Page 2 - Ias Officers

First Muslim IAS officer from Kashmir Mohd Shafi Pandit passes away

Mohammad Shafi Pandit, the first Muslim IAS officer from Kashmir, passed away on Thursday. He was 80. Pandit was undergoing treatment at a hospital in Delhi after he was detected with cancer about a month ago, his family said. Pandit was the first Muslim from Kashmir to qualify the civil services examinations in 1969. His final assignment with the government was as the head of autonomous Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission. In the bureaucratic circles, Pandit was widely viewed as a chief secretary that Jammu and Kashmir never had. The soft-spoken Pandit was part of many civil society and philanthropic initiatives in Kashmir. He also played a key role in rolling out of the Mandal Commission report as he was the joint secretary in the Government of India in 1992. Pandit's body will be flown to Srinagar later in the day. "If possible, he will be laid to rest today," his family said. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh condoled the death of the IAS officer. "My good friend of ma

Owner knowingly used coaching basement for commercial purpose: CBI to court

The owner of Rau's IAS study circle coaching institute where three UPSC aspirants drowned due to waterlogging in old Rajinder Nagar on July 27 "knowingly" used the basement for commercial purpose in contravention of the usage approved by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the CBI has alleged. In light of the "seriousness" of the allegations, the CBI sought special court's permission for "custodial interrogation" of coaching institute owner Abhishek Gupta and other accused Deshpal Singh, Harvinder Singh, Parvinder Singh, Sarabjeet Singh and Tajinder Singh who have been in judicial custody. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Nishant Garg on Saturday sent all six to CBI custody till September 4. In its submission to the court, the CBI has said that its probe has also shown that the institute did not have a fire safety certificate for nearly one year after the issue was flagged before the Delhi High Court in 2023. When the matter was raised before the high court last year that many

Somanathan takes over as cabinet secretary following Gauba's term end

TV Somanathan took over as cabinet secretary on Friday following the superannuation of Rajiv Gauba, an official statement said. Gauba had been cabinet secretary since 2019 and completed an unprecedented five-year term. Until recently the Union finance secretary, Somanathan was named as the next cabinet secretary on August 10 with a two-year tenure. A 1987-batch IAS officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre, Somanathan is a qualified chartered accountant, cost accountant and company secretary. He has held important assignments at the Centre, including as joint secretary and later as additional secretary in the Prime Minister's Office. He also served as a joint secretary in the Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs and was deputed as director for corporate affairs at the World Bank in Washington DC. Somanathan was holding the charge of finance secretary and secretary in the Department of Expenditure when he was named cabinet secretary. In Tamil Nadu, he served many key positions such as manag

Centre effects secretary-level reshuffle; RK Singh named new defence secy

Senior bureaucrat Punya Salila Srivastava has been appointed as the new Health Secretary as part of a major top-level bureaucratic reshuffle effected by the Centre on Friday. Srivastava, who is currently Special Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office, will initially take over as the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Department of Health and Family Welfare, according to a Personnel Ministry order. She will take over as the Health Secretary after incumbent Apurva Chandra superannuates on September 30, it said. Rajesh Kumar Singh, Secretary for Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, has been named as new Defence Secretary. He will initially take over as the OSD in the Ministry before assuming the post of the Defence Secretary following superannuation of incumbent Aramane Giridhar on October 31, 2024. Minority Affairs Secretary Katikithala Srinivas to be next Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary. Senior bureaucrat Deepti Umashankar has been named new Secretary t

Need to come out of silos of seductive civil service jobs: V-P Dhankhar

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday expressed concern over the "seductive" draw of the civil services, urging the aspirants to look for "lucrative" opportunities in other fields. Dhankhar made the observation while addressing the induction programme of the first batch of joint masters/LLM degree in Intellectual Property (IP) Law and Management at National Law University, Delhi. "...Now, I find the extravaganza of coaching centre advertisements overall in the newspapers... page one, page two, page three are filled up with faces of boys and girls who have made it. The same faces are being used by multiple organisations," the vice president said. "Look at the extravaganza of these advertisements, the cost, every penny of that advertisement has come from those young boys and girls who are in pursuit of securing a future for themselves," he added. The vice president asked the youths to look around for opportunities in other fields as well. "The time has come, let us come out of t

Coaching centre deaths: SUV driver gets bail as homicide charge dropped

A court here on Thursday allowed the second bail plea of an SUV driver, arrested for his alleged role in drowning of three civil services aspirants in the basement of a coaching centre. During the proceedings, the Delhi Police told the court that they have decided to drop harsher charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against Manuj Kathuria, the SUV driver. Additional Sessions Judge Rakesh Kumar was hearing an appeal against the denial of bail to Kathuria by a magisterial court on Wednesday. "The bail is allowed," the judge said. A detailed order of the court is awaited. Kathuria was accused of driving his Force Gurkha car through the street that was flooded by rainwater, causing the water to swell and breach the gates of the three-storey building housing the coaching centre and inundate the basement. During the proceedings, the Delhi police told the court that they have decided to drop 'culpable homicide not amounting to murder' charge against Kathuria. "During the

Court denies anticipatory bail to former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar

A Delhi court on Thursday denied anticipatory bail to former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar who has been accused of cheating and wrongly availing of OBC and PwD (person with disabilities) quota benefits. Additional Sessions Judge Devender Kumar Jangala said Delhi Police "must also investigate if anyone from inside the UPSC helped Khedkar". The judge also widened the probe in the case and directed Delhi Police to investigate if other persons have availed of benefits under OBC and PwD quotas without entitlement. The UPSC on Wednesday cancelled Khedkar's candidature and debarred her from future exams. The judge had on Wednesday reserved the order after hearing arguments on the application filed by Khedkar, who claimed through her lawyer that she has "imminent threat of arrest". During the proceeding, the prosecution as well as the counsel appearing for the UPSC had opposed the application, claiming that she has "cheated the system". "This person has abused the law and process of law.

Delhi area where IAS aspirants died flooded again after heavy rains

Delhi's Old Rajinder Nagar, where three students died due to flooding in the basement of a coaching centre last week, was flooded again following a spell of heavy rain on Wednesday. Several videos surfaced of the flood-like situation in the stretch that is lined with many coaching centres. "We had come out from our home for dinner and it suddenly started raining and within minutes the whole area got flooded with water," a resident of the area said. "Even after five days (of the death of the UPSC aspirants), the administration and MCD is applying its complete force to suppress the protest and has done nothing for cleaning the drains," he said. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) was heavily criticised for the incident, which has has triggered a political blame game between the BJP and the AAP. Students have been protesting since the incident happened on July 27 and are demanding improved safety measures at coaching centres that pose a threat to their lives. A civil services .

Delhi LG forms panel to frame rules regarding coaching centres regulation

The move comes in the wake of a tragedy that claimed the lives of three civil services aspirants in a flooded basement library of Rau's IAS coaching centre

Delhi coaching centre deaths: HC pulls up officials, slams freebies culture

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday pulled up authorities over the deaths of three UPSC aspirants who drowned in the basement of a coaching centre, saying such tragedies are bound to happen when there is no collection of taxes due to a "freebies culture". The high court hinted at asking a central agency to probe the incident and directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) commissioner, deputy commissioner of police concerned and the investigating officer of the case to appear before it on Friday. A bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela said a "strange probe" was going on with Delhi Police taking action against a man who drove a car outside the coaching centre in Old Rajinder Nagar here but not acting against MCD officials. "Have they lost it? What is Delhi Police doing? What are its officials doing? This is a cover up or what? Has some official been held accountable for the incident till now? We are telling you, once the responsibility is fixed on

Delhi coaching centre deaths: Appropriate action will be taken, says L-G

Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena on Tuesday said appropriate action will be taken in connection with the deaths of three civil services aspirants in the basement of a coaching centre here. "It is a tragic incident. Whatever appropriate action needs to be taken will be taken. I do not believe in taking hasty decisions. Things are slowly coming to light. Whatever steps need to be taken will be taken," he told reporters on the sidelines of flagging off 320 electric buses. Three civil services aspirants died on Saturday evening after water from a flooded drain gushed into the basement of Rau's IAS Study Circle in Old Rajinder Nagar where a library was set up. The deceased were dentified as Uttar Pradesh's Shreya Yadav, Telangana's Tanya Soni and Kerala's Navin Dalwin. The Delhi LG on Monday visited the coaching hub of Old Rajinder Nagar and interacted with students protesting over the death of the three students. He also announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the families of each of th

Coaching centre drowning incident: Court sends accused to 14 days custody

Five accused arrested on Monday in connection with an incident, in which three civil service aspirants drowned at the basement of a coaching centre here, have been sent to judicial custody for 14 days by a court. The five accused -- four co-owners of the coaching centre at Rajinder Nagar and the driver of a car -- were produced in the court, which sent them to judicial custody till August 12. The driver of a sports utility vehicle (SUV) that drove through the street that was flooded by rainwater, causing the water to swell and breach the gates of the three-storey building and inundate the basement, was among the five arrested. His counsel told the court that his client had no intention or knowledge of causing death and sought his immediate release on bail. However, the plea was denied by the court.

Coaching culture has become a gas chamber, need to study ad spend: Dhankhar

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday said the culture of coaching centres has become no less than a "gas chamber" and stressed on the need to examine the huge expenditure incurred on newspaper advertisements by them. The Rajya Sabha on Monday held a short duration discussion under rule 176 on the deaths of three UPSC aspirants in a coaching centre in Delhi due to water logging. Allowing the discussion, Dhakhar remarked, "I find that youth demographic dividend of the country has to be nurtured, I further find that coaching has become virtually commerce." He also pointed out the high sums earned by the coaching centres leading to commercialisation of education. "Coachings have become a flourishing industry with high returns....every time we read a newspaper front one or two pages are by way of advertisements....Every penny spent on advertisement is coming from the students, every new building is coming from the students," he said. Comparing the coaching culture to no less

No politics over students' death at coaching centre: Pradhan in RS

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday said coaching institutes have to follow the rules and regulations and asserted that there should be no politics over the death of three UPSC aspirants due to flooding at an institute here. Taking part in a short debate in the Rajya Sabha over the death of three students at a UPSC coaching centre in Delhi's Old Rajinder Nagar on July 27, the minister termed the incident unfortunate. Nothing would compensate for the loss the bereaved families have suffered, Pradhan said. "We must fix responsibility so that such incidents do not recur," he said, adding, "There should be no politics... Negligence has happened and someone has to take responsibility so that a solution can be found." Stressing that education is in the concurrent list and is the responsibility of the Centre as well as the state, Pradhan said the coaching centres have responsibilities too. The Government of India sent advisories related to coaching centres to the states

Delhi coaching centre deaths: Probe indicates lapses on part of owner

Investigations into the Old Rajinder Nagar coaching centre flooding incident that led to the death of three IAS aspirants have indicated multiple lapses on the part of its owner and civic authorities, officials said on Sunday. The Delhi Police has registered an FIR and formed multiple teams to probe the incident. The owner and the coordinator of the Rau's IAS Study Circle have been arrested and booked for culpable homicide and other charges. "Multiple teams have been formed to investigate the entire incident. We have asked the Delhi Fire Services to provide us with a report about the building and the basement, which was being used as a library but mentioned as store room," a senior police officer said. A police officer said more than 35 people, including students and coaching centre staffers, were trapped on Saturday evening when water started gushing into the basement following heavy rains. According to sources in the police department, the basement's gate was closed, but due to t

Criminal neglect, maintenance failure: LG on Delhi coaching centre incident

Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena on Sunday directed the divisional commissioner to submit a report on the deaths of three civil service aspirants in the basement of a coaching centre in Old Rajinder Nagar due to a rain-induced flooding. UP's Shreya Yadav, Telangana's Tanya Soni and Navin Dalwin from Kerala died after the basement of the building housing the coaching centre -- Rau's IAS Study Circle -- got flooded after heavy rain in the central Delhi area on Saturday evening, officials said. The LG said the incident points to "criminal neglect" and lack of "basic maintenance" by concerned agencies and said the guilty will be brought to book. Saxena said he is deeply anguished by the deaths of the civil services aspirants. "That this should happen in the capital of India is most unfortunate & unacceptable," he said in a post on X. "Reportedly 7 other citizens have died due to electrocution in the past few days. My deepest condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives. .

Cracking UPSC exam was her dream since childhood, says Tanya Soni's father

Tanya Soni, one of the three UPSC aspirants who died due to rain-induced flooding in the basement of a coaching centre in Delhi, had since her childhood dreamt of becoming a civil servant. Tanya's father Vijay Kumar told PTI that his daughter had been studying at the centre for the past one month after graduating in BA political science from a college in the national capital. "Tanya had completed her graduation in Delhi and was preparing for UPSC there. She had a lot of interest since her childhood (in cracking UPSC)," Vijay Kumar said, as he was on his way to take his daughter's body from Delhi to their native place in Bihar. He said the family was travelling in a train to Lucknow when they received the news about death of Tanya. "After getting information (about Tanya's death) we got down at Nagpur and took a flight to Delhi," he said. Kumar said Tanya's body has been handed over to them and "we are on the way to Bihar (where the last rites will be conducted)". Kumar has been .

Coaching centre deaths: Storm drains were covered by encroachers, says MCD

The storm drains built to carry away excess water due to heavy rains in the Old Rajendra Nagar area, where three civil services aspirants died after being trapped in the basement of a coaching institute, were covered by encroachers, a senior MCD official said on Sunday. The drainage system in the area was heavily clogged with silt and overflowed leading to a flood-like situation due to the rains that lashed parts of Delhi on Saturday, locals complained. Three civil services aspirants -- two females and a male -- lost their lives as they were trapped inside the library running in the basement of Rau's IAS Study Circle, which flooded due to rain and reportedly led to the failure of the single biometric entry and exit point. The police, however, said it is yet to confirm the biometric lock claim and will investigate it. Asked about reports of waterlogged drains in the area and if their de-silting was completed, the senior MCD officer directed PTI to the deputy commissioner of the zone

Delhi coaching centre deaths: Police detain protesting students near metro

A few students were detained after they staged a protest in Old Rajinder Nagar here on Sunday, demanding action against those responsible for the deaths of three civil services aspirants at a coaching centre in the area, and compensation for their families. Raising slogans "we want justice", the protestors blocked the road next to the Karol Bagh Metro Station, causing huge traffic snarls in the area and prompting police intervention. A scuffle erupted between the students and police, after which a few protestors were detained and taken away in a bus. Following this, many demonstrators dispersed from the area and police resumed the traffic movement there. The police also used body camera and drones to monitor protestors' activities during the demonstration. Shreya Yadav of Ambedkar Nagar in Uttar Pradesh, Tanya Soni from Telangana, and Navin Dalwin from Ernakulam in Kerala died after the basement of the building housing the coaching centre Rau's IAS Study Circle was flooded followi

Coaching centre deaths: Fire services faced many challenges during rescue

The Delhi Fire Services faced multiple challenges during the rescue operation at a coaching centre where three civil services aspirants died after the basement of the centre was flooded following rain in central Delhi, officials said on Sunday. "It was around 7.10 pm, when we got a call from the area magistrate about the rescue operation. Though it was not a fire-related incident, we rushed five fire tenders on humanitarian grounds," DFS chief Atul Garg told PTI. Garg further said that the major challenge was to pump out the water from the basement. "Our pumping machines can pump the water out... But due to heavy rain, the water level on the road and the basement was equal. When we started pumping out the water, it again gushed at the same location," Garg said. He further said the fire fighters had to wait more than half an hour to drain the water accumulated on the streets due to heavy rain. As the water on the streets got drained naturally, fire fighters immediately launched the