civil Servants to Watch Out For, 2018: At No 2 is next cabinet secretary probable Kapil Dev Tripathi

WHO will be the 32nd cabinet secretary of India? As incumbent Pradeep Kumar Sinha’s extended term ends on June 13 this year (he was originally appointed for two years and then granted one year of extension), speculations begin on who could be the next top bureaucrat in India. And if the government decides not to extend Sinha’s tenure any longer, as was the case of the then foreign secretary S Jaishankar, it’s the present petroleum secretary and 1980 batch IAS Kapil Dev Tripathi who could be the frontrunner for the top bureaucrat's post. As on June 13, Tripathi will be the…

Kashmir interlocutor and retired IPS Dineshwar Sharma given cabinet secretary's rank; IAS Utpal Kumar Singh prematurely repatriated to Uttarakhand

Dineshwar Sharma (right) with home minister Rajnath Singh

THE CENTRAL government on Monday appointed former Intelligence Bureau chief and 1979 batch retired IPS Dineshwar Sharma as the interlocutor in Kashmir, bestowing on him the rank of a cabinet secretary, the topmost rank in Indian bureaucracy. As home minister Rajnath Singh had announced, Sharma as the representative of Government of India would initiate and carry forward a dialogue with the elected representatives, various organisations and other individuals concerned in Jammu and Kashmir. By giving the rank of the cabinet secretary, the government clearly wanted to…

M Ramachandran who narrowly missed the cabinet secretary’s post writes his memoir: The Mavericks of Mussoorie

1972 BATCH retired IAS and former union urban development secretary M Ramachandran, who had narrowly missed post of cabinet secretary, has come out with his memoir, “The Mavericks of Mussoorie” where he opens up on how and why the country’s top bureaucrat’s post eluded him. As the district magistrate of Rae Bareli in 1980s, he personally knew successive Prime Ministers -- Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, but the bureaucrat missed the bus during the UPA period itself…

PK Sinha gets one year extension as cabinet secretary; why he’s likely to get one more extension?

IN AN one liner order, the government on Monday said the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the extension of cabinet secretary and 1977 batch Uttar Pradesh cadre IAS PK Sinha’s tenure for one year beyond June 12, 2017. That means, Sinha will get a tenure of three years as India’s top bureaucrat. Though cabinet secretary like home and foreign secretaries gets a fixed tenure of two years, the top bureaucrat usually gets extension mainly because PM does not want to take risks in experimenting with a new hand at the level. Two of Sinha’s predecessors —

How to react when cabinet secretary invites you for a cup of tea? Coal secretary Anil Swarup’s tech talk

Anil Swarup, 1981 batch UP cadre IAS and current coal secretary argues that an administrator does not need to be a technologist to use technology in government. In a speech delivered in 14th Star Nite Awards 2015 recently (it’s available in YouTube), Swarup narrated how the then cabinet secretary Ajit K Seth called him for a cup of tea and gave him an assignment he was not very happy about. Edited excerpts of his speech on use of technology:

Is Centre worried about officials getting rooted in same ministries? “Carry out rotation”, a new directive says

HAS the government spotted a tendency of corrupt practices as more and more officials are getting rooted in one ministry or department? Maybe yes. In fact, the government has recently directed all ministries and departments under the Central government to “carry out rotation in respect of sensitive and non-sensitive posts” and that too on a priority basis, according to an office memorandum (OM) issued by the department of personnel and training (DoPT) dated September 14, 2015. The move began with cabinet secretary PK Sinha…

Chemistry Works: Why Narendra Modi showers praise on Ajit K Seth for his "creative effort"

Cabinet Secretariat Corridors

AS Ajit K Seth ended his extended 4-year-term term as India’s cabinet secretary on Saturday, prime minister Narendra Modi posted three tweets to praise one of Seth's initiatives in cabinet secretariat called “Art in Steps” before wishing him for the “new phase in his life”. For the low-profile bureaucrat who studied chemistry in St Stephen’s college in early 1970s and served two prime ministers -- Manmohan Singh and Narendra Modi -- as their cabinet secretary, it was mainly the art of good chemistry that worked in his favour. First, let’s read what Modi had to say for Seth on Saturday…

Power Moment for PK Sinha: 10 things to know about new cabinet secretary

UNION power secretary Pradeep Kumar Sinha had his power moment on Friday when prime minister Narendra Modi handpicked this 1977 batch IAS as new cabinet secretary, the top bureaucracy job in India. As Sinha will soon move into the earmarked bungalow of cabinet secretary (32, Prithviraj Road), he will have BJP veteran LK Advani and top corporate honchos like Dalmia, Nanda, Goenka, Punj and Jindal as his neighbours. Here are 10 things you may like to know about Sinha.

In order, cabinet secretary comes at 11th, CBI director 25th; LG comes ahead of CM only in Delhi

FOR any government occasion (or a ceremony), President of India comes first and a GoI joint secretary comes at 26 with respect to the rank and precedence. The chief minister of a state comes at 7th whereas Lieutenant Governors in union territories are ranked at 11th along with the cabinet secretary (the top career bureaucrat in the country). However, for Delhi, as the footnote says, Lieutenant Governor will take precedence over the chief minister (root cause of the current jung). CBI director, Border Security Force’s DG, CRPF's DG and director of Intelligence Bureau along with GoI additional secretaries—all come at 25th position. Here is the complete list of precedence as approved by the President in 1979.

Cabinet secretary Ajit K Seth wants discussion in coming Civil Services Day on ability of civil servants to communicate

Press Officers' Workshop

COME April 21, Indian civil servants may discuss ways on how to enhance their ability to communicate. Cabinet secretary Ajit K Seth on Monday invited suggestions for the forthcoming Civil Services Day on how to equip civil servants professionally, and suggested that one of the areas for discussions on the Civil Services Day could be enhancing the ability of civil servants to communicate. Seth was…

Cabinet secretary Ajit K Seth shares a few tips with PSU heads

Ajit K Seth (File photo)

CABINET secretary Ajit Kumar Seth on Thursday emphasized on the need for having efficient and effective boards in Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) and appealed the PSU honchos to take a few tips from the private sector as well. Effective succession planning practices need to be…

Why rumours about Rajiv Mehrishi as the next cabinet secretary sound logical

A YEAR ago, 1978 batch IAS Rajiv Mehrishi moved from Delhi to Jaipur to take charge as chief secretary of Rajasthan. He was then the secretary of a low-profile union ministry, fertiliser. His batch-mate from the same cadre Arvind Mayaram was then the all-powerful finance secretary. Mehrishi’s return journey was also prompted by the fact the he found no hope of career progression in Delhi. A year later, Mehrishi is India’s finance secretary, and if sources in the corridors are to be believed he is being groomed as…

Chemistry or Maths: What works in favour of cabinet secretary Ajit K Seth to remain at top?

A rare instance of media interaction

WHEN cabinet secretary Ajit K Seth got yet another 6-month-long extension a week ago, his second extension after Narendra Modi became the country’s prime minister, many in the corridors kept guessing Seth’s secret of success. After all, Modi-led Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has rejected a number of extension proposals of senior bureaucrats in the last six months, and many babus were prematurely repatriated to their parent cadre. Then, what this low-profile bureaucrat did that forced the new PM feel "this man is indispensable”. Those who have...

Do you know there is a provision of age relaxation for divorced women to join govt? 7 key provisions for women

Cleopatra: A painting by IAS Subhra Saxena

NO WOMAN officer has become a cabinet secretary or home secretary in the last 67 years of India's Independence. But, do you know women are officially encouraged to join the government service? Or, do you know about the provision for age relaxation for appointment in government service for women judicially separated from husbands and not re-married? If you don’t, here are 7 points below:

Who is hinting at Alok Rawat as India’s next cabinet secretary in December?

Alok Rawat

NO ONE knows what's in Narendra Modi’s mind. Yet, there are reasons to believe that prime minister who had surprised everyone by giving the current cabinet secretary Ajit K Seth an extension till December 14, is probably zeroing in on 1977 batch Sikkim cadre IAS and current water resources secretary Alok Rawat for the cabinet secretary’s post six months down the line. The first hint emerges from Rawat’s recent…

Ajit K Seth’s Extension as Cabinet Secretary: 5 meanings to this surprise move

CORRIDOR'S speculation on who could be Narendra Modi’s pick for cabinet secretary ended on Monday, at least for now, after the government in a surprise move extended incumbent Ajit K Seth’s term for six more months till December 13, 2014, his second extension after getting appointed as cabinet secretary in June 2011. Many believe Seth was originally handpicked by Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s confidant and his own batch-mate Pulok Chatterji who eventually became principal secretary to PM, and Pulokaseth, as BoI called the duo, had worked as a team with no visible evidence of…

Will senior most IAS Sutanu Behuria be India’s next cabinet secretary? And ifs and buts?

IF bureaucratic seniority is respected by the next government at the Centre, Himachal Pradesh cadre IAS of 1976 batch and current secretary of heavy industries department Sutanu Behuria will become India’s next cabinet secretary replacing Ajit K Seth whose extended tenure ends on June 13. Behuria, originally hailing from Odisha, retires on July 31, 2014, but according to rules, the officer needs to be below 60 years of age at the time of appointment, and once appointed as cabinet secretary, he will get a…

PM expresses happiness about more women becoming IAS; but will corridors’ history forgive Singh for his 2009 “blunder”?

IAS probationers of 2013 batch

ONE of the highlights of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s speech to the IAS probationers on Friday is his special mention of women IAS, and how the new trend of more and more women becoming IAS officers has been a good sign for the nation’s progress. But, no woman officer has ever become a cabinet secretary, the highest post that an Indian bureaucrat can aspire for. And the history of bureaucracy in India will remind Singh that there was a lost opportunity in the summer of 2009 when none other than…

Uttarakhand’s Monsoon Mayhem: Cabinet Secretary Ajit K Seth’s response

CABINET secretary Ajit Kumar Seth, known to be calm and composed in all difficult situations, has turned hyper-active during the last couple of days, as the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand ground to a halt because of the recent monsoon fury. Despite being a reluctant speaker and media-shy bureaucrat, Seth chose a television channel to…

Cabinet secretary Ajit K Seth gets 1 year extension; what worked in his favour

Seth at a textile function (File Photo)

THERE was no surprise element or wow factor when appointments committee of the cabinet (ACC) has decided to give one-year-extension to cabinet secretary and 1974 batch UP cadre IAS Ajit Kumar Seth. The low-profile bureaucrat, who studied chemistry in St Stephen’s college in early 1970s, has maintained an excellent rapport with Pulok Chatterji, the man who matters in the corridors. Understandably, the Prime Minister is averse to…