What people say about us!

I have been following your blog (Website) for the last two years. It's a great source of

Information. May I request you to throw some light on non functional financial upgradation for Defence forces officers.

B S Sisodia

Who is Akhilesh Yadav in Congress ?
Who is the Yadav face in the Congress party ? It is believed that young and dynamic well educated Arun Yadav can only counter the rising star in the Samajwadi Party Akhilesh Yadav. Arun Yadav has been Minister of State for Heavy Industries in the UPA Government.

Will Mulayam Singh Yadav be Defence Minister ?
Will Mulayam Singh Yadav bargain for the post of Defence Minister ? Political circles do not rule out this possibility. Mulayam Singh Yadav had earlier been Defence Minister.

Dr. Kalam for President's slot?
If inside sources are to be believed , Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, former President is again a Presidential candidate. Will it happen? Not many will know that four years back someone connected with National Advisory Council-I (NAC-I), had specifically mentioned this possibility to UPA Chairperson & suggested steps to revitalize the Congress party.

Is Congress likely to lose a few seats in Rajya Sabha?
The Congress is all set to lose at least three MPs in the coming Rajya Sabha polls and this would bring down its strength from the existing 71 to 68 in the upper house.

Sukhbir Badal's meticulous planning being lauded
Sukhbir Singh Badal's meticulous planning is being lauded everywhere.

BUREAUCRACY

Meeting for new ED on March 15
Meeting to select new Director Enforcement is slated to take place on March 15. Panel of four names is currently lying with the CVC.

Dr Ravindra Singh to be AS Culture
Dr Ravindra Singh is being tipped to be new Additional Secretary Culture in the Government of India. He is 1979 batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre.

Chairman of Nuclear Power Corporation to retire
Chairman of the Nuclear Power Corporation S K Jain is superannuating by April end.

Promotion of 1990 batch IRS (C&CE) soon
Promotion of 1990 batch IRS (C&CE) officers, as Commissioner, is expected to take place soon. The file is presently lying in the ACC.

Will Ajit Singh push for FDI in Aviation Sector?
Will Indian Minister for Civil Aviation Ajit Singh push for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in aviation sector ?

Vishwas Mehta to be shifted laterally
As the grapevine has it, Joint Secretary National Defence College (NDC) Vishwas Mehta is going to be shifted laterally either to the Defence or Health Ministry in GoI. He is an IAS officer of the 1986 batch who belongs to Kerala cadre.

S. Lakshminarayanan is Chairman Shriram Automall India Limited
S. Lakshminarayanan is Chairman Shriram Automall India Limited - a company of the Shriram group. He is retired Madhya Pradesh cadre IAS officer of 1970 batch.

DRI, Delhi zonal unit seeks penal for Sr. Intell. Officers
Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Delhi Zonal Unit, is seeking panel for the appointment of Senior Intelligence officers on deputation basis in the Directorate in Delhi and its regional Units at Ludhiana & Jaipur, Jammu, Amritsar and Srinagar.

Last date for ADG in MoEF is March 31, 2012
The last date for submitting applications for the post of Additional Director General (ADG) in Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF) is March 31, 2012.

Rijwan Ahmad and O P Singh to be key IPS officers in UP
1976 batch IPS officer Rijwan Ahmad and 1983 batch IPS officer O P Singh are going to be important IPS officers in Uttar Pradesh.

Suryawanshi is Joint CEO MIDC
Vijay Suryawanshi (IAS) has joined as the joint CEO of Maharashtra ndustrial Development Corporation (MIDC). He was inducted into the IAS last year.

Is Samar Ghosh, CS in West Bengal getting extension ?
Is West Bengal Chief Secretary (CS) Samar Ghosh getting an extension of six months ? As the grapevine has it, Chief Minister Ms. Mamata Banerjee is quite keen and has already recommended six months extension to the Government of India. He is West Bengal cadre IAS
officer of 1977 batch due to superannuate this month end.

Ms. Jaya Das Gupta unlikely to be CS, West Bengal
As the grapevine has it, Ms. Jaya Das Gupta is unlikely to be new Chief Secretary of West Bengal. She is an IAS officer of the 1978 batch who belongs to the West Bengal cadre.

N R Banerjee returns to West Bengal
N R Banerjee, who so far was Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) in Coal India Ltd (CIL), has returned to his parent West Bengal cadre. He is West Bengal cadre IAS officer of the 1981 batch.

CBEC to hold post-budget interactive session on March 23
The Central Board of Excise & Customs (CBEC) is holding a Post-Budget interactive session on March 23 at the Auditorium of National Museum at 3 PM. Representatives of all Chambers of Commerce and Organisations are slated to participate in it.

Stocks of certain officers to go up in Uttar Pradesh
Stocks of certain IAS & IPS officers in Uttar Pradesh will now go up. They are: Santosh Kumar Yadav, Shambhu Singh Yadav, Ms.Anita Singh, Anurag Yadav (all four IAS officers), Arun Kumar Gupta, Rizwan Ahmed, Navneet Sikera, Jagmohan Yadav, O P Singh, Dharmendra Yadav,
Dharamveer, Sunil Kumar Gupta & Ashutosh Pandey (all IPS officers).

Bureaucratic equations in Uttar Pradesh to change
Bureaucratic equations will change as Akhilesh Yadav is now going to be sworn in as new Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.

Gujarat tourism campaign: Mittra flags off metro train at Delhi
Vipul Mittra, Principal Secretary Tourism and Civil Aviation to the Gujarat Government, flagged off Delhi metro train donned with creative of Gujarat tourism's campaign. These creative were wrapped insde and outside the train which was initially to be flagged off by the notedfilm star Amitabh Bachchan but because of his ill health, it was flagged off by Vipul Mittra in Delhi recently. Gujarat tourism has hired the entire train for three months and wrapped it with Amitabh Bachchan's campaign displays on Gujarat tourism. No other tourism Corporation or Board has done this level of branding though it is popular in Europe. The metro train, which moves between New Delhi Railway Station and Airport, will enable thousands of people from Delhi and other places - who commute by it every day - to have a fair idea of Gujarat's tourist destinations. This will create fantastic hype for Gujarat tourism in the national capital, said Mittra who is
Gujarat cadre IAS officer of 1986 batch.

Two IAS officers in race for CS's post in Uttarakhand
As the grapevine has it, two bureaucrats are in race for the post of Chief Secretary to the Uttarakhand Government.

Arvind Singhdeo to be PS to Uttar Pradesh CM
As the grapevine has it, Arvind Singhdeo is poised to be Principal Secretary (PS) to new Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav. He is UP cadre IAS officer of 1984 batch.

S Raju may be PS to Uttarakhand CM
In case Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) President Yashpal Arya is inducted as the Chief Minister, then chances of Subbia Raju being appointed as his Principal Secretary (PS) are bright. A Bachelor of Technology (B. Tech) from North Arcot (Tamil Nadu), Raju
is an IAS officer of 1983 batch.

Narayani Mahil to quit ONGC ?
Grapevine has it that Chief of the Corporate Communications in ONGC Ms Narayani Mahil is quitting the organization.

Darbara Singh Guru to be Advisor (Administration) in Punjab
As the grapevine has it, Darbara Singh Guru former Principal Secretary (PS) to Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who contested this year's assembly polls unsuccessfully, is going to be to be Advisor (Administration) in Punjab. He is Punjab cadre IAS officer of 1980 batch.

P S Gill to be Advisor (Home) in Punjab
P S Gill, ex DGP of Punjab, who contested this year's Assembly Polls unsuccessfully is going to be Advisor (Home) in Punjab.

Ranjit Singh posted as Director (Admn/EA), DGACE, Delhi
Ranjit Singh, Senior Deputy Accountant General (Admn) in the office of Principal Accountant General (Audit), Punjab, Chandigarh, has been transferred and posted as Director (Admn/EA), in the office of Director General of Audit, Central Expenditure (DGACE), New Delhi. He will relieve Satish Sethi.

IPS officer Pradeep Kumar not empanelled as JS
The empanelment case of 1984 batch IPS officer Pradeep Kumar of Assam-Meghalaya cadre as Joint Secretary in Government of India was not approved at the review meeting of Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.

Will IAS continue to dominate in Akhilesh Yadav's regime ?
Will the IAS continue to dominate or other services like IPS and IFS get their share? The condition of other services, especially in matters of promotion, is worst in UP.

Diptivilasa leads disinvestment team to Singapore & Hong Kong
Deverakonda Diptivilasa, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Urban Development in GoI, who is 1981 batch IAS officer, is leading the team that has gone to Singapore & Hong Kong in connection with disinvestment of NBCC's 10 per cent shares worth Rs.12 crore. Other members of the team are: Premjit Lal Director Urban Development, Vishnu P. Das Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) of NBCC, Pramod Agrawal (IAS 1991 batch) Joint Secretary Department of disinvestment (DoD), NBCC Director's Finance Ajay Kumar Garg and NBCC's Director Projects Anoop Kumar Mittal.

Empanelment of S K Upadhayay as DGP deferred
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has reportedly been deferred the case of 1976 batch IPS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre, S K Upadhayay reviewed for the empanelment as DGP/ equivalent post in Government of India.

Shashank Shekhar Singh to go to Rajya Sabha ?
Shashank Shekhar Singh, Cabinet Secretary in Uttar Pradesh during the Mayawati regime, is likely to get BSP ticket for the Rajya Sabha.

THDC CMD Sai denied extension (UPDATED)
CMD of the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation R S T Sai has been denied extension in his tenure. He retired on March 7.

Bisht is Acting CMD of THDC (UPDATED)
A S Bisht has been appointed Acting CMD of the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC). He is presently Director Personnel in the Company.

Keshav Chandra is new Member (Mechanical) Rly Board (UPDATED)
Keshav Chandra has taken over as new Member Mechanical, Railway Board and ex-officio Secretary to Government of India.. Prior to this new posting, he served as General Manager, Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), Guwahati. However, he will continue to hold the post of GM, NFR Railway in addition to his present post until further orders. An officer of the 1975 batch of Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME), Chandra held various key positions on different Zonal Railways. Shri Chandra worked as Additional General Manager in two of the biggest Railways viz East Central Railway (Hajipur) and Northern Railway (New Delhi).
( We said this on February 24 )

4 BJP MLAs may take oath Punjab (UPDATED)
As the grapevine has it four BJP legislators may get a berth in the Punjab Government that Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal will be forming on March 14,2012. They are:Surjit Jayani,Madan Mohan Mittal,Anil Joshi & Chunni Lal Bhagat.

DEBATE - Should bureaucrats alone be held accountable for policy decisions ?

Bureaucrats now feel that Ministers and Politicians also be held responsible for 'policy decisions' taken by the government. They also want that entire cabinet should be held accountable for policy decisions. How far they are correct in their thinking ?

Mail your to the point views to suresh.mehrotra@yahoo.com or mehrotra.suresh@gmail.com

CORPORATE

NBCC's 10 per cent shares to be disinvested
With the approval given by NBCC Board, decks were cleared for disinvestment of 10 per cent of shares of NBCC. According to Vishnu P. Das Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) of NBCC target was to carry it out by the end of this month.

Naik to continue as Executive Chairman, L&T
A M Naik is set to continue as Executive Chairman of Larsen and Toubro Ltd.

Swain is new Member OERC
Siba Prasad Swain has been appointed new Member of the Orissa Electricity Regulatory Commission ( OERC).

Dhanraj appointed Director (F&B), The Chariot Resort & Spa, Puri
Paul Dhanraj has been appointed as Director (F&B ) of The Chariot Resort & Spa, Puri.

Dr K Anji Reddy honoured with Lifetime Achievement in Health award
Dr K Anji Reddy-- the Founder Chairman of Dr Reddy's Laboratories has been honoured with the Lifetime Achievement in Health award at the Asian Voice Political & Public Life Awards ceremony for 2012 held in London recently.

Goel appointed President (Investment Banking), India Infoline Ltd
India Infoline Ltd has appointed Nipun Goel as President (Investment Banking). Farina appointed GM, The Zuri Whitefield Guido Farina has been appointed as General Manager of The Zuri Whitefield. Mishra appointed Business Strategy Consultant, Sorento Healthcare Communications Sorento Healthcare Communications has appointed Sourabh Mishra as a Business Strategy Consultant.

Alexander appointed Director (Sales), The Courtyard by Marriott , Pune City Centre
Caroline Alexander has been appointed as Director (Sales) of The Courtyard by Marriott Pune City Centre.

Dabhade elected as President AIDCOC
The All India Drugs Control Officers Confederation (AIDCOC) has elected its new executive committee for 2012-13 with Sirish Dabhade being elected as its President .

Bhaskar elected Secy. General, AIDOC
Ravi Uday Bhaskar has been elected as Secretary General of All India Drugs Control Officers Federation (AIDOC) for 2012-13.

Pande resigns from Ace Edutrend
Yamuna Dhar Pande has resigned from the directorship of Ace Edutrend.

Vishwanathan resigns from Tutis Technologies
Rupesh Vishwanathan has resigned as managing director of Tutis Technologies.

Three appointed Additional Directors in Aditya Gears
S Basu, Satyajit Mishra, and Nitin Oza have been appointed as Additional Directors in Aditya Gears.

L&T bifurcates role of Chairman and MD
The Board of Larsen & Toubro has decided to bifurcate the role of Chairman and Managing Director.

Rajapakse appointed VP, Arcelor Mittal Mining
Suresh Rajapakse has been appointed as Vice President and Head of Health, Safety, Security, Environment & Sustainability for mining of Arcelor Mittal Mining.

Pranaba Da is an excellent speaker
It is worthless to comment on anybody's accent in any langauge. Pranaba Da is an excellent speaker and chooses appropriate words.
Kailash Bhargava (California)

Always on strike

Income tax is always on strike. Its staff and officers are so pampered that they are on strike all the time without any concern for either the country or the public.

Arjun Mallik

Are the details of the service book liable to be disclosed?

The estranged wife of a government servant asked whether the name of wife has been entered in the Service Book of her husband; If yes, the name as entered in the Service Book; and the name of the nominee & his successor. The appellant also sought the attested photocopy of Service Book and GPF documents of her husband, Shri R B Bhavuk. The third party strongly objected to the disclosure of the requested information on the plea that the same was his personal information and moreover, if disclosed it would not only endanger his life but also the life of the nominee as well. The CPIO declined to disclose the information under Section 8(1)(g) & (j) of the RTI Act. The Commission observed that whether the name of the wife has been entered in the Service Book of any employee is relevant to the functioning of the personnel and establishment division of the Public Authority. Hence, the Commission directed to disclose in 'Yes' or 'No' whether the name of the wife has been entered in the Service Book of her husband. Refusal of the information about the GPF and nominees was upheld under section 8(1)
(j).

Comments

Some parts of the Service Book are personal in nature where other parts are purely administrative in nature. The places of posting, total period and category of leave availed of from time to time etc. ae administrative information and can be disclosed.

[Smt. Nirmala Bhavuk v. Central Excise & Customs in Appeal No. CIC/SS/A/2012/000107]

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)