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Bhawna Behl

How will UPA 2 celebrate its birthday on May 22?
Plans are afoot to show case achievements of the government as against corruption as also achievements of people centric projects in various fields. The newly madeover PMO (read Pulok Chatterjee) has sent letters to all ministries to list out achievements in their respective departments. But to spoil the party it is heard that some alliance partners have not received the letter and do not intend to reply even if they were to receive such a letter. Will the lame attempt bear
fruit to mollify the ruffled electorate?

What is the latest full form of UPA making rounds?
UPA is being spoken as United Paralysis Alliance in the circles of foreign investors.

Can UK do a Vodafone to Ratan Tata?
Indian government has messed up its relations with the UK by amending the taxation policy with retrospective effect on the Vodafone issue said a foreign investor. What if the UK government was to do a similar policy change with Jaguar Land Rover that has been acquired by Ratan Tata argue some foreign investors. Is it a caution or a warning? It is for the UPA government to rethink before it takes another hasty ill thought out step with regard to foreign investors.

Central Hall losing charm?
Is the Central Hall of the Parliament losing charm? It seems so. Only old timers including fifteen regular politicians visit the place these days.

How to come closer to PM?
Now scenerio has changed in the Congress party. The Congress leaders have started coming closer to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Empanelment of 1982 batch IAS on cards
Meeting for empanelment of 1982 batch IAS officers to the rank of Additional Secretary in the Government of India is expected to take place either in the last week of this month or first week of May.

Devendra Chaudhary to be Additional Secretary, Power
Devendra Chaudhary is being tipped to be Additional Secretary Power in the Government of India. He is 1981 batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre.

Sharda Prasad to be Additional Secretary, Labour
Sharda Prasad is being appointed Additional Secretary Labour. He is 1981 batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre.

Shashi Shekhar to be Additional Secretary, Administrative Reforms
Shashi Shekhar is being appointed Additional Secretary Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances. He is 1981 batch IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre.

Justice Ranjan Gogoi appointed Judge of SC
Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Chief Justice of Punjab & Haryana High Court (HC), has been elevated as a judge in the Supreme Court (SC).
(We said this on April 2 and again on April 18)

IPS empanelment meeting on Aril 25
Meeting for empanelment for Special Director, Additional Director and Joint Director posts has been e fixed for April 25 under the Chairmanship of Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC). Director (Enforcement), Home Secretary, GoI and Secy. (Personnel), GoI are the other members.

20 IPS officers retiring in April
As many as 20 Indian Police Service (IPS) officers of various cadres are retiring in April, 2012. They include: K R Nanda N and M Ratan of Andhra Pradesh cadre; Tashi Lama of AGMUT cadre; N C Dhondhial of Bihar cadre; Vishwa Ranjan and Anand Kumar Tiwari of Chhattisgarh; K Kumaradwamy of Gujarat cadre; Ram Chander of Haryana cadre; Pradeep Kumar of Himachal Pradesh cadre; G A Dar of Jammu and Kashmir cadre; R K Medhekar, Ravindra Narayanan Ravi and C S Pulikesi of Kerala cadre; Ashok Ganesh Dhiware of Maharashtra cadre; Bishnu Kishore Deb Barma of Manipur-Tripura cadre; S M Sharma and Paramjit Singh Sarao of Punjab; Dr. K R Shyam Sundar and I Raja of Tamil Nadu cadre and Rakhaldas Mukhopadhyay of West Bengal cadre.

52 applicants for 2 posts of Member SEBI
As the grapevine has it, there are 52 contenders for two posts of SEBI Member.

Niraj Gupta selected as Director (Services Business), BLC
Niraj Gupta, ED, BLC, has been selected for the post of Director (Services Business), Balmer Lawrie & Co. Limited (BLC) at a Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) meeting held on April 19, 2012. As many as 10 persons were interviewed for the same.

Rao to join GoI
M Vishnu Vardhan Rao, IGP, Jharkhand Police, is likely to go on Central deputation as Inspector General. He is a Jharkhand cadre IPS officer of 1987 batch.

Committee for review cases of IPS empanelment
An Expert Panel Committee of four eminent retired IPS officers has been constituted for review of Joint Secretary level IPS officers for empanelment to the post of Joint Secretary in the GoI and the date has been fixed from April 23, 2012 to April 25, 2012 in the North Block.

One dozen bureaucrats vying for post of Election Commissioner of India
As the grapevine has it, there a dozen bureaucrats who are vying for becoming the Election Commissioner of India (ECI). Some of them are retired while others are on the verge of retirement.

Five CGMs in SBI to be elevated as DMDs
As many as five Chief General Managers (CGMs) will be elevated as Deputy Managing Directors(DMDs) in State Bank of India (SBI) interviews for which will be held on April 28, 2012.

10 CGMs to vie for five slots of DMDs in SBI
As many as five of 10 Chief General Managers (CGMs) will be elevated as Deputy Managing Directors (DMDs) in State Bank of India (SBI) interviews for which will be held on April 28,2012.

Vizay Babu posted as First Secy., IT overseas unit, London
Vizay Babu has been appointed as First Secretary, Income Tax Overseas Unit, Embassy of India, London, UK. He is an IRS (IT) officer of 2101 batch.

Juneja to return to Chhattisgarh
Ashok Juneja - Deputy Director General (DDG) Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) is likely to return to the parent Chhattisgarh cadre. He is an IPS officer of 1989 batch who belongs to the Chhatisgarh cadre.

Hemonlang Nongpluh gets pro-forma promotion
Proforma promotion has been given to Hemonlang Nongpluh, DIG in CBI by the Ministry of Home Affairs. He is an IPS officer of 1994 batch who belongs to the Assam and Meghalaya Cadre.

Will Balasubramaniam return to Kerala?
K S Balasubramaniam - Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO), Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited (NLCL) is likely to return to the parent Kerala cadre. He is an IPS officer of the 1987 batch who belongs to the Kerala cadre.

Arun Kumar Goel posted in Sydney
Joint Secretary (South) in the Ministry of External Affairs Arun Kumar Goel is moving to Sydney as Counsellor General.

Sharan is now JS Agriculture
Vimlendra Sharan, Private Secratery to Agricultural Union Minister, Sharad Pawar has been appointed as Joint Secratery Agriculture Ministry, Government of India. He is a Maharashtra cadre IAS Officer of 1992 batch.

Mohanty gets extension
Pratap Kishore Mohanty, Consul (Education) Consulate General Of India, New York has been given extension till 31/12/2012. He is an Education Cadre Officer.

Nath is Dy FA, CRPF
Kamla Kant Nath, Deputy Secratery in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India has been appointed as Deputy Financial Advisor, CRPF, Guwahati in Ministry of Home Affair, GOI. He is an ISS Cadre Officer of 2000 batch.

Acharya is now CGO Net Grid
B. R. Acharya, Member Finance DDA in Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer (equivalent to Joint Secretary level) in Net Grid. He is an IA & AS Cadre Officer of 1985 batch.

Kundra gets pro-forma promotion
Ms. Geetanjali Gupta Kundra, Director, Ministry of Defence, Government of India, has been given proforma promotion in Super Time Scale by Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi. She is an AGMU cadre IAS officer of 1996 batch.

Sajan Peter is PS, Home in Kerala
Sajan Peter (1982 batch) has been posted as Principal Secretary (PS), Home by the Kerala Government. He is also Secretary Forest.

Dev Raj Dev repatriated to parent cadre
The Government of India has accorded its ex-post-facto approval for premature repatriation of Dev Raj Dev from Bihar to Tamil Nadu with effect from December 23, 2011. Dev is a 1999 batch IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre.

Two IAS officers in Kerala shifted
Two Kerala cadre IAS officers have been shifted by the State Government. They are: Ms. Valsala Kumar -ACS, Revenue & Ms. Nivedita Haran (1980 batch) Director, State Institute of Educational Management and Training (SIEMAT).

IAS officers transferred in Punjab
Certain IAS officers have been transferred in Punjab.They are: Mohinder Singh Kainth Secretary Punjab Mandi Board, G.K. Singh Deputy Commissioner(DC) Patiala, Dr. Abhinav DC Gurdaspur & Pradeep Kumar Agrawal DC Ropar.

K Srinivasan is also Deputy Commissioner, Saraikela in Jharkhand
K.Srinivasan has been given additional charge of Deputy Commissioner Saraikela in Jharkhand. He is an IAS officer of 2005 batch who belongs to the Jharkhand cadre.

Ravindra Kumar Agrawal relieved to join Kerala cadre
Ravindra Kumar Agrawal who so far on inter cadre deputation was Deputy Commissioner Saraikela in Jharkhand has been relieved on completion of his deputation tenure.He is a Kerala cadre IAS officer of 1997 batch.

Five J & K cadre officers to get PMs award
Five IAS officers Chief Secretary, Madhav Lal, DGP Kuldeep Khoda, Chief Electoral Officer, B R Sharma, Principal Secretary, CM and Planning, B B Vyas and Special Secretary to Chief Secretary, R K Varma are being conferred with Prime Minister's Award for Excellence in Public Administration on the Civil Services Day on April 21.

Vacancy of Secretary, PSERC at Chandigarh re-advertised
The vacancy of Secretary in Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC), Chandigarh, on deputation basis has been re-advertised. The nominations of interested candidates can be sent to Central Board of Excise and Customs before April 30, 2012.

CBEC invites applications for deputation in Punjab
Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) has invited applications for deputation in the Finance Department of Punjab Government. The willing officers having command of Punjabi can send their applications to the Board before April 30, 2012.

Dr. P Anuradha Balram, IES, promoted as Economic Adviser, Food Processing Ind
Dr. P Anuradha Balram, Director, Adviser, Food Processing Industries, has been promoted to Senior Administrative Grade (SAG) and posted as Economic Adviser, Food Processing Industries. He is an Indian Economic Service (IES) officer of 1986 batch.

Staff course for civilian/para military officers at Wellington from June
Ministry of Defence under the Government of India is seeking nominations of officers of civilian/para military for training in 68th staff course at Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), Wellington commencing from June 2012.

1994 batch IPS is now IG in J & K
1994 batch IPS officers have been promoted to the rank of IG in Jammu & Kashmir. They are Mssrs Abdul Ghani,Mohammad Suleman Salaria, Sunil Sharma,Farooq Khan, Dr Kamal Saini, PR Manhas, Yogender Koul, Alok Puri, Munir Ahmed Khan, and Abdul Qayoom Manhas.

1998 batch IPS is now DIG in J & K
1998 batch IPS officers have been promoted to the rank of DIG in Jammu & Kashmir. They are Mssrs Rajinder Gupta, Parminder Singh, Showkat Ahmad Malik, Ahfadul Mujtaba, Jammu, Abdul Hamid, Mushtaq Mohammad Sadiq and Shakeel Ahmad Beigh.

Another first for Delhi Division of Northern Railway
The all round outstanding performance of the Delhi division of northern railways was reflected in five of its branch officers being given national award for outstanding performance by Minister of Railways during the award ceremony held at New Delhi on April 16, 2012. No other division of the railways could match this performance. The officers awarded are Ateesh Singh Sr.DOM, Amit Mehrotra Sr.DSTE, Manoj Sharma Sr.DEN, Vikas Arya Sr.DME & Nurul Huda Sr.DSC. Many milestones have been achieved by the division during the tenure of Ashwani Lohani, the Divisional Railway Manager who is well known for his tremendous contribution in the growth and development of tourism in the country.

Mohanty gets addl charge of Sports in Rajasthan
Jagdish Chandra Mohanty, Principal Secretary, Food, Civil Supply, has been assigned additional charge of Sports and Youth Affairs in Rajasthan. He is a 1985 batch IAS officer.

Gautam posted SDO, Ramgarh
Kumar Pal Gautam has been posted as Sub-Divisional Officer (OSD), Ramgarh (Alwar) in Rajasthan. He is a 2009 batch IAS officer.

Transfer orders of two IPS officers cancelled in Rajasthan
Transfer orders of two IPS officers of Rajasthan including Anand Kumar Shrivastava from IG, Bharatpur range to Chief Minister Security, Jaipur and Girdhari Lal Sharma from DIG (Crime Branch), PHQ, Jaipur to IG, Bharatpur range, Bharatpur have been cancelled. Shrivastava is a 1994 batch IPS officer while Sharma is of 1997 batch.

IOB to open its regional office in Nagpur: Garg (UPDATED)
Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) is shortly going to open its new regional office in Nagpur. This was disclosed by P K Garg Chief Regional Manager (CRM) of IOB for MP (undivided) region looking after states Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and certain parts of Maharashtra. Garg said that the regional office will soon be operational.

A new feather in the cap of R. A. Rajeev,IAS (UPDATED)
A new feather in the cap of R.A. Rajeev Commissioner Thane Municipal Corporation(TMC),Thane has been added. The TMC has won the "Best practice city award" of HUDCO. He will be receiving this award from Indian Minister for Urban Development(UD) Kamal Nath at a ceremony to be held in New Delhi on April 25,2012. He is an IAS officer of 1987 batch who belongs to the Maharashtra cadre.He is famous for carrying out many innovations. As Commissioner TMC he took green initiatives,steps for reform in use of Information Technology(IT) besides setting up an Urban research centre.

Two IRS officers promoted as CIT (UPDATED)
Two officers of Indian Revenue Service (IRS), Ms. Anupama Shukla and Ms Neera Malhotra have been promoted to the grade of Commissioner of Income Tax (CIT).

Major reshuffle of senior officers in Railways (UPDATED)
As many as 15 officers have been transferred and posted at different places in Railways. Accordingly, B N Mishra SAG/IRSE, has been shifted from SER to ECOR in the same capacity while Abhijit Roy SG/IRSE is being shifted from Metro Rly/Kolkata to CLW and Manoj Khan SG/IRSE was transferred from SER to Metro Railway Kolkata. Similarly, Sachin K Chaurasia has been transferred from CR to NCR; N K Sinha SAG/IRSE, NR posted as CBE on the Railway itself; G C Agarwal GM of ER has been assigned additional charge of GM/Metro Railway; Sunil Mittal SG/IRSE from NWR to NFR; Sunil Singh SG/IRSE from NFR to NWR; S Vijayakumaran, HAG/IRSE SR, posted as CAO(Con) on SR itself; RN Toppo SG/IRSME from CLW to NER and appointed to officiate in SAG and posted in the cadre; S C Sawaiyan SG/IRSME from SER to NFR and appointed to officiate in SAG and posted in the cadre; P V Kothaiyah SG/IRSME from SR to SECR and appointed to officiate in SAG and posted in the cadre; Janehwar Pal SAG/IRSE from RE/ALD to SECR in the same capacity and posted in the cadre. Besides, the transfer orders of RVN Sharma SG/IRSME from SCR to NCR have been cancelled and appointed to officiate in SAG on SCR itself in the cadre.

A K Mishra promoted as ADGP in Rajasthan (UPDATED)
Rajasthan Government has promoted Akshaya Kumar Mishra as Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) on central deputation. Mishra is a 1987 batch IPS officer of this State cadre.

CWC begins operation of Cargo Terminal at ICP, Attari, Punjab (Updated)
The Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) has begun operation of Cargo Terminal at ICP, Attari (Punjab), with the inauguration of the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari (Punjab), the other day, by the Union Home Minister P Chidambaram. The ICP developed by the Land Ports Authority of India under the Department of Border Management, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, over 118 acres land at a cost of about Rs.150 crore for facilitating the import/export trade through land route was inaugurated by Chidambaram in the presence of Anand Sharma, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Prakash Singh Badal, Chief Minister of Punjab, Makhdoom Muhammad Amin Fahim, Commerce Minister of Pakistan and Shahbaz Sharif, Chief Minister of Punjab province of Pakistan.

DEBATE

Will any investor rush into India's aviation sector? Will the plan of the Government to re-structure Air India succeed?

Mail your views-mehrotra.suresh@gmail.com or Suresh. Mehrotra @yahoo.com

CORPORATE

Sahara is up and JP is down?
After the fall of Mayawati Government, it is widely discussed that stocks of Sahara have gone up and stocks of JP Group are down. Is there any truth in this wild guess?

Jain appointed MD, Triton Corp Ltd
Triton Corp Ltd has appointed Ms Sheetal Jain appointed as Managing Director of the company w.e.f. April 1, 2012.

Gupta resigns as MD, Triton Corp Ltd
Kapoor Chand Gupta has resigned as Managing Director of Triton Corp Ltd w.e.f. April 1, 2012

Ravivenkatesh appointed Director, Spicejet Ltd
R. Ravivenkatesh has been appointed as Director of Spicejet Ltd w.e.f. April 19, 2012

Srinivasan appointed Director, Westlife Development Ltd
Salem Venkatesan Srinivasan has been appointed a Director of Westlife Development Ltd w.e.f. February 13, 2012

Hirawat ceases to be Director, Westlife Development Ltd
Sunil Mehtabchand Hirawat has ceased to be a Director of Westlife Development Ltd w.e.f. February 13, 2012

Garg ceases to be Director (Finance) NBCC
Ajay K Garg , Director ( Finance), National Buildings Construction Corporation Ltd has ceased to be the Director on Board of the company on April 18, 2012.

Shah resigns as Company Secy. Excel Infoways Ltd
Ms Bhavana Shah has resigned as Company Secretary of Excel Infoways Ltd w.e.f. March 30, 2012.

Waradkar appointed Company Secy. Excel Infoways Ltd
Ms Kumud Harshal Waradkar has been appointed as Company Secretary of Excel Infoways Ltd w.e.f. April 18, 2012

Banerjee appointed Company Secy. Energy Development Company Ltd
Energy Development Company Limited has appointed Indranil Banerjee as Company Secretary of the company w.e.f. February 1, 2012

Joshi appointed Director, JB Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd
JB Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Limited has appointed Jashvantrai B. Joshi as a Director of the company.

Guha appointed Director, Kalpena Industries Ltd
Kalpena Industries Ltd has appointed Nilay Guha as Director of the company w.e.f. February 11, 2012.

Ravi Venkatesh appointed as director Spicejet
R Ravi Venkatesh has been appointed as the director on the board of Spicejet.

Guha appointed as director of Kalpena Industries
Nilay Guha has been appointed as the director of Kalpena Industries.

ASEAN countries pledge to strengthen bilateral trade at ASSOCHAM meet
With a view to strengthening trades among neighboring ASEAN countries, an Interactive Session on India - ASEAN Bilateral Trade & Investment - Exploring Vistas for Expanded Cooperation was organized in New Delhi by ASSOCHAM on April 19, 2012. Shantanu Shrivastav, Chairman, ASEAN Business promotion Council, India, has said that the India and the ASEAN countries' trade should touch $ 125 billion and Indian Companies FDI should be 10% of the total Trade of ASEAN. He acknowledged the needs for bridging information gap, increasing India's investment in ASEAN areas from 3.4% currently to 10% in the coming years specially in IT, oil, steel, renewable energy, media, hospitality sectors. Asean should also invest in India. Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Chan Kah Mei, First Secretary (Economics), Singapore High Commission said, 'We are building good relations with India and there will be more trading investments'. He said the economy grew by 4.9% in 2011. Singapore is ranked top in World Bank's Ease of Doing Business 2012. There are opportunities in Singapore in the sectors of Engineering, Transport, Media, Financial sector, Health Care, Electronics and Tourism. Companies like TCS, Mahindra Satyam and Godrej have already established their business in the country, she said. Otto Riadi, Counsellor, Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia informed that 9.7 million metric ton is coal exports to India and china. Palm oil is also produced in large quantity and is being exported to India. Muthafa Yusof, Minister Counsellor (Economic Affairs) High Commission of Malaysia said that Malaysia and India had signed a free trade agreement last year when Prime Ministers of both countries met. The main revenue is earned by tourism. There is scope for development in IT, Telecommunications, Transport and Research and development.

DEBATE: Will any investor rush into India's aviation sector? Will the plan of the Government to re-structure Air India succeed?

The Air India is the most pampered, mollycoddled, loss-making PSU. Its symbol "The Maharaja" must be replaced by 'White elephant'. The contemplated Induction of 27 Boeing 787 Dreamliners into AI could aggravate the situation in the already beleaguered national airline. Merger of two loss-making PSUs viz; IA and AI was unwarranted due to lack of synergy between the two. Consider the inherent weaknesses in AI's board structure. The Air India is managed by one member Board headed by a non-Professional, full-time functional director called the CMD, usually an IAS generalist, pliable malleable and ever eager to please political masters. Other Directors are misnomers, being below-Board level functionaries. The perceived independence and transparency of the Board is mythical when it comes to decision making.The GoI has approved financial and operational re-structuring of Air India, through bailout package of Rs 30,000- crore equity infusion over the next eight-years and a debt recast of Rs 21,200 crore. Will these measures ensure AI's long term interests , its revival and subsequent survival in the face of outstanding dues from the Oil sector utilities, airport operators, vendors and most important, its employees? Presently, foreign investors, not related to airline business, are permitted to buy up to 49 per cent stake in domestic airlines. Foreign carriers are not permitted to invest. But, a proposal to allow foreign airlines to participate with up to 49 per cent in the equity in a domestic carrier is being considered by GOI. It is not a coincidence that allowing foreign airlines to buy stake in domestic carriers will benefit Kingfisher Airlines, burdened by a debt of over Rs.7, 000 crore. The foreign investors are wary of investing in the perennially loss-making Indian PSU. India's aviation industry is faced with the predicament due to high oil prices that it is unable to service. A total loss of Rs. 15,000 crore for the fiscal 2011-12 has been estimated by ASSOCHAM. Enquiries reveal that the Virgin Atlantic does not seem to be interested in investing in India's domestic carriers.

Even Lufthansa has ruled out any investment. The Singapore Airline has kept its investment options open.

Concerns have been expressed against making the loss-making Air India, a political football by Ministers, politicians and civil aviation mandarins. These concerns must be addressed first before equity infusion and debt re-structuring.

A K Saxena (A retired civil servant)

Death knell for bureaucracy

The latest central government decision to allow state governments to give six months' extension to retiring Chief Secretaries will sound the death knell of an honest and upright civil service in the states, with the incumbent Chief Secretaries being made to dance to the tune of the state ministry in power and accede to all its irregularities and breaking of all laws and norms, by dangling the carrot of six months extension before him. The existing provision was only for giving three months extension and that too only in exceptional cases. And this was rarely invoked. So things had not become so bad.

The Manmohan Singh government has already made the cabinet secretary's post a laughing stock with the rule amendment to give piecemeal extensions to the incumbent cabinet secretary, depending upon how pliant and obedient he is. The four year extended tenure of the last Cabinet Secretary destroyed all the dignity and credibility of that time-honoured institution.

Take the case of the committee for the empanelment of secretaries to GoI. Originally it was the Cabinet Secretary who was the Chairman of this committee. The principal secretary to PM was made its Chairman and the Cabinet Secretary just a member when the former was far senior to the incumbent cabinet secretary like in the times of A N Verma or N N Vohra.

But now the present Cabinet Secretary, though senior in his batch to the present principal secretary to the PM, has been devalued by being made just a member of this committee chaired by his junior in service because he happens to be the principal secretary to PM. Pulok Chatterji as principal secretary to PM convenes many official meetings with state governments to clear projects and programs, whereas this should be done by the cabinet secretary who is the chief executive officer of the government of India in the statutory capacity. The Principal Secretary to PM etc are all clearly extra-constitutional positions which should not manifestly be exercising statutory functions and powers.

S P Mishra

GoI should give a serious thought

The Government of India (GoI) should give a serious thought about the existence of ISS Officers of MOS&PI. The statistical scenario is very grim, which has been reflected in the TOI on IIP data.

Sundarrajan

Is there any age limit for the appointment of Cabinet Secretary?

The appellant asked the Prime Minister's Office for the inspection of the relevant records related with the appointment of the Cabinet Secretary, CVC and the CIC. The Public Information Officer (PIO) transferred some of the requests to the PIO of the DoPT and refused for other details on the ground of the personal information. During the hearing before CIC, the appellant specifically submitted that he was interested in inspecting the records relating to the policy followed by the Government of India for appointing individuals above the age of 60 years as Cabinet Secretary. The CIC directed the PIO to provide the photocopy of the relevant Fundamental Rule which lays down the age related conditions for the appointment of the Cabinet Secretary. Further, the appellant submitted that he would be able to commute to Delhi to inspect the records only after four months due to his ill health. As a special request, the CIC directed the PIO of the DoPT to invite the Appellant on any mutually convenient date after four months to show him the documents.

Comments

The RTI Act has enabled a citizen to question the appointments at the senior levels of governance, which has also lead to frivolous applications at times. The DoPT should consider putting the qualifications of all senior posts on the web to lower the application load.

Citation: Shri Nand Lal Sharma v. Prime Minister's Office in File No. CIC/SM/A/2011/000874

Weekly article by Dr. (Mrs.) Anuradha Verma
(dranuradhaverma@yahoo.co.in), RTI Consultant to IIM, Indore and Co-author of the books: RIGHT TO INFORMATION - LAW AND PRACTICE and PIO's Guide to RTI by Taxmann. (The views are Personal)