Page 6 - Civil Services

Govt puts IAS officer Puja Khedkar's district training programme on hold

The government on Tuesday put on hold the district training programme of controversial IAS officer Puja Khedkar, who is under the scanner for allegedly forging disability certificates to clear the Civil Services examination. She has been asked to report back to the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration by July 23, a state government official said. The academy has decided to recall her for further necessary action, the official said. A letter by Additional Chief secretary of Maharashtra, Nitin Gadre said the academy has decided to put Khedkar's district training programme on hold and has immediately recalled her for further necessary action. You are hereby relieved from the district training programme of the state government of Maharashtra. You are instructed to join the academy at the earliest but not later than 23rd July 2024 under any circumstance, the letter said. Khedkar, 34, came into the limelight after reports about her alleged demands for a separate office

'Fake' disability, OBC claims: Trainee IAS Pooja Khedkar is in big trouble

Pooja Khedkar, who secured an all-India rank of 841 in the Union Public Service Commission exam in 2023, is accused of misusing her powers as a trainee IAS officer

Haryana govt transfers 12 IAS officers, Anurag Rastogi named new home secy

In a major administrative reshuffle, the Haryana government on Thursday transferred 12 IAS officers while appointing 1990-batch officer Anurag Rastogi as the new home secretary. According to a government order, Rastogi has been transferred and posted as additional chief secretary of home, jails, criminal investigation and administration of justice departments. In addition, as additional chief secretary, he will continue to hold his finance and planning departments. Rastogi takes over as home secretary from Chief Secretary TVSN Prasad. The reshuffle in the top bureaucracy was on the cards for some time after the Lok Sabha polls and comes months before assembly elections, due later this year. More than a week ago, in another major reshuffle, the Haryana government transferred 23 Indian Police Service (IPS) and 27 Haryana Police Service officers. Among other transfers of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers, Anurag Agarwal -- the chief electoral officer and additional chief

UPSC CSE Prelims 2024: Results out at upsc.gov.in; know how to check yours

The UPSC has declared the results of the Civil Services (Preliminary) Exams 2024. Candidates who showed up for the exam can view their results on the official UPSC website at upsc.gov.in upsv

UN's permanent rep Ruchira Kamboj retires after nearly 40 years

After an illustrious career spanning over 35 years, India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ruchira Kamboj, has retired, the senior diplomat said on Saturday. The first woman diplomat to occupy the prestigious position as the Ambassador of India at the UN, Kamboj who had joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1987 took to social media to bid goodbye. Thank you, Bharat, for the extraordinary years and unforgettable experiences, the 60-year-old senior diplomat signed off with this message on her X handle. Kamboj, who was the All India women's topper of the 1987 Civil Services batch and the topper of the 1987 Foreign Service batch, formally assumed the position of Permanent Representative/ Ambassador of India to New York, on August 2, 2022. A regular on social media X highlighting India's achievements at the UN, Kamboj's post announcing her retirement was met with overwhelming response by people from all walks of life former ambassadors to common citizens. A typical

Need to reform, reinvent civil services: Former RBI Governor D Subbarao

Former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Duvvuri Subbarao has said civil services in India have to be reformed and reinvented as the "steel frame" introduced by Britishers to govern India has certainly rusted. Subbarao, who held various positions, including that of the Union finance secretary, wrote in his new book titled 'Just A Mercenary?: Notes from My Life and Career' about the gender gap in the IAS. "The steel frame has certainly rusted," he told PTI. UPSC conducts the civil services examination every year in three stages -- preliminary, mains and personality test (interview) -- to select officers of Indian Administrative Service (IAS), the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and the Indian Police Service (IPS), among others. "I firmly believe that a country of our size and diversity still needs a generalist service like the IAS but the service needs to be reformed, and even reinvented, in many ways. "The solution is not to throw away the rusted frame but to bring it back to its

UPSC CAPF 2024: Registration begins for 506 Assistant Commandant posts

The CAPF has announced 506 open positions this year; the UPSC CAPF 2024 registration application deadline is May 14, 2024. The positions can be applied for at upsconline.nic.in

UPSC to declare Civil Services Final results 2023 soon, here's how to check

UPSC is likely to release the final results of the Civil Service 2023 exams soon. Candidates who have appeared for the personality test can check their results on the official website

SC rejects plea on cooling-off period for civil servants to contest polls

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a plea seeking implementation of the 2012 recommendations of the Election Commission regarding the cooling-off period to prevent public servants from contesting polls immediately after retirement or resignation. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Sandeep Mehta allowed petitioner G V Harsha Kumar, a former parliamentarian, to withdraw the plea with liberty to approach the appropriate authority. The plea had sought directions to the EC and the Centre to implement the 2012 recommendations of the poll panel and the July 2004 report of the Committee on Civil Service Reforms to prevent government servants from contesting elections to the legislature, parliament or state assembly on a political party ticket, immediately after retirement or resignation from service, by imposing a cooling-off period. It had also sought a direction from the Centre to grant one pension to the bureaucrats who have served as members of assembly and parliament. Th

UPSC Prelims 2024: Civil service exams postponed due to general elections

The UPSC CSE 2024 which was planned to be conducted on May 26 has been postponed to June 16. Applicants who have applied for the exam can take a look at the official notice on upsc.gov.in

UPSC reschedules civil services preliminary exam to June 16 due to LS polls

Lok Sabha elections will be held in seven phases starting April 19 and counting of votes will be on June 4

Two Danics officers suspended for expenditure on ads by Delhi govt

The Centre has suspended two DANICS officers in connection with alleged "unproductive expenditure" on advertisements by the Delhi government, officials said. They said Shamim Akhtar and Manoj Dwivedi previously worked as the director of the Directorate of Information and Publicity, Delhi government. In separate orders issued on Friday, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said Akhtar and Dwivedi were suspended with immediate effect by the president in exercise of the powers conferred by the Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1965. Akhtar, a 1996-batch officer of the Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Island Civil Services (DANICS), is currently posted at the Urban Development department of the Delhi government, while Dwivedi (DANICS, 2003) was last posted in the Andman and Nicobar Islands. Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena had in January this year recommended to the MHA disciplinary action against the two officers. The MHA is the competent authority to tak

CBIC notifications use complex language; need simplification, says GTRI

The complex language used in the notifications of the CBIC regarding customs duties needs simplification to help industry in understanding those orders as they carry crucial details, economic think tank GTRI said on Thursday. The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said for this the CBIC (Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs) must use services of communication experts for help in drafting easy to understand notifications containing necessary details. This will help over a lakh firms importing merchandise exceeding USD 660 billion in 2023 and it will also add to the ease of doing business with zero cost to the government and immense benefit of clarity to the Indian industry, it said. "Notifying import duties is a critical mandate of CBIC. Firms pay import duties as notified by CBIC, but firms cannot do it on their own as the CBIC notifications use complex language and mostly refer to back notifications unintentionally hiding complete details needed to know the duty or impo

Major reshuffle in Assam bureaucracy, Ravi Kota to be next chief secretary

In a major bureaucratic reshuffle in the Assam government, Ravi Kota is set to be the new Chief Secretary of the state.Dr. Ravi Kota, a 1993-batch IAS officer, is posted as the Additional Chief Secretary to the Government of Assam, Home & Political (including Passport, Prisons etc).In a notification issued by the Personnel (A) department of the Assam government said "Dr. Ravi Kota, IAS is appointed as Chief Secretary to the Government of Assam with effect from the date of superannuation of Paban Borthakur, IAS Chief Secretary to the Assam government on 31/12/2024.""Till then Dr. Kota will serve as the Additional Chief Secretary to the Government of Assam, Industries, Commerce & Public Enterprises with additional charge of Additional Chief Secretary of Finance department, OSD in the office of Chief Secretary", the government notification stated further.Dr Krishna Kumar Dwivedi, Principal Secretary of Personnel and Power (E) department & Chairman, APDCL (Additional ...

The learning curve

Testimonial ads by coaching schools should be curbed

Civil service exam toppers will no longer be allowed to earn from ads

The Central Consumer Protection Authority has also sent notices to 20 IAS coaching institutes for misleading ads

The weight of a uniform

In her revealing memoir, former cop Meeran Chadha Borwankar sheds light on her career in the Indian police service, offering insights into the challenges faced by a woman in a male-dominated field

UPSC CSE 2022 reserve list out at upsc.gov.in; Reserve list released

After the declaration of the UPSC IAS main results, applicants can download the UPSC Civil Services exam (CSE) main result 2023 reserve list from the official site of the commission at upsc.gov.in

MP state services main exam put off by 2 months over polls, 13,000 affected

Madhya Pradesh State Services Main Examination 2022, scheduled to begin on October 30 and continue till November 4, has been postponed by nearly two months following announcement of the schedule for the state assembly elections, an official said on Thursday. Now this examination will be held from December 26 to December 31, said the official of the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission (MPPSC) here. "After considering the availability of examination centres and security arrangements in view of the announcement of the schedule for the state assembly elections by the Election Commission, we have decided to extend the dates of the State Services Main Examination 2022," MPPSC Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Ravindra Panchbhai told PTI. He informed that 13,000 candidates, who were successful in the state services preliminary examination, will appear in the main test. Panchbhai said with the main examination getting pushed ahead, candidates will get more time to prepare for it. The ...

Constitution will win, SC only option: AAP on Delhi Govt amendment

Constitution is supreme, however, when a government tries to subvert it by bringing amendments to it, Supreme Court is the only option, Aam Aadmi Party leader Imran Hussain said here on Saturday. Hussain, a minister in the AAP-governed Delhi government, made the remarks responding to a question on the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, during a press conference. "This issue is in the court of law and Enforcement Directorate and CBI is being wrongly used by the BJP. In Maharashtra, they accused someone and sometime later the person joined BJP. This is not how things work out. If public gives authority, it also have the power to seize it back. "When parties do not obey the Constitution and bring out new amendment bills then the only option is the Supreme Court. And, I think, the Constitution will win and no one is above the Constitution," he said. Asked about AAP national chief spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar's comment that if Congress does not joi