D C Gupta is Secretary Economic Affairs

Finally uncertainty is over in the Finance Ministry. Finance Secretary D C Gupta has been given key portfolio of Economic Affairs.He is 1967 batch IAS officer of Orissa cadre. Earlier the name of N S Sisodia was in circulation for the post.

Vijay Bhushan is Secretary Posts

Vijay Bhushan has been appointed Secretary in the Department of Posts.1967 batch Indian Postal Service officer Vijay Bhushan would succeed P Balasubramaniam who is superannuating on November 30.

( We said this on November 24 )

Swarup is OSD in Finance Ministry

D Swarup Additional Secretary in Expenditure will now be OSD in the Department of Expenditure in the rank and pay of Secretary in place of D C Gupta.

Ashok Gupta appointed new Chief Secretary West Bengal

Ashok Gupta has been appointed new Chief Secretary of West Bengal. 1967 batch IAS officer Gupta would succeed S N Roy who is superannuating on November 30.

( We said this November 6 )

Shunglu to enquire CAT mess

Former CAG V K Shunglu will head an enquiry committee to look into the systemic failures that led to the leak of the CAT question paper.Shunglu is retired 1962 batch IAS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre.

IAS changes in West Bengal

Swapan Chakraborty will be new Secretary Planning and Development. He is 1969 batch IAS officer. 1973 batch IAS officer Kalyani Chaudhry has been appointed PWD secretary.

Bihar IAS officers lodges protest

A three member delegation of the Bihar IAS Association consisting of G S Kang,K K Pandey and Harjout Kaur met the Chief Secretary to lodge a protest over the "adverse " remarks made by a judge of the High Court against Secretary Water Resources V Jaishankar.

IAS officer appointed Administrator of University

Arun Kumar Samantraray has been appointed Administrator of the Utkal University in Orissa. He is 1975 batch IAS officer.

R S Sharma denied promotion

Outgoing Mumbai Police Commissioner R S Sharma has been denied promotion to the rank of DG.He belongs to 1968 batch IPS .His junior 1969 batch IPS officer K K Kashyap has been promoted to the rank of DG.

IAS reshuffle in Punjab

Punjab witnessed a major revamping in the bureaucatic machinery yesterday when Chief Minister's office decided to spring into action. The changes were long anticipated and finally happened yesterday. In a calculated step, Chief Minister, Amarinder Singh stripped home Secretary and PS to the CM, S.K.Sinha of the crucial portfolio of Vigilance and handed it to Chief Secretary, Jai Singh Gill.This was anticipated as a large number of dissident Congress MLA's were quite unhappy with the CM targetting them along with the Akali leaders. To the same effect, the dissident MLA's had also complained to Congress Supremo, Sonia Gandhi and it is believed that the CM had promised her that S K Sinha would be stripped of some powers. It is rumoured that the CM had pleaded to Mrs Gandhi that changing S K Sinha completely would send wrong signals throughout the state and the Akalis would also encash upon another opportunity. Rumour mill has it that the CM promised Mrs Gandhi that Sinha would be changed after the elections.It is also rumoured that Sinha had become too inaccesible for senior Congress MLA's and bureaucrats leave aside the general public and junior IAS officers. Rumour mill also has it that Sinha's lack of proactivity and some "characteristic traits" had become quite an eyesore for senior congress MLA's and bureaucrats too. Senior bureaucrat Suresh Kumar has been included in the CMO as Special Principal Secretary to the CM. His inclusion would add some punch to the CM office which in any case is plagued by lack of transparency nowadays. Though interestingly Sinha and Suresh Kumar are mutual appreciators of each other. Is it that Suresh Kumar's inclusion is an undercover ploy to "adjust" a person from the same lobby,while at the same time sending a signal that Sinha had been robbed of crucial powers and a change has been made in the CM's office? Suresh Kumar's inclusion in the CMO has met the directives of the Congress High Command too and suited the Amarinder Govt too.Meanwhile, K.A.P.Sinha is the new Bathinda D.C in place of Anurag Aggarwal P S Aujal is the Muktsar DC inplace of Usha Sharma ( Whispers had predicted it about a month back!!).Asha Attri has been put as Financial Commissioner Appeal - I, Romila Dubey is the Principal Secretary, Dept of Science and Technology. DS Jaspal is Principal Secretary , Information and PR.GurinderJit Sandhu is Secretary, Rural Development. Controversial IAS officer, whom the grapevine has it left supporting Badal just at the time, Badal was on his way down and made some important documents and letters pertaining to Badal public , Sarvesh Kaushal has also been sidelined as Commissioner Surplus Pool.Though he has managed to earn the additional post of Secy, Planning. Is that a late yet meaningless reward for Kaushal by the Congress govt??K B S Siddhu finally finds himself officially as Secy, Housing and Urban development.Grapevine has it that he was already advising the Housing and Urban Development Minister unofficially, now he shall do it in an official capacity.Meanwhile Sanjay Kumar emerges as the strongest amongst all as Chief Administrator PUDA. Grapevine has it that Kumar was being harrassed by the Mayor, Municipall corporation,Patiala who would every now and then threaten the senior officer of being shunted out of Patiala.R . L.Kalsia is Director Local Government while V.K.Singh is Director, Food and Civil Supplies.Anurag Aggarwal is now Special Secretary, Schools whie Usha Shrma is Special Secretary , Science and Technology.In total, about 50 IAS and PCS officers were reshuffled and a large number of ADC's and SDM's have been changed . However,the transfers are not complete as the Govt has yet to name Secy Tourism and other important portflios still have to see fresh faces in the place of the officers shifted from there. The next couple of daysdefinitely means action time in Punjab.

WHISPERS ---- CORPORATE WORLD :--

P S Rana appointed CMD HUDCO

P S Rana has been appointed new CMD of the HUDCO. He is currently Executive Director in the same organization.

( We said this on November 24 )

IDBI to issue Flexibonds

Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI) will issue Flexibonds to raise Rs 300 crore with an option to retain over-subscription of the same amount.