2014 batch woman IAS harassed in Delhi; IAS Association demands action against perpetrators of the “cowardly and dangerous attack”

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THREE days after a 2014 batch woman IAS officer was allegedly harassed in a court premise in Delhi’s Saket area, the IAS Association on Sunday said “action must be taken against the perpetrators of this cowardly and dangerous attack”. The incident took place on Thursday (January 10) when the woman IAS officer, presently posted in Mizoram, was allegedly harassed by a…

Woman officers, Northeast India and Inter-cadre deputation: Govt comes out with some clarity

THE government has clarified that inter-cadre deputation for woman officers posted in a Northeast cadre (Assam-Meghalaya, Manipur-Tripura, Sikkim and Nagaland) could be allowed for 5 years extendable to further 2 years at one go. Thereafter, the deputation for another spell of two years may be allowed after review, thereby taking the maximum number of years on deputation to another state to nine. The issue cropped up when 2004 batch Manipur cadre IAS Ms Nidhi Kesarwani asked for an…

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…

Know Your Babu: Another woman officer Snehlata Kumar in MHA’s male bastion

NO WOMAN officer has become a home secretary ever, but if 1979 batch Madhya Pradesh cadre IAS Ms Snehlata Kumar’s appointment as secretary (border management) in the ministry of home affairs (MHA) is any indication, the government is not averse to having women officers at senior home ministry positions. Incidentally, as border management secretary, Ms Kumar will replace Gauri Kumar, another woman officer and her own...

Technically, no woman IAS could become cabinet secretary for next many years

FOR many more years, no woman bureaucrat could become cabinet secretary, India’s top bureaucrat by rank and pay. The reason is more of technical in nature than competence and capabilities of corridor’s top women. In summer of 2009, it was a narrow miss for 1972 batch Kerala cadre IAS Sudha Pillai who was then the senior most IAS, and then cabinet secretary KM Chandrasekhar’s two-year term was to end. But it’s a different matter that Chandrasekhar got serial extensions which not only denied Mrs Pillai her ‘due’ to become country’s top most bureaucrats, but also disappointed at least two other contenders a year later. For the record, cabinet secretary plays a key role in top level appointments of bureaucrats, pioneers changes in administrative laws and rules, and helps the Prime Minister in key decisions and cabinet meetings. Cabinet secretary in a month receives Rs 10,000 extra than other secretaries and he is entitled to live in an earmarked bungalow at Prithviraj Road, one of the posh localities in the heart of Lutyens’ Delhi.
Currently, a number of influential women secretaries are at the helms of various departments, but key ministries like cabinet secretariat, home, defence and finance don’t have any women secretary. Though two women diplomats, Chokila Iyer and Nirupama Rao, reached the top to become foreign secretary, the highest post for an Indian Foreign Service officer, no IAS has ever made into cabinet, defence or home secretary’s job.
The women secretaries from 1975 batch IAS include woman and child development secretary Neela Gangadharan, school education secretary Anshu Vaish, textile secretary Kiran Dhingra and sports secretary Sindhushree Khullar. All are armed with decades long experiences in administration, top class educational degrees and rich network among political leaders. Sindhushree Khullar, for example, did her masters in public administration from Harvard University while she was on the job. Anshu Vaish had a degree in developmental administration from a UK university.
But all of them will retire before current cabinet secretary Ajit Kumar Seth’s two-year term ends in May 2013. And if the earlier trends are factored in, Seth’s term will be extended at least till general elections of 2014 making it impossible for 1976 batch IAS officers too, to reach the top.
The top women officers of 1976 batch include higher education secretary Vibha Puri and land resources secretary Anita Chaudhary. Ms Chaudhary of Haryana cadre was once considered to be a big bet for home secretary’s post, but she would retire before incumbent RK Singh’s two years term ends next year. Ms Chaudhary had a three year stint in the North-Block and went up to the position of special secretary in home ministry.
Among the 1977 batch IAS, Vilasini Ramachandran and Sangita Gairola have been elevated to the full-fledged secretaries. Mrs Ramachandran who had experiences in finance ministry is now drinking water secretary, and Mrs Gairola from Rajasthan has just become culture secretary.
In addition to luck and influence, the factors that work at securing the coveted cabinet secretary’s post are age, high ranking in merit-cum seniority list and at times prior experiences in key ministries.

MP cadre woman IAS officer wants to approach Anna Hazare; Why?

ANNA factor may no longer be as strong as it used to be, but an aggrieved woman IAS officer from Madhya Pradesh, Shashi Karnawat, has threatened to approach anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare against state chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, local media reports said. She has accused the chief minister of protecting the corrupt. No report has however carried the state government’s version.
Ms Karnawat, a 1999 batch Madhya Pradesh cadre IAS, has alleged that the state government has harassed her because she is a Dalit. She has claimed she was framed in a case of financial irregularities over a decade ago but got a clean chit. But the state government has not taken back the case as yet. She has worked as deputy secretary in the technical education department in the state.
52-year old IAS officer also said that she would take up the matter to National Commission for Women apart from approaching Hazare, reports said.

Action and Appointments

Thomson Foundation Trustees

a) A group of 11 Indian government officials are now in UK to get training on media management from Thomson Foundation. They will be trained both in London and Cardiff. Former award winning BBC presenter and investigative journalist Tim Rogers is the head of training in Thomson Foundation. The foundation is known for imparting tailor-made programmes in media management. For example, Burmese citizen journalists were trained on covert video training. In another course, broadcast executives, oil company communications chiefs from Egypt were trained on media planning.