MP cadre IAS Julaniya appointed as sports secretary; Air India CMD PS Kharola to be new civil aviation secretary

IN A minor bureaucratic reshuffle at the Centre, sports secretary, Rahul Prasad Bhatnagar, has been transferred to the ministry of Panchayat Raj, and Air India CMD, Pradeep Singh Kharola, has been appointed as new civil aviation secretary. First, here below are four secretary-level reshuffle:

“Kickboxer” Amitabh Kant: NITI Aayog CEO posts video of his fitness secrets

A video grab of Kant practising kickboxing

AMITABH Kant, 1980 batch former Kerala cadre IAS and CEO of the government think-tank, NITI Aayog, made a social media buzz on Tuesday morning when he uploaded in Twitter a 34-second-video, showing him practicing kickboxing in a garden, understandably in Delhi. Wearing navy blue shorts, T-shirt and sneaker, the 62-year-old bureaucrat is seen doing “cross-fit training and kickboxing” as a reply to a fitness challenge posed by actor…

2 IRS officers — Vrunda Desai, Virendra Ojha receive accolades for their sporting talents

Vrunda Desai

TWO IRS-IT officers, Ms Vrunda Desai and Virendra Ojha, have come into the limelight within the revenue service officers’ community after their outstanding display of sporting talents recently. Vrunda Desai, a 2003 batch IRS-IT officer has recently won gold medals in two pistol events in All India Revenue Shooting competition, and Ojha who stunned many by completing…

DoPT’s report card in November; 10 things from CMDs’ appointment to hockey academy inauguration

FROM appointing CMDs and OSDs to inaugurating a hockey academy in New Delhi’s Vinay Marg sport complex, the Centre’s personnel ministry — DoPT had a busy month in November. Here below are 10 notable things that DoPT did in November:  

Babus organize inter-ministry carrom tournament next month; but why can’t govt rebrand carrom as the game of the Maharajas?

BETWEEN October 17 and 25 this year, there will be an inter ministry carrom tournament in New Delhi’s Nirman Bhawan. Central Civil Services Cultural and Sports Board, an agency that comes under the department of personnel and training (DoPT), has asked potential participants to fill up the entries and pay…

Olympic bronze medalist Sakshi Malik will now be an officer in Indian Railways; Guess, what's shuttler PV Sindhu's rail connection

INDIAN Railways’ employee Sakshi Malik who finally ended India’s long anxious wait for Olympic medal at Rio Olympics 2016 on Thursday, will now be promoted as a Gazetted officer and will also be posted in the zonal railway of her choice. Sakshi who won the Olympic bronze in 58 kg category of women’s freestyle wrestling and became the first women wrestler from India to bag an Olympic medal, will also receive…

Know more about I-T dept employee Debashree Mazumdar, a member of Indian women’s relay team in Rio Olympics

INCOME-TAX Parivar has something special to look forward to, in the current Rio Olympics. Yes, Debashree Mazumdar — a Kolkata-based I-T employee and member of silver-winning Indian relay team at the 2015 Asian Championship, will compete in 4x400m relay in Rio. For the 25-year-old Indian athlete, it will be her first Olympics. Debashree was recruited by Kolkata Income-Tax department in 2011, and since then…

Bureaucrats in Delhi to play day and night cricket to “unwind from hectic office schedules”

COME September, bureaucrats working in the Central government will participate in a day and night inter-ministry cricket tournament, the first of its kind being organized by the Central Civil Services Cultural and Sports Board. The purpose, according to a circular dated July 6, 2016 and issued by Central Civil Services Cultural and Sports Board said, this will help the bureaucrats to “unwind hectic office schedules”. Though inter-ministry crickets were organized earlier, this is the first time, it’s planned to be a…

Ready for rock-climbing or beach trekking? Govt to sponsor its employees to tackle “alarming situation of stress”

THE Central government has unveiled a new scheme under which a government employee is eligible to receive up to Rs 20,000 as reimbursement for undertaking one of the adventurous sports such as trekking, mountaineering, rock-climbing, cycling in difficult terrain, skiing, surfing,  boat sailing, rafting, parasailing, balloning, beach trekking, etc. In a DoPT office memorandum (OM) released on Friday, the government said, it is an attempt to tackle “alarming situation of stress” on Central government employees and also to foster...

Know Your Babu: Sports ministry’s new joint secretary V Venu is also a stage actor

VENTURING into acting is not an easy "file" to handle, at least for veteran administrators. But newly-appointed joint secretary in the department of sports and 1990 batch Kerala cadre IAS V Venu is also an actor. It was January 2010 the then Kerala tourism secretary Venu donned the role of a shrewd contractor who tries to manipulate bureaucracy and politics! He acted in a...

You have two choices: Watching Dhoni’s boys on TV or babus playing cricket in Delhi

 IF MS Dhoni’s men in blue can perform in the world cup cricket, why can’t the babus do? Civil servants serving across the nation will get together and participate in All India Civil Services Cricket Tournament, (being organized by Central Civil Services Culture and Sports Board) to be played in New Delhi between March 18 and 25, 2015. And like all sarkari rules such as civil services conduct rules, here are the cricket rules being minutely framed for the tournament purpose:

Are you a Central govt employee? Try out drawing a logo and win a cash prize

Time to Think Creatively

IF YOU are a Central government employee or a dependent, here is a chance to draw how should the logo of Central Civil Services Cultural and Sports Board (CCSCSB) look like. And if the selection panel finds yours is the best, you will be given a cash award of...

Dear Abhishek Bachchan, there is a civil services version of Kabaddi league too

IF YOU thought actors Abhishek Bachchan and wife Aishwarya Rai Bachchan are the only one excited about Kabaddi these days, get your facts right. Yes, the Bollywood couple had enough reasons to get elated. After all, their Jaipur Pink Panthers team won the inaugural edition of Pro Kabaddi League a week ago. But, why do you think babus be left behind in popularizing, “Kabaddi –Kabaddi”. According to a circular dated September 5, 2014, civil servants are asked to form teams for the…

Best physique competition among babus? Sports calendar for inter-ministry tournaments released

FROM power lifting to wrestling, and kabaddi to carrom, Indian bureaucrats have a year-long calendar, 2014-15, with details of inter-ministry tournaments. And on November 1 and 2, 2014, there will be "best physique" competition among babus to be held in New Delhi’s Netaji Nagar community centre, according to a notification issued by…

Summer coaching camps for children of govt employees in basketball, cricket, football, tennis

Revenue secretary Takru on a strike (File Photo)

COME this summer, children or dependents of the Central government employees could attend coaching sessions in basketball, cricket, football and tennis in New Delhi. The children aged between six to 16 years will be allowed to attend camps to be held between May 15 and…

Early Diwali: Pay hike for sportspersons working in govt departments

IN A major incentive for sportspersons working in various Central ministries and departments, the government has doubled the existing amount of the personal pay for employees if they excel in sporting events of national and international importance. The revised rate will be applicable prospectively from…

Come January, Indian bureaucrats will be on a wrestling ring in Delhi

A painting titled Wrestling Match (1649) by Michiel Sweerts

IMAGINE Indian bureaucrats, known for strategic mind and cautious action, playing an actual game of wrestling. An inter-ministry wrestling tournament will be held in New Delhi’s Brassey Avenue Sports Complex on January 19 and 20, 2012. And entries are invited from government employees on or before January 12, 2012.

The weight categories are: 56 kg, 60 kg, 66 kg, 74 kg, 84 kg, 96 kg and mind-boggling 120 kg. In a circular dated December 14, 2011, participants are requested to send their entries in the prescribed proforma to Central Civil Services Cultural and Sports Board, Room No 361, B Wing, 3^rd Floor, Lok Nayak Bhawan, New Delhi. The entry fee is just Rs 10.

According to Wikipedia, the origins of wrestling can be traced back 15,000 years through cave drawings in France. The Mahabharata has a narration of a famous wrestling encounter between Bhima and Jarasandha. But where are the references of two bureaucrats settling scores in a wresting ring?

Action and Appointments

a) Arun Kumar, a 1983 batch Assam cadre IAS, has been appointed as joint secretary in the ministry of mines. He will replace 1987 batch Jammu and Kashmir batch IAS Sundeep Nayak. Nayak was appointed as joint secretary in the ministry of women and child development.

b) Anuradha Mitra, a 1984 batch IDAS officer, has been appointed as joint secretary and financial adviser in the ministry of science and technology.

c) Ningthoujam Geoffrey, a 2007 batch Assam cadre IAS, has been transferred to Manipur-Tripura cadre (Manipur segment).

d) The Central government has accorded approval of inter-cadre deputation of Anil Kumar, a 1988 batch Haryana cadre IAS from Haryana cadre to AGMUT cadre for the appointment to the post of home secretary in Chandigarh administration.