3 senior most IAS of 1978 batch have an exposure to Bharat, how?

Bharat Vs India

THREE senior most IAS officers of 1978 batch who are becoming secretaries had an exposure to Bharat, quite literally. All of them have worked in rural development ministries either in states or in the Centre during the recent past.

After the topper of the batch Jawed Usmani got himself shifted to UP as chief secretary, three senior most secretary-empaneled officers, Saurabh Chandra (UP cadre), Gokul Chandra Pati (Orissa cadre) and Arvind Mayaram (Rajasthan cadre) have in fact had a long association with rural development ministries.

Home secretary RK Singh fumes; warns officers not to hobnob with embassies

Is Home Secretary RK Singh Angry?

UNION home secretary RK Singh has asked secretaries of various departments to restrain bureaucrats from hobnobbing with foreign embassies in India. The fear? A few bureaucrats were already “cultivated” by foreign service nationals or embassy officers.

Singh’s letter as quoted by a report in Hindustan Times said that those officials would be dealt with. But who are those officials?

Age No Bar: Even older Indian bureaucrat is now eligible to take up Myanmar post

Nearing 60: Thinking About Myanmar...

IT’S like a desperate situation for the government of India to spot the right bureaucrat for a deputy secretary-equivalent post in mystic land of Myanmar. In the last six months, the DoPT has issued three circulars asking applications from the suitable candidates for the post of first secretary (development) at Indian Embassy in Myanmar. Now, even the Central Secretariat Services officers can apply for the post. Also, older bureaucrats are eligible now, as the age bar of 45 years...

What’s if a senior Indian government official has a toothache in Kuala Lumpur?

SOUNDS funny, but an Indian government official flying to Malaysian capital city of Kuala Lumpur in June for a training programme will be in trouble if he or she has a major dental problem during the three weeks long stay there. The government of Malaysia under Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme will pay the selected Indian government officials the return airfare and medical treatment but “dental treatment is restricted to extraction and filling which must be carried out in government hospitals and clinics”, according to a training DoPT circular dated April 9, 2012.

What does this really mean? Is there a suspicion that...

Batchmates Bonhomie: What does R Gopalan's 3-month extension mean?

(R to L) Gopalan, Mrs Paul, Gujral, Bose

THE government has given department of economic affairs (DEA) secretary R Gopalan an extension of three months allowing batch-mates’ bonhomie continuing in North Block. Both finance secretary RS Gujral who also looks after the revenue department and expenditure secretary Sumit Bose are Gopalan’s 1976 IAS batch-mates.

Had this three months’ extension not materialized, Gopalan, an MBA from Harvard, would have retired on April 30, 2012. But what has made Gopalan so special that finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and his adviser Omita Paul have vouched for...

Railway officials, spouses enjoyed Hindi cinema’s Black and White era

CALL it an evening of nostalgia. Hundreds of Indian railway officials along with their spouses on Monday night enjoyed “Black and White”, a musical journey of Hindi cinema’s yesteryears. Performed in New Delhi by a group of singers and actors from Pune, the two-hour-long romantic show was enjoyed by top rail honchos like Railway Board chairman Vinay Mittal, Member Engineering AK Misra, Member Electrical Kul Bhushan...

Is E Sreedharan blaming Haldea for Kochi Metro’s massive cost overrun?

E Sreedharan

Metro Man E Sreedharan, currently handling the Kochi Metro rail project, blamed bureaucracy for a cost overrun of Rs 2600 crore. Though Sreedharan did not name any bureaucrat in the interview given to CNBC-TV18, those who have tracked corridors’ inside stories would safely guess he was blaming a bureaucrat in Planning Commission known for his proximity to deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia. Is he indirectly blaming highly powerful yet controversial bureaucrat Gajendra...

New Coal India chairman and 1986 batch IAS Narsingh Rao has a Coalaveri ahead

Coal India chairman's job was always hot. And that's why five IAS officers and over dozen others fiercely competed with each others recently to occupy the hot chair that controls the world's largest coal miner with an annual revenue of Rs 60,000 crore (FY2010-11).
But for Narsingh Rao, Coal India chairman designate and 1986 batch Andhra Pradesh cadre IAS, the position has come with numerous challenges. Apart from the leaked CAG report on distribution of coal blocks which among other others indicted Coal India, there have been issues regarding its ability to produce more and commit power companies for an assured coal supply...

Government agrees to share appraisal dossier with retired officers

Post Retirement...

THE government has changed ruled to allow retired officers to access their Performance Appraisal Report even after two years of one’s retirement. The DoPT in an office memorandum dated April 2, 2012 said ACR (Annual Confidential Reports) /APAR dossier would be handed over to a retired officer if a written request is filed.

The ACRs are kept in store rooms for five years even after an officer retires...

A diplomat, two IAS and a banker meet in North Block to talk tourism

WHEN a diplomat, two IAS officers and a banker met in North Block on Monday, it was all about creating tourism infrastructure. As juices were served, these gentlemen got ready to sign pacts on tourism, and also for a photo ops thereafter. Those who gathered included Venu Rajamony, a 1986 batch IFS officer, VK Jeyakodi, 1984 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS, Dr SS Sandhu, a 1988 batch Uttarakhand cadre IAS and Narhari Rao, deputy country director for India in Asian Development Bank. Rajamony is joint secretary (multilateral institutions) in department of economic affairs; Jeyakodi, principal secretary tourism in Tamil Nadu and Sandhu, secretary tourism in Uttarakhand...