Not many IAS officers get time to pursue their
hobbies, and this is even more surprising when he is serving as the Private
Secretary of one of the most sought after ministers of Government of India.
Nitishwar Kumar, 1996 batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, is such an
officer. He is serving as Private Secretary to Minister of State for
Communication Manoj Sinha. Nitishwar, who hails from Bihar, has a passion for
singing. He likes to sing the famous singer Kishore Kumar’s songs along with
local Bhojpuri and Maithili folk songs. Most senior civil servants in the Modi
dispensation shy away from public discourses, but Nitishwar is an exception. To
carry on his passion, he organised an evening in the memory of singer Kishore
Kumar in the main auditorium of NDMC, Delhi. His boss Manoj Sinha attended the
evening with full paraphernalia. JS Deepak then Secretary of the Ministry of
Communications, Balvinder Kumar along with senior ministry officials enjoyed
the musical evening. Even the Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha enjoyed the music. The
evening rose to the new heights when Nitishwar sang the famous song of Kishore
Kumar “Mere naina, sawan bhadon, phir bhi mera man pyasa”.
March 21, 2017
Jio aur Jenay do…
It is well known that Telecom Secretary JS Deepak, a 1982 batch
IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, is a no-nonsense officer. So many were
surprised at his appointment as OSD in the Department of Commerce, as it came
in the guise of a future plum posting as India’s Ambassador/Permanent
Representative to WTO (Geneva), with effect from June 1, 2017, till his
retirement on July 31, 2018. When the appointment was announced, Deepak was in
Barcelona attending the Mobile World Conference. This is said to be one of the
most unceremonious exits of a secretary from the telecom ministry. Deepak’s
tenure as Telecom Secretary was quite successful as far as the spectrum auction
was concerned. When Deepak joined as Telecom Secretary in January 29, 2016, he
had a lot of challenges to face – auction of spectrum, call drop problem,
implementation of National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN). The real tussle
started regarding some TRAI decisions relating to the entry of a powerful new
operator. On February 22, one of the last decisions of the Telecom Commission
with Deepak its chairman was to apprise TRAI of the “alarming decline” in
government revenue due to its recent tariff orders and its overall negative
impact on the growth of the industry.
Sources disclosed that the PMO was not satisfied with the
progress of laying network in North East, (which is a non-starter) and the
second phase of Left Wing Effected (LWE) areas. The North-East project has
missed its deadline by many months and its future is not decided. The PMO held a
review meeting in February, where it’s learnt, the displeasure on
non-performance was conveyed to Deepak. His sudden transfer too is indicative
of the government’s displeasure, albeit in a sophisticated way. What was the
hurry? Why was he shifted to commerce ministry as OSD, a director level
position, upgraded to accommodate him. Why couldn’t the government wait for
three months when the tenure of the existing Ambassador to WTO would be over?
Insiders reveal that though the NOFN work is going slow, the intricate politics
within the ministry and the growing influence of a new operator also
contributed to his exit.
CoCSA clamour for change
After the 7th Central Pay Commission failed to
address the grievances of non-IAS officers, the Confederation of Civil Services
Association (CoCSA) representing 20 services, including IPS, IFoS, IRS, IIS,
and IRAS, has demanded total civil services reforms in an “unbiased manner”.
Representatives of the association met Minister of State in the PMO and
Personnel Jitendra Singh and discussed that reform initiatives could not be
decided by those who are beneficiaries of the status quo. They further argued
that reforms called for a deviation from the status quo, but there is
tremendous resistance against change from a “particular” civil service. The
delegation which met the minister included the convener of CoCSA Jayant Misra,
IRS-IT, PV Rama Sastry, IPS, Dr Anup K Srivastava, IRS (Customs and Central
Excise), Alok Kumar, IRSE, Namita Mehrotra, Indian Railway Accounts Service,
Jaykant Singh, Indian Trade Service, BP Yadav, Indian Audit and Accounts
Service, Shailendra Singh, Indian Forest Service, Anindya Sen Gupta, Indian
Information Service, Ajay Shankar Singh, Indian Civil Accounts Service, Kashi
Nath Jha, Indian Post and Telecommunication Accounts and Finance Service and
Sandeep Shankar, Indian Defence Accounts Service. The CoCSA wanted Narendra
Modi’s intervention, pointing out that the procedure followed so far has helped
only a particular service and discriminated against all others, thereby
resulting in monopolising of posts at higher level by IAS officers. The
delegation demanded a “disruptive change” of the procedure adopted so far and a
new system where competent and suitable persons, irrespective of the service
they belonged, are selected for appropriate posts.
Awaiting poll results in UP
Civil servants in Uttar Pradesh are a fidgety lot these days.
The ongoing assembly elections and fast-changing political scenario has forced
even senior civil servants to plan the next five years cautiously. Though there
is a conducive atmosphere for UP civil services in Delhi as the Cabinet
Secretary himself hails from the cadre, most have wilfully chosen to stay in
Lucknow rather than to move on deputation to the central government under the
Modi dispensation. The divided house of Mulayam Singh Yadav has, however, made
their job difficult. The UP civil servants were quite comfortable till the
formal split in the ruling family took place. Most of the civil servants were
divided in three camps, one camp of those loyal to Akhilesh Yadav, another
associated with Mulayam Singh Yadav and the last and the most powerful coterie
was of Shiv Pal Singh Yadav. Nobody is sure what will happen after the UP
assembly election results. Even if Akhilesh Yadav comes back in UP, the
scenario is likely to be very different.
Whatever the outcome, it is especially going to be tough for
loyalists of Shivpal Yadav to maintain the status quo. Insiders inform that a
very powerful Brahmin lady civil servant is on the radar of many agencies. It
has to be seen what will happen to her after the UP elections.
Counting the pennies
WHY does a political worker look
for a party ticket. There are two main reasons: first, he gets a recognisable
symbol, and second, he gets funds from the party to contest. It’s a hard fact;
elections cannot be fought without money. But in the current round of state
elections, politicians were a worried lot. Scribes who travelled in the field,
especially UP, reported that BJP candidates were comfortably spending on the
elections but candidates from other political parties were seen struggling for
more resources. One scribe informed that the Samajwadi Party faced a peculiar
situation as Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav distributed resources only to his
loyal candidates.
Candidates recommended by Mulayam Singh Yadav, and Shivpal Yadav
were bluntly informed about the resource crunch. Surprisingly, Mulayam and
Shivpal too were not inclined to distribute funds to their loyal candidates. So
what kind of numbers were in play? The scribes informed that the BJP reportedly
distributed around Rs. 50 lakh to each candidate whereas Akhilesh managed to
allocate Rs. 20 lakh to his loyal candidates. The expenditure limit by Election
Commission in the assembly elections is Rs. 28 lakh!
Missing out on mudhi
APPARENTLY, when one reaches to
the top, it’s not easy to eat whatever one likes. Pranab Mukherjee, the
President of India, is facing such a situation as disclosed by those close to
him. Pranab da is a very simple eater and he likes dishes especially from his
home state West Bengal. Pranab Da is fond of mudhi (puffed rice) and especially
from Bengal. It is said that the quality of mudhi from Bengal is unparallel in
taste and texture. Pranab da planned to bring mudhi from Bengal but could not
do so due to security reasons; it has to be checked and tested at different
points. The more it is opened, the more it loses its flavour, freshness and
crispness. Pranab da tried carrying mudhi several times but was informed that
the rules are very clear and strict and nobody can help. Finally, Pranab da has
given up!
No criticisms here, please
IMAGINE this: A Nobel Laureate agrees to an interview with a reputed newspaper of India; the scribe does it faithfully but interview never appears. Sources disclosed that Nobel laureate Dr Amartya Sen is unwell and has come to reside and recuperate at his daughter’s home in Kolkata. Hearing this, a senior scribe hailing from Bengal from one of the biggest media houses approached Sen for an interview. Dr Sen agreed and spoke his mind on a range of subjects, from demonetisation to the economic policies of the Modi Sarkar. Dr Sen apparently said that in countries where socio-economic disparities peak, a frustrated populace tends to elect an ultra rightist government, which is the case in India with the Modi government and Donald Trump’s triumph in the US. Buoyed by such a hard-hitting interview from such an eminent economist, the reporter flew back to the Capital and filed the report. To his utter surprise, the next day the interview was nowhere in the paper. The scribe waited for a few days and finally talked to the editor. He was informed that it would not appear because it was critical of the country’s top leadership, and the management had decided not to carry the interview. So what if it was a Noble Laureate!
Bonding over tea
THERE was a time when Mayawati,
former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh used to roar in the state. The biggest
victim was media. She had her own style at press conferences. She used to have
the press release ready in hand, stand on the dias, read it out and move on.
There was no debriefing session. Even her cronies used to vanish immediately
after the press conference. Journalists did do their job but half-heartedly.
Mayawati was the Chief Minister of the biggest state of India; it was a
compulsion to report her activities under any circumstances. Times have
changed. Mayawati has also changed. She is now all honey and milk with the
media. A week before the first phase of polls in the state, she invited senior
scribes of Lucknow for tea. Amongst them was the editor of one of UP’s top
newspapers. Also present at Behanji’s tea meet were two of her closest
confidants, Satish Mishra and Ambith Rajan. Just when they sat down at the
table for tea, Behanji asked her confidants to leave. Then she asked the
journalists: “Tell me, why is it that you portray me as a small player in the elections.
Is Akhilesh behind this?” The media persons were surprised; she was told:
“Behanji, such decisions come from the bosses, the top management.” Then came
the masterstroke from the journalists, “you have never cultivated relationships
with either journalist or with media houses. You do not even give
advertisements for your election campaign in the newspapers. So how do you
think anyone will support you?” The message was loud and clear: elections are
business for political parties, so why should newspapers lag behind.
Democratic system of self-knowing
yoga | sadhguru
A few years ago, when I was interviewed by an American magazine,
I was asked, “Who is the most significant person in the West to have worked for
human consciousness?” Without hesitation, I replied, “Charles Darwin.” The
journalist said, “But Charles Darwin is a biologist!” I said, “Yes, but he was
the first to tell people in this part of the world that it is possible to
evolve; that life can move from one dimension of existence to another.”
Grassroots administrator
Narendra Kaushik
NOBODY in Bal Krishna Chaturvedi’s family ever
had any doubts about him getting into Indian Administrative Service (IAS). The
suspense was only about where he would figure in the list of top ten at
all-India level. After all, the second eldest son of Jai Krishna Chaturvedi, a
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) who served at several places in Uttar
Pradesh and later practised in Allahabad High Court as a Senior Public
Prosecutor, was considered the brightest among his five siblings-(late) Bhoop,
Amiya, Azad and Anil.
Ghost of Jignesh Shah
Alam Sriniwas
I have read Alam Srinivas’ critique of my book and must take the
bull by the horn.
As things stand, Jignesh Shah has never been called a fraudster,
though he has been maligned, hauled over the coals and even sent to a dreary
prison, not once but thrice, without any result. Even the Bombay High Court
said no money trail was traced towards him or the Financial Technologies India
Limited (FTIL).
Was FTIL a house of tinderbox with its more than 4,500 employees
under various subsidiaries valued at Rs. 60,000 crore that drew global
acceptance and praise? The answer is a big ‘No’.
Signs of Congress revival!
by RAKESH DIXIT
C-19, Shivaji Nagar is one of the two most
famous addresses in Bhopal, the other being 6, Shyamla Hills, the Chief
Minister’s official residence. The then Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, late
Arjun Singh, had the C-19 allotted to him after he demitted office in 1985.
Later the veteran Congress leader left Bhopal to Delhi, leaving his son Ajay
Singh, aka Rahul Bhaiya, to occupy this magnificent bungalow. Six-time MLA from
Churhat assembly seat, Ajay Singh was re-elected leader of opposition after a
gap of three years on February 23.
The Chinnamma drama
– by MK Kaw
WE in the Aryan belt of India are lucky. We are not subjected to
the kind of melodrama that was recently witnessed in the matter of the
succession to the Tamil throne. When Jayalalitha passed away, leaving a
comfortable majority in the Vidhan Sabha and a clearcut line of succession, one
did not anticipate the kind of stage show that was to be witnessed. Old
Paneerselvam was a tried and tested sycophant, trained to wag his tail when
stroked. He was the ideal person who could be trusted with keeping a seat warm
and to vacate it without demur. He had a pleasant smile and sported a large
teeka on his forehead, thus appearing to be a goody goody person, with all the
traits of an ardent devotee who would act his designated role as per the script
with not a tremor in his large eyes.
Unbecoming of an exchange
-by dr. gs sood
NATIONAL Stock Exchange (NSE) has in the recent
past been in the news for all the wrong reasons. A stock exchange has two
primary functions to perform. One, to provide a platform to enable investors to
buy and sell securities in the most efficient and transparent manner. Two, it essentially
functions as the ground level regulator to ensure that the market functions
smoothly wherein all participants follow the rules of the exchange to avoid any
default or crisis and protects the interests of investors, especially small or
retail investors who are considered more vulnerable than other participants.
Unfortunately, the exchange has not only been found wanting on both these
counts, but has indeed been indulging in what can best be described as
unbecoming of an exchange of the stature of NSE.
CAPPING IRON ORE PRICES : A myopic view
– by K SUBRAMANIAM
INDIA’S beleaguered iron ore mining industry is
lurching towards yet another crisis. After being battered with production cap,
environment-related clampdowns, labyrinth of taxes and duties and export
restrictions, the threat of a price ceiling for domestic iron ore producers
looms large. Reason: the government wants to ensure cheaper iron ore supplies
to steel manufacturers “reeling” under high material costs to rein in prices of
finished steel products.
All options open
by MK SHUKLA
INDIA is pressing ahead with the development of
its stealth Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) despite facing a host of
engineering and designing problems. Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA)
director, CD Balaji, recently informed ‘Flight Global’ that the great majority
of work for the shape of the AMCA has been completed. Yet, the first flight of
the indigenous AMCA, according to Balaji, is planned for 2025. This reveals a
significant departure from the ADA’s position in 2013 when the deadline for the
first flight was scheduled for the end of the decade.
Long shadow of the past
– by Shubhabrata Bhattacharya
GOVERNANCE in India continues to suffer the populism unleashed
in 1980s by Vishwanath Pratap Singh in his bid to seize power. A junior
politician till Sanjay Gandhi took fancy to him, VP Singh was pitchforked as
Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in 1980. Singh’s tenure in UP was marked by
encounters against dacoits; the phenomenon called Phoolan Devi (a Backward,
Mallah by caste, who killed Rajputs) was the byproduct of Singh’s populism.
Unfortunate slaying of Singh’s brother by dacoits put an end to the nightmare
and he quit as the Chief Minister. As Union minister, thereafter, he flagged
the Bofors issue. This unsolved CBI case cost Rajiv Gandhi power and Singh rode
to power on his slogan, “Paisa khaya kaun dalal?” As the Prime Minister,
identity of the “dalal” eluded him. His regime, backed by the Left and the
Right political forces, was threatened when BJP unleashed the Ram Mandir
agitation and LK Advani’s rath rolled from Somnath.
Equalising force
-TN Pandey
WITH the budget fervor and excitement having
settled down after introduction of the Finance Bill, 2017, in Parliament on
February 1, 2017, it is time to think of long-term reforms for socio-economic
betterment, which can be ushered in through the tax laws. Regretfully, the
budget presentation in the country has been made a great occasion, which, in
essence, is merely an account of revenue receipts and expenditure of the
Central Government. The budget exercise, being an exercise to be done in a time
bound way, long-term reforms, needing policy changes from long-term
perspectives, cannot be rushed through the Finance Bills, though sometimes,
finance ministers have found it convenient to bring some such provisions,
requiring detailed debates through Finance Bills because of the experience in
the past few years where the Finance Bills get passed summarily in Parliament
for varied reasons, including paucity of time.
Dynamics of Reservation
– by ALAM SRINIVAS
IT is indeed ironical. The job
reservation policies, especially in the government and public sector jobs, has
worked so well that the erstwhile powerful castes, including the upper ones and
traditionally well-to-do ‘other backward classes’ that are not a part of the
quota system, feel threatened. They have fear this would affect their jobs,
incomes, lifestyles and future of their children. Apart from the deep economic
impact, they have concerns about the slow, but sure, erosion of their political
and social powers. The power cycle, which kept the lower and backward castes
out of the system, stands disbanded and is in disarray.
Agitation facing implosion
-M K Shukla
THE Jats of Haryana, actively supported by
their cousins across the Yamuna river in western UP, are once again up in arms,
pressuring the State and central governments to grant them ‘backward status’.
They had similarly agitated in February 2016 despite the Supreme Court
nullifying on March 17, 2015, a notification for Jat reservation issued by the
dying regime of UPA2. The Supreme Court order said, “We set aside the
notification to implement the inclusion of Jats in the Central list of OBC.”
The order added, “Caste, though a prominent factor, can’t be the sole factor to
decide backwardness… Backwardness has to be social backwardness and not
educational or economic backwardness.”
Battle Cry By The Jats
– by Shubhabrata Bhattacharya, MK Shukla and Alam Srinivas
The clamour for government jobs
is rising across India—from Jats in Haryana to Patidars in Gujarat to Kapus in
Telengana and Andhra Pradesh and Marathas in Maharashtra. The irony is that the
number of government jobs have been shrinking over the years. It all started
majorly with VP Singh’s populism and Mandal politics that opened a can of worms
in the form of reservations. In Haryana, the Jat agitation turned violent last
year. The Jats are again threatening to lay a siege on the National Capital
with yet another agitation, seeking Backward Class status. The issue is
examined in detail by Shubhabrata Bhattacharya, MK Shukla and Alam Srinivas
From the Editor | Anil Tyagi
DO politicians really desire or plan to create
a growth engine which can provide basic needs (jobs, shelter, clothing and
bread) for generations to come, or do they plan to only distribute largesse to
feed the greed of voters to keep themselves floating come what may. India has
to debate how long political parties and its leaders will be allowed to dole
out the State exchequer in lieu of votes? Do they want to make Indians
indolent? The government is not an isolated institution; it’s the formation of
a structure collectively decided by the people to be governed. If the very
assertion of the government is destroyed by communities, groups, and
institutions, then the governance of India is in peril. The issue of
reservation in government jobs is again cropping up across the country and
especially by a very powerful and influential community, the Jats.
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