What people say about us!

Your site is addictive. More useful to retired officers. Gives good information on government and corporate world. Good site to share views on some important social issues also. Regards.

Z S Nirwal

US praise of CAG Vinod Rai
CAG Vinod Rai has been praised for his professionalism by his counterpart in the United States Gene Dodaro. This should be an eye-opener to his critics.

Coalgate to be another Bofors?
It is widely believed that nothing is going to happen in much publicized Coalgate issue and it is going to be another Bofors. It means the topic will continue for another 25 years with no conclusion like Bofors.

Preparations for Kerala Govt.'s global meet are near completion
Preparations for 'Emerging Kerala-2012-Global Connect', the three day international mega event being organised by the Government of Kerala in Kochi from September 12 to 14, 2012 are almost near completion. It will be inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. The event is an initiative of Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. Theme of the event is "Emerging Kerala 2012, Global Connect" informed Alkesh Kumar Sharma, Managing Director (MD) of Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) who is also nodal officer for the event. It will be an opportunity for the entrepreneurs to explore, invest and establish business interests in Kerala, he added. Over 3000 delegates including 600 foreigners will attend the mega event.

BUREAUCRACY

Empanelment of 1979 batch IAS this week?
Empanelment of 1979 batch IAS officers to the rank of Secretary in the Government of India is expected to take place this week.

R C Mishra to be Member, CAT?
Former Secretary, Administrative Reforms in the Government of India, R C Mishra is being tipped to be new Administrative Member of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT). He is a retired 1976 batch IAS officer of Orissa cadre.

DG, Revenue Intelligence to retire
DG, Revenue Intelligence, R S Sidhu, is retiring by this month end. He is a 1977 batch IRS (C&CE) officer.

CS to go by seniority in postings?
It is believed that Cabinet Secretary, Ajit Seth, is going by seniority as far as posting of Secretaries are concerned.

Sudhir Mittal takes over as Secretary, Fertilisers (UPDATED)
Sudhir Mittal has taken over as Secretary Fertilisers in the Government of India. He is a 1978 batch IAS officer of Punjab cadre.
(We said this on September 7, 2012)

Chhiber takes charge as Secretary, Ex-Servicemen Welfare today (UPDATED)
Vijay Chhiber who has been appointed as new Secretary Ex-Servicemen Welfare, is taking charge on September 10, 2012. He is a 1978 batch IAS officer of Manipur-Tripura cadre.
(We said this on September 7, 2012)

Srivastava elevated as Additional Secretary
Avinash K Srivastava, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, New Delhi, has been elevated as Additional Secretary in the same Ministry. He is a 1982 batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre
(We said this on September 7, 2012)

Dr C B Venkataramana elevated
Dr C B Venkataramana, Joint Secretary, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), has been elevated as Additional Secretary in the Department of Atomic Energy. He is a 1982 batch IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre.
(We said this on September 8, 2012)

Deepak elevated in Ministry of Commerce
JS Deepak, Joint Secretary, Commerce, has been elevated as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Commerce& Industry, government of India. He is a 1982 batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre.
(We said this on September 8, 2012)

Neeraj Gupta elevated in ITPO
The rank & pay scale of Neeraj Kumar Gupta, Executive Director, Indian Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), Ministry of Commerce& Industry, Government of India has been equated to the level to Additional Secretary. He is a 1982 batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre.

Three 1982 batch IAS officers to return to parent cadre?
Three 1982 batch IAS officers, on deputation to the Government of India, including Navin Verma of Bihar cadre and Neeraj Gupta of the UP cadre are expected to return to their respective cadre for one year. These officers have completed seven years on central deputation.

PMO returns empanelment file of two 1991 batch IAS officers?
The PMO is believed to have returned empanelment file of two 1991 batch IAS officers. They are Vandana Gurnani of Karnataka cadre and P K Tiwari of Assam-Meghalaya cadre.

C Balasubramaniam is new ADG CRPF
C Balasubramaniam, Joint Director, Sardar Vallabh Bhai, National Police Academy, Hyderabad, has been appointed as Additional DG, CRPF, New Delhi. Official order has been issued. He is an IPS officer of 1981 batch who belongs to the Assam-Meghalaya cadre.
(We said this on August 29, 2012)

Joshi to join UP Government?
Grapevine has it that, a 1977 batch IAS officer of Uttarakhand cadre, Ajay Kumar Joshi is joining the Uttar Pradesh Government.

Vigilance clearance stalls many appointments
In the name of vigilance clearance, people who are in contention for top slots are vehemently using the vigilance clearance as a tool to settle personal scores.

Income-Tax transfers and postings- PSS impact
Commissioners and Chief Commissioners of Income Tax have found a radical change in recent postings. They say that this has been because of PSS. It means combine of P Chidambaram, Sumit Bose and S S Rana.

West Bengal CS Samar Ghosh reluctant for extension?
Despite a strong desire by West Bengal's Chief Minister Ms. Mamata Banerjee for one more extension to present Chief Secretary Samar Ghosh, the latter is reported to be highly reluctant. He is retiring on September 30, 2012.

Ms Roshni Sen back to West Bengal cadre
Ms Roshni Sen who so far on central deputation was holding the post of Deputy Chairman, Tea Board, has gone back to her parent West Bengal cadre. She is an IAS officer of 1993 batch.

Feb. 2013 sets the race for the DGP slot in Jharkhand
Gauri Shankar Rath, Director General of Police, Jharkhand, is scheduled to retire in the February 2013. The race has reportedly began for the slot for which as many as three names are in the fray.

Anindya Sengupta gets selection grade
A1998 batch Indian Information Service (IIS) officer, Anindya Sengupta presently working as Joint Director, DAVP, New Delhi, has been accorded selection grade.

IRS (IT) officer Kan Ram Meghwal empanelled as Joint Secretary in GoI
Indian Revenue Service-Income Tax (IRS-IT) officer of 1985 batch, Kan Ram Meghwal, has been empanelled as Joint Secretary or equivalent in the Government of India.

A M Bajaj empanelled as Joint Secretary in GoI
Indian Audit & Accounts Service (IA&AS) officer of 1990 batch, A M Bajaj, has been empanelled as Joint Secretary or equivalent in the Government of India.

Z V S Prasad empanelled as Joint Secretary in GoI
Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDAS) officer of 1989 batch, Z V S Prasad, has been empanelled as Joint Secretary or equivalent in the Government of India.

Eight 1979 batch IAS officers get ACS rank in UP
Eight IAS officers of the 1979 batch have been promoted to the rank of ACS in Uttar Pradesh. They are Manjit Singh, Kush Verma, Siraj Hussain, Ram Chandra Srivastava, Ravindra Singh, Anil Kumar Gupta, Zohra Chatterji and Net Ram .

Four officers found in corrupt practices in EPFO
As many as four officials have been charged with corrupt practices in Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO). The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has recommended action against such officers.

Deputation tenure of Macheria in CBI extended
Deputation tenure of Santosh Macheria as Joint Director, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) (Banking), has been extended for a period of six months. However, the CBI had demanded an extension of one year. He is a 1984 batch IPS officer of Manipur-Tripura cadre.

Abule gets extension in Beijing
First Secretary in Indian Embassy Beijing Dr Shilpak Ambule has been given extension on functional grounds till June next year.

UP Government to post PCS officers as DM
The Uttar Pradesh Government has sought permission from the Centre to post PCS officers as DM.

DoPT seeks applications for Chairman, Tobacco Board, Guntur
The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has invited applications for the post Chairman of Tobacco Board at Guntur (Andhra Pradesh) falling vacant soon under the Department of Commerce on deputation basis. Those willing to apply for this Joint Secretary level post can send their applications to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) at the earliest.

Rahul Bali selected as Director (Tech.), SIL (UPDATED)
Rahul Bali, Chief Engineer, ONGC, has been selected for the post of Director (Technical), Scooter India Limited (SIL) at a Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) meeting held on September 10, 2012.

CORPORATE

Is a business house eyeing Air India?
In view of heavy losses, the Government of India may go in for disinvestment of the Air India. And a business house is eyeing for it.

Iyer quits Cosmo Films Ltd
Dr S Rama Iyer has resigned as Director of Cosmo Films Ltd.

Roy appointed Addl. Director, Nicco Parks & Resorts Ltd
Arnab Roy, IAS, Secretary, School Education Department, Government of West Bengal has been appointed as an Additional Director (Nominee of Government of West Bengal, Department of Tourism) on the Board of Directors of Nicco Parks & Resorts Ltd.

Desai appointed MD, Integer Group
Integer Group has appointed Ketan Desai as its new Managing Director.

Bhatnagar appointed Head (National Revenue), CNN-IBN
CNN-IBN has appointed Vishal Bhatnagar as Head (National Revenue) with immediate effect.

Bansal appointed CEO, DB Realty
DB Realty has appointed Vipul Bansal as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company with immediate effect. He will have the responsibility of overseeing real estate and hospitality verticals of DB Group.

Khanna appointed Head (Activations), Cheil Worldwide SW Asia
Cheil Worldwide SW Asia has appointed as Vikas Khanna as Head (Activations).

Shukla appointed Head (Retail), Cheil Worldwide SW Asia
Cheil Worldwide SW Asia has appointed Manish Shukla as Head (Retail).

Bhatia appointed Head (Interactive), Cheil Worldwide SW Asia
Cheil Worldwide SW Asia has appointed Rajesh Bhatia as Head (Interactive)

Chhabra appointed Independent Director, Sarthak Industries Ltd
Sartajsing Chhabra has been appointed as Independent Director of Sarthak Industries Ltd.

Roy appointed as Director of Nicco Parks and Restaurants
Arnab Roy has been appointed as Director of Nicco Parks and Restaurants.

Shah appointed as Director of Emporis Projects
Chintan Shah has been appointed as Director of Emporis Projects.

Gala appointed as Director of Speciality Paper
Darshak Gala has been appointed as Director of Speciality Paper.

Sidhu appointed as Director of IFM Impex
Rakesh Sidhu has been appointed as Director of IFM Impex.

Shah quits Shrey Chemicals
Jignesh Shah has resigned as Director, Shrey Chemicals.

Kale appointed Director of Jaysynth Dyestuff
PM Kale has been appointed Director of Jaysynth Dyestuff.

Shah ceases to be Director of K Sera Sera
Prakashkumar Shah has ceased to be Director of K Sera Sera.

Prabhu quits Excel Glasses
Ramesh Prabhu has resigned as Director of Excel Glasses.

Makhija appointed as CFO,Crew Bros Product
Sanjay Kumar Makhija has been appointed as CFO of Crew Bros Product.

(The views expressed in this column are of the contributors. We do not owe any responsibility, whatsoever, of the views of our surfers as they are their personal opinion. However, we would also request our contributors not to be personal, directly or indirectly, in presenting their views. Instead of countering the views which ‘X’ has already expressed, our contributors are advised to present their own views. Also be brief, say about 200 words at the most since any views longer than that if eliminated at our end would carry the risk of the contrbutor’s item losing its original essence)

Congrats to WIC on tie up with the ETV News channel

This is to congratulate you on your tie up with the ETV News channel for very important news regarding the govt. department, the Psus and the administration in general. This is the culmination of your hard labour over last 3 decades on this front which nobody else could have done. To get inside information in time is an uphill task , but the ease with which you can break even a hard nut speaks volumes about you. ! Kudos! Keep up the good work. By coming on the electronic media, you have enabled crores of viewers to get access to this information which they do not otherwise get.

S C Agrawal

Former DGP Madhya Pradesh

Travel by Private Airlines

The Government has issued instructions to obtain permission for all travels by airlines other than Air India. Even in the sectors where Air India is not operating, we need to ake prior permission from Ministry of Civil Aviation, the instruction says. But apparently the Ministry does not have the capacity to handle the applications. Neither we receive any response for our applications, nor anyone picks up the phone to answer our calls. The Government can at least exempt the sectors in a general order where Air India is not operating. And a provision must be provided that herever the permission is not denied in writing, may be treated as granted.

SN.

No discrimination

SCs/STs not reaching the top positions like Secretaries in Government etc. is not due to any discrimination against them, but due to the fact that they retire early, because of late joining the service, by taking benefit of relaxation in age. Let someone bring out the comparable facts of general and SC/ST candidates who have joined service at the

same age

JMS

It's an irony !

Yes, the Director of I B after retirement is appointed as C I C when I B itself was not under the purview of R T I .That is the irony. reward for services rendered .

K K Kant

Also include News about Parliament Sectt

News about Parliament Secretariat should also find place in your column especially superannuation, transfers, promotions, deputations etc.

R S Kambo

Violation of DOPT & DPE orders

This is clear violation of DOPT & DPE orders regarding economy measures. But who is there to check it? Good luck to those 20 officers. Enjoy at the cost of public funds.

Nikhil

TAIL-PIECE

In India there used to be two pet words-Khoka and Peti. Now in the changing world these two words have been replaced by Tablet and Capsule. Tablet means Rs 50 crores and Capsule means 100 crores.

RIT

Can an appellant demand inforamtion in Hindi under RTI?

The appellant sought information in Hindi regarding ICDS projects operating in Delhi including details of each project on a CD, number of Anganwadi centers operating along with details of Anganwadi centers, details of budget allocations for each Anganwadi and also the details of beneficiaries (women and children) of Anganwadi centers etc..

The appellant filed a complaint before the Central Information Commission (CIC) alleging non-disposal of his request by the Public Information Officer(PIO) and First Appellate Authority (FAA). The respondents stated that information has been furnished by all the 94 PIOs of different ICDS
projects to the appellant and that they had provided the information as available in the records and some on CDs in cases where the information was available as computer data. The appellant stated that only 71 PIOs had furnished him the information, that too in a delayed manner and it has not been translated into Hindi or provided on CD. Further, the FAA had not bothered to dispose off his appeal.

The CIC issued SCN to the PIOs as to why penalty u/s 20(1) should not be imposed upon them for not responding to the RTI Application within the prescribed time period. The CIC also directed the FAA to show cause as to why disciplinary action should not be recommended against him. The CIC ruled that there is no provision for translating documents and then providing them to the Applicant under RTI Act. The CIC also ruled that information may be provided on CD, free of cost if the information is already available as a computer record. Details of all ICDS projects including budgets allocated to them, details of personnel working for these projects etc. were directed to be put up on the website of the Department as per section 4(2) of the RTI Act.

Comments

Translation or reducing the documents to electronic form in order to transfer them on to a CD just because the Appellant wants the information on a CD, is not mandated as per the RTI Act.

Citation: Mr. Shiv Kumar Saxena v. Department of Women and Child Development in File No: CIC/AD/A/2012/000794

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)