Page 2 - Bureaucrats

MSME Secretary Bidyut Bihari Swain appointed as UPSC member: Official

Senior bureaucrat Bidyut Bihari Swain, who is currently the Secretary of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME), has been appointed as UPSC member, officials said on Tuesday. Swain, a 1988 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Gujarat cadre, will be administered the oath of office and secrecy on Thursday, they said. The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts civil services examination annually to select officers of IAS, Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS), among others. The Commission is headed by a chairman and it can have a maximum of 10 members. With Swain's appointment, there now exists a vacancy of four members. A UPSC member is appointed for a term of six years or until attaining 65 years of age. Swain was going to superannuate in September this year after turning 60. During 1989 and 2018, Swain served the government of Gujarat in various posts, at district and state level. He joined the government of India in 2018 as

Ex-bureaucrats condemn Oppn for boycotting new Parliament inauguration

A group of 270 eminent citizens, including former bureaucrats, ambassadors and veterans, on Friday condemned the Opposition for boycotting new Parliament building inauguration and claimed the "family-first" parties have come together to boycott all that represents India. While it is a proud occasion for all Indians but opposition parties with their "skeletal arguments, immature, whimsy and hollow reasoning, and most of all flagrant display of non-democratic posturing, just don't get it", they said in a statement. A democratically elected prime minister of India who has inspired a billion Indians with his authenticity, inclusive policies, strategic vision, commitment to deliver and most of all, his Indianness is "unpalatable to the Congress and other opposition parties", they added. The signatories to the statement included 88 retired bureaucrats, 100 veterans and 82 academicians. Former NIA director Y C Modi, former IAS officers R D Kapoor, Gopal Krishna and Samirendra Chatterjee,

Delhi L-G completes one year, asks bureaucrats not to bow to pressure

Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena, who completed a year in office on Friday, listed the works done by the administration under him and claimed the national capital has not seen so much done in the last decade. Addressing the IAS officers of the AGMUT cadre attending a workshop on capacity building of civil servants for effective service delivery, the L-G exhorted them to work hard and honestly without bowing to pressure. "Work hard and honestly without bowing to pressure and no one can touch you. No harm will come your way," he said and asserted that this was an assurance from him. A row has erupted between the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi and the BJP-ruled Centre after the latter promulgated an ordinance effectively bringing the control of the state bureaucracy into the hands of its representative the L-G. The ordinance came a week after the Supreme Court handed over the control of services in Delhi excluding police, public order and land to the elected government. Citing various

Shailesh Pathak appointed as Ficci secy general, to take charge on March 1

Former bureaucrat Shailesh Pathak has been appointed as the new Secretary General of Ficci, the industry body said on Monday. Pathak will take over the charge on March 1. "In a career spanning 37 years, Pathak has spent time in government as an IAS Officer as well as helmed large companies in the private sector. His extensive international exposure includes an Eisenhower Fellowship in 2000 as an emerging Indian Leader, an EU Visitor Program hosted by the European Commission 2003, and a Chevening scholarship at the University of Oxford in 2011," Ficci stated. Ficci also announced that Arun Chawla, Director General, will superannuate on June 30, 2023, and transition to an advisory role.

Former Union law minister and eminent jurist Shanti Bhushan dies at 97

Former Union law minister and eminent jurist Shanti Bhushan died Tuesday at his home in Delhi following a brief illness, a source close to his family said. He was 97. Bhushan, who was also a senior advocate, served as the law minister from 1977 to 1979 in the Morarji Desai cabinet. Bhushan, whose sons Jayant and Prashant Bhushan are leading lawyers, was active in the legal profession till recently and had argued on a PIL in the Supreme Court seeking a court-monitored probe into the Rafale fighter jets deal. Shanti Bhushan appeared in several cases of public importance. He represented petitioner Raj Narain in the Allahabad High Court in a famous case in which the election of then prime minister Indira Gandhi was annulled for committing electoral malpractices. He was quite vocal on the issue of corruption which led him to his brief association with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Over 300 bureaucrats, ex-judges slam BBC for its documentary on PM Modi

A group of 302 former judges, ex-bureaucrats and veterans on Saturday slammed a BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a motivated charge sheet against our leader

Centre reshuffles secretary-level posts, 19 appointed to various govt dept

Nineteen bureaucrats have been appointed to different central government departments as part of a senior-level bureaucratic reshuffle effected by the Centre on Friday. Padam Lal Negi has been appointed as joint secretary & financial advisor, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Sanjeev Kumar Kassi will be joint secretary, Coal Ministry and Gangadhar Panda, as additional director of the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), according to an order issued by the Personnel Ministry. Jitendra Srivastava, a 2000-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Bihar cadre, has been named joint secretary, Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation and K Manicka Raj as joint secretary, Department of Economic Affairs. Preet Pal Singh has been appointed as joint secretary, Ministry of Food Processing industries, Rina Sonowal Kouli as joint secretary in the Department of Higher Education, Lokhande Prashant Sitaram will be joint secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, and ...

MP govt shelves proposal to appoint bureaucrats in medical colleges

Unanimous opposition by the medical fraternity on the proposal to appoint administrative officers in all 13 state-run medical colleges has prompted the MP govt to put the proposal in cold storage

Retired IAS officer Arun Goel takes charge as election commissioner

Former bureaucrat Arun Goel on Monday assumed charge of his new responsibility as an Election Commissioner. The poll panel said Goel assumed charge this morning. A 1985-batch IAS officer of the Punjab cadre, Goel took voluntary retirement on November 18. He was on Saturday appointed as an Election Commissioner. He was to retire on December 31, 2022 after completing 60 years of age. He has joined Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey on the poll panel. There was a vacancy in the EC following the retirement of Sushil Chandra as CEC in May this year. Goel was, till recently, the heavy industries secretary. He has also served in the Union Culture ministry. His appointment comes days before Gujarat goes to two-phase polls on December one and five. The poll panel will have its full strength when it decides the election schedule for Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura and Karnataka in the coming months.

Kharge's presidency of Congress in Modi era is a poisoned chalice

It's time to admit the Congress's problem is not, in fact, the Gandhis. If anything, they hold together a party that would otherwise split into multiple factions

Rajasthan govt transfers 18 bureaucrats, including seven IAS officers

Four Indian Police Service officers -- Param Navjyoti, Yogesh Dadhich, Devendra Kumar Vishnoi and Alok Srivastava -- were transferred

Bureaucrats and diplomats: The divergence in their post-retirement writing

While IAS officers write primarily about their own exploits, IFS officers write more about the issues and context of their work, while straying also into unrelated fields, notes T N Ninan

Gyanesh Kumar named co-op secy, Alkesh Sharma to be MeitY secy

Senior IAS officer Gyanesh Kumar has been appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation as part of a top-level bureaucratic reshuffle effected by the Centre on Monday. Kumar, a 1988-batch IAS officer of the Kerala cadre, is currently Secretary, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs. He has been appointed as the Cooperation Secretary in place of Devendra Kumar Singh, who has been named National Human Rights Commission Secretary General. Alkesh Kumar Sharma, Secretary (Coordination), Cabinet Secretariat will be Secretary, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (Meity), an order issued by the Personnel Ministry said. Pradip Kumar Tripathi, Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), has been moved as Secretary, (Coordination), Cabinet Secretariat in place of Sharma. S Radha Chauhan, a 1988-batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre will be the new DoPT Secretary in place of Tripathi. Neel Kamal Darbari, Managing Director, Small Farmers' Agri Business ...

Former top bureaucrat Madhav Godbole passes away due to cardiac failure

During his long bureaucratic career he chaired several important government committees, including the Enron Power Project in Maharashtra and management of India's international borders

Unviable populist schemes may create SL-like situation: Bureaucrats to Modi

A few senior bureaucrats raised concern to PM Modi over populist schemes announced by several states, claiming they are economically unsustainable and could take them down the same path as Sri Lanka

Battle for UP: Why Mayawati's trusted bureaucrats have moved away

BSP President Mayawati, as chief minister, has always been lucky to have a loyal and dedicated band of bureaucrats who have helped her steer through the turbulent waters of UP politics.

Sanjay Kumar Singh appointed Steel Secretary, V Srinivas DARPG Secretary

Senior bureaucrat Sanjay Kumar Singh has been appointed as Steel Secretary as part of a major top-level bureaucratic reshuffle effected by the Centre on Monday. Singh, a 1987 batch IAS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre, is currently Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (DARPG) and Department of Pensions & Pensioners Welfare (DoPPW). V Srinivas, a 1989 batch IAS officer of Rajasthan cadre, will be Secretary, DARPG and DoPPW in place of Singh. He is currently Special Secretary in the DARPG. Manoj Joshi, Special Secretary, Ministry of Food Processing Industries has been appointed as Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs. He will take over as Secretary, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs upon superannuation of Durga Shanker Mishra this month-end, a Personnel Ministry order said. Bharat Lal, a 1988 batch Indian Forest Service officer of Gujarat cadre, has been appointed as the Secretary to the Lokpal. Lal is ...

Senior bureaucrat Vivek Johri appointed CBIC chairman

Johri, a 1985-batch Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Indirect Taxes) officer, is currently working as the member in the board

Enough is enough: Supreme Court slams bureaucracy over pollution

Directs Centre, NCR states to implement decisions taken at emergency meet

While politicians can lose their jobs, no other public servant can

What is it about our structure of governance that impedes governments?