The UP-cadre IAS officer of 1978
batch was appointed the Secretary General of the Lok Sabha Secretariat in the
rank and status of Cabinet Secretary. Lok Sabha Secretary-General Anoop Mishra,
former Chief Secretary Uttar Pradesh, was given a one-year extension on the
last day of November giving rise to murmurs. Even when he was appointed in
2014, there were many contenders but the Prime Minister personally chose
Mishra. Senior officers also hint that with this single move, the future of
in-house available talent has been blocked. The Lok Sabha Secretariat has many
competent officers who were aspiring to be the Secretary-General. The selection
of Secretary General is normally done by a committee comprising the Prime
Minister, Speaker and the Leader of Opposition. But, an extension does not
require a meeting of all three as it is considered a routine matter. So, only
the Prime Minister decided on Mishra’s extension. Even otherwise, if one has
the right connection in the PMO, who can stop the extension. Sources disclosed
that with this move, the chances of Secretary of Lok Sabha, Dr D Bhalla, a
1986-batch IAS officer of the Nagaland cadre, have brightened. The only hindrance
is that Bhalla is not even additional secretary rank officer till now; his file
for promotion is pending with DoPT. There are many additional secretaries in
line of succession and their files are pending for promotion with the Speaker,
Sumitra Mahajan. On her part, Mahajan is in a bind. If she promotes other
senior officers, then the chances of Bhalla becoming Secretary-General will be
bleak. Wait and watch.
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