Jitters in J&K Bureaucracy as MHA plans mega reshuffle

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

special report

Jitters in J&K Bureaucracy as MHA plans mega reshuffle

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, Nov. 4

The bureaucracy, having good time for decades, in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh may be out of their comfort zone. . If plans underway in the Union Home Ministry under Amit Shah are any indication, a major shake up in the bureaucracy in two Union Territories will happen soon. Nearly 5 lakh employees working in 41 Government Departments & other institutions have already been given the option to which UT they would like to serve. While the population is large in J&K, the territory is vast in Ladakh. The officers of the All India Services will also have to opt for any of the UT s. The Centre is now fixing the quota for the two Union Territories as per the norms. The status of IAS, IPS and IFS officers working there will also be changed.

The new recruits will be placed under the UT cadre and can be sent of any of the nine union territories now.

They will be subjected to postings in Delhi, Chandigarh, Pudduchery, A&NI, D&NH and Lakshadweep. The Jammu and Kashmir Re-organisation Act stipulates that the new LG of J&K will take a decision in this regard in consultation with the MHA. It simply means that G C Murmu, the new LG of J&K UT is the new boss of division of postings.

It is interesting that in June 2018 B V R Subrahmanyam, an officer of the Chhattisgarh cadre officer was sent to J&K Chief Secretary. No one had a clue as to what's cooking in NaMo administration mind. But the cards unfolded when the state was split and divided into two UT s.

Though much has been written about appointment of former Defence Secretary R K Mathur and ex- expenditure Secretary G C Murmu as new LG s, it gives a clue to their Out- of-Box thinking. It is also not a mere coincidence that the PM and his core team continue to talk about the desire to integrate PoK with India.

The appointment of former IB Chief Dineshwar Sharma as the Administrator of Lakshadweep which is increasingly exposed to Chinese strategic moves to encircle India and its intensifying strategic partnership with Shri Lanka, is also significant. Sharma was J&K Interlocutor.

Ends

Major shake up in the bureaucracy, dozens affected

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Major shake up in the bureaucracy, dozens affected

Harish gupta

new delhi, oct 22

In a major overhaul of the bureaucracy, the NaMo administration made nearly two dozen changes at the level of the secretary and upgraded/downgraded the posts of dozen odd officers of the level of joint secretaries.

Braj Raj Sharma (IAS:1984:JK) was appointed Chairman, Staff Selection Commission and moved away as Secretary, Department of Border Management (MHA). Sanjeev Gupta (IAS:1985:HP) appointed (in-situ) as Secretary, Inter State Council Secretariat, Ministry of Home Affairs while Sailesh was appointed as Secretary, Department of Public Enterprises. Presently, Sailesh is Secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs. Alok Tandon, an officer of the UP cadre was appointed as Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances. In his new assignment he will hold the additional charge of the post of Secretary, Department of Pensions and Pensioners Welfare. Presently, he is serving as Chairman Noida Authority. Sanjeev Nandan Sahai (IAS:1986:UT) appointed (In-situ) as Secretary, Ministry of Power vice Subhash Chandra Garg (IAS:1983:RJ) who retires on October 31. Sahai is working as Special Secretary, Ministry of Power.

Pramod Kumar Das (IAS:1986:MP) appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs. Presently, he is Special Secretary, Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance.

Nagendra Nath Sinha (IAS:1987:JH) who was Chairman, NHAI under Nitin Gadkari has been sent as Secretary, Department of Border Management (MHA).

Tuhin Kanta Pandey was appointed as Secretary, Department of Investment and Public Asset Management in place of Anil Kumar Khachi who was repatriated to Himachal.

Pankaj Kumar of Nagaland cadre, is the new CEO, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) in the rank and pay of Secretary by temporarily upgrading the post. Presently, he is Additional Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. Rajesh Bhushan was appointed (In-situ) as Secretary (Coordination) in the Cabinet Secretariat.

Pravir Krishna, MD, TRIFED in the rank and pay of Secretary.

Further, over a dozen of IAS officers belonging to 1987 batch of IAS were elevated (In-situ) as Special Secretary in the rank and pay of Secretary (GoI), in their respective ministries/departments presently serving in the rank of Additional Secretary. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet extended the upgradation/downgradation about 12 joint secretaries.

Rajiv Gauba Takes Over as Cabinet Secretary

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Rajiv Gauba Takes Over as Cabinet Secretary

PK Sinha Goes to PMO as OSD 

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, Aug. 30

Rajiv Gauba, OSD in the Cabinet Secretariat today took over as the new Cabinet Secretary. He takes over after the superannuation of P.K. Sinha who served for more than four years, a record of sort in the government. Sinha's tenure was upto September 12. But in a major decision, the government decided to cut short his extended tenure and appointed Gauba as the new Cab. Sec. Gauba is an IAS officer of Jharkhand cadre (1982 batch) and was Home Secretary until brought to the Cabinet Secretariate earlier this month.

It has also been announced that P K Sinha will be new OSD in the PMO. 

He was one of the key officer of the Centre’s decision to abrogate Article 370 and the reorganization of Jammu & Kashmir, and is widely credited for flawless and smooth implementation of the decision. With an eye for details, he spearheaded the formulation and execution of these initiatives in MHA. Along with a small core team, he gave final shape to constitutional and legal aspects while working out administrative and security arrangements.

Earlier, during his stint in MHA as Additional Secretary, he prepared a multi- pronged action plan in 2015 to tackle LWE and steered its implementation which has resulted in significantly shrinking the spread of Maoists’ area of influence.

Gauba has also served in the International Monetary Fund representing the country for four years on the Board of IMF.

Fly on the Wall : Rahul to hold Open Darbars

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Rahul to hold Open Darbars

The Congress president, Rahul Gandhi, may follow the foot steps of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv to directly connect with party workers and common man. It transpires that Rahul Gandhi's new team of advisers has impressed upon him to spend at least three days a week at the party headquarters 24 Akbar Road whenever in Delhi. While one day will be exclusively earmarked for party workers and common man, the second day will be to interact with office bearers and frontal organisations. The leaders from states will also be given fixed day for interaction with the Congress president. It will be like an Rahul's “open darbar”. The big drawback in the Congress leadership for long had been that neither Sonia Gandhi and nor Dr Manmohan Singh hold such “Open Darbars” for security reasons. But Rahul Gandhi has decided to disregard these concerns expressed by the Special Protection Group (SPG) and conveyed that he would like to mingle with the people freely and hear them out. Rahul Gandhi wants to break the shackles of protocol and norms in the days to come. If sources are to be believed, he will start this practice from early next month.  

Modi Govt. derails Rahul plan, issues eviction notice 

Rahul Gandhi may be contemplating to hold “open Darbars” at 24 Akbar Road from February. But the Modi government has other plans in store and wants to oust the party from its 24 Akbar Road headquarters and other buildings within the next three months. The Cabinet Committee on Accommodation (CCA) has served the final notice to AICC to vacate government two bungalows and also 5 Raisina Road accommodation occupied by the Youth Congress. The notice also includes vacating a residential house in Chankyapuri. The AICC has been occupying these type VIII bungalows since 1976. The CCA's reminded that first notice was given in 2015 and several extensions have been given after the Supreme Court issued eviction orders to all political parties from the Lutyen's Bungalow Zone area. All National political parties including the Congress, BJP, BSP and others have been given alternative places to construct their own party headquarters. The Congress had also been allotted two-acre plot at Kotla Road and construction also began there. But the construction work is progressing at a snail pace. Now the Modi government is determined to oust the AICC at the earliest. The Congress has explained that the completion of building at Kotla Road will take one more year. The Urban Development Ministry is determined to get 26 Akbar Road bungalow given to Congress Deva Dal and 5 Raisina Road bungalow given to Indian Youth Congress vacated immediately and  asked why hefty fine be not imposed for not vacating.. The Cabinet Committee on Accommodation consists of Union Ministers; Rajnath Singh Arun Jaitley, Nitin Gadkari,Ananth Kumar and Hardeep Puri.

State-of-the-art BJP headquarters ready 

Contrary to the AICC which ruled the country for ten consecutive years and failed to construct its headquarters, the BJP president, Amit Shah did a miracle of sort. He has finished the task in less than a year and the new party headquarters at the Deen Dayal Marg near Raouse Avenue is ready for occupation. Shah is determined to vacate the 11 Ashok Road headquarters any time in February when the PM inaugurates the 5-7 floor state-of-the-art building. The building will have 70 rooms-- 45 for leaders and 25 for workers. The 8000 sq meter building which smaller than what was allotted to the Congress, will have a library having 4000 e-books and 5000 on the shelf. A war room on the top floor will be fitted with satlites and connected to all district headquarters. Though a helipad is also being readied on top of the building. But there is nobody to confirm it. The building will have ten high speed lifts and an underground parking facility for 200 cars.

Padma awards; Modi style

Ever since Modi donned the Mantle, the Padma awards have undergone a sea-change. Gone are the days when Governors, Union Ministers and ruling party top leaders used to call the shots. Privately, all of them have been told not to send letters of recommendation favouring persons of their choice. A platform has been created on the website of the Union Home Ministry with detailed parameters to be followed. The names recommended by the high powered committee in this regard were lying on the Prime Minister's table when he left for Davos. Though he landed on January 23 evening, he found no time to look at the names. Reason is that PMO is scrutinizing through its own network these recommendations. If sources are to be believed, the PM did not heed to the recommendations of former President Pranab Mukherjee to award Padam Bhushan to a leading doctor with a private hospital. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Puducherry Governor Kiran Bedi and three other top Union Ministers also met the same fate. Realising that they face humiliation last year, hardly any senior minister has recommended Padma this year directly. By the way, any citizen is free to recommend anybody for Padma award through the MHA website. 

Who is PM's most favourite bureaucrat?

If you think Finance Secretary Hasmukh Adhia is Modi's most favourite bureaucrat you may perhaps be wrong. Adhia is a Gujrati and Gujrat cadre IAS officer. But he would have been secretary in any case due to his seniority in the government. The favour will come when he dons the mantle of Cabinet Secretary. Its a different matter that even here, he will be senior-most secretary in the government. But the Prime Minister surprised the entire bureaucracy when another extension in service was given to    Parameswaran Iyer, as Secretary, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation. Iyer was brought from retirement and appointed full secretary for two years by Modi. This was unprecedented as retired bureaucrats are brought in service as advisers/consultants etc. It was expected that Iyer will retire after completing two years. But in another rare decision, Modi gave him one more extension until 30.04.2019.  

Banning “Barter Trade” with PaK: PMO to decide

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Banning “Barter Trade” with PaK: PMO to decide

NIA says Barter-trade generated Rs 1000 crore terror funding

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, Sep 11

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) will take a final call on banning the “Barter Trade” between India & Pakistan which was aimed at promoting trade & harmony between the people in J & K and PoK.

Highly placed sources in the government say that the PMO is seized of the matter after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) strongly recommended the closure of the barter trade. The NIA had sent its report to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) which is turn has referred the issue to the PMO as it has wider implications.

Incidentally, it was the Union Home Ministry which had initiated the Barter-Trade agreement with Pakistan in 2008 at the bidding of the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh within days of returning to India from his US trip in 2008 to promote harmony between the people on both sides of Jammu & Kashmir. It was decided that no cash will be involved, only 21 items will be trade for mutual exchange and the value of items will be fixed by traders mutually. The goods should be produced in J & K and PoK only. But what happened thereafter, was an eye-opener to agencies. For example the Californian Almonds made their way from Pakistan to J&K on the ground that these were produced in PoK.

Lokmat was first to break the story “Barter Trade or Terror Funding” on January 23 this year in its editions saying the NIA had undertaken countrywide raids and scrutinizing records of 350 traders in Delhi & J & K. At that time, the NIA estimated that the hawala racket could be of the order of Rs 300 crores. Top sources have now told Lokmat that the hawala scam could be of the order of Rs 1000 crores.

The NIA submitted detailed report listing how hundreds of cores of rupees reached terrorist groups and stone pelters in the Valley thanks to the “Barter-Trade” route. The NIA said the barter-trade generated more than Rs 3000 crores in cash and at least Rs 1000 crores of this amount had gone to the kashmiri militants and their patterns which included Hurriyat leaders. The NIA submitted a detailed account of money-trail beginning with traders on the borders to traders in Delhi and major cities and how money re-routed to Hurriyat leaders and Kashmiri militants. The NIA also gave detailed account of how bank channels were used for over-invoicing and under-invoicing and went on unchecked for nearly eight years.

It said that terror funding by LeT, JeM and other outfits and the alleged transfer of cross-LoC trade proceeds are "interlinked". It gave clinching evidence to the MHA how large amount exchanged through import and export of goods has been ultimately used to foment "civil unrest" in Kashmir. The NIA suspects that some traders even provide trucks to hide arms and ammunition smuggled from Pakistan.

It is learnt that Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh who undertook 4-day visit to J & K discussed this issue with the state Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti also as she had urged the Prime Minister that Barter-Trade agreement should not be scrapped.

Ends 

Dineshwar Sharma to to be New Assam Interlocutor

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Dineshwar Sharma to to be New Assam Interlocutor

No extension to P C Haldar

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, April 30, 2017

Former Director of Intelligence Bureau Dineshwar Sharma may be the new Interlocutor for Assam.

Sharma who is considered close to the Modi dispensation as he served IB Chief for two years, is being appointed as Assam’s new interlocutor. Sharma will replace P C Haldar who was also a former IB Director under the UPA government of Manmohan Singh.

The Modi government has decided not to grant further extension to P C Haldar for peace talks in Assam. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) wanted to hold further peace talks with ULFA and other factions on its own. Haldar, a 1970-batch IPS officer who was IB director between 2007 and 2009, was appointed as Assam interlocutor in 2009 and remains in the post for more than seven years. His term ended on December 31, 2016.

MHA officials said that orders were issued early this month informing Haldar that the “competent authority has decided not to extend the term of the interlocutor”. He was directed by the MHA to submit the representations received from various factions till December 30, 2016, the officials said.

Sources said that though the BJP government has come to power in Assam, the Centre plans to continue the dialogue process with the fringe groups. There were also demands from some factions of National Democratic Front of Bodoland (P) to remove Haldar.

Earlier, the Narendra Modi government got top ULFA leader Anup Chetia extradited from Bangladesh who was released on bail ahead of Assembly polls in Assam. According to the MHA, Haldar held consultations with Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel), United People’s Democratic Solidarity (UPDS) and the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), and in 2011 was key to the tripartite Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) signed between the central government, government of Assam and UPDS that aimed to provide enhanced autonomy for Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council in Assam and a special package for speedier socio-economic and educational development of the area for which the council was set up.

Talks between the Centre and ULFA were on hold for a while in 2016 due to the impending Supreme Court judgment on petitions seeking 1951 as the cut-off year for citizenship of people residing in Assam instead of 1971 as per the Assam Accord. The case is currently being monitored by the Supreme Court.

PM cracks whip, clips home ministry's wings

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

PM cracks whip, clips home ministry's wings

New body to oversee security clearances 

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, April 8

Prime Minister Narendra Modi cracked his whip and the powers of Union Home Ministry have been clipped if not taken away all together. The whip came when the Cabinet Secretariat set up an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) over-see orders of the Union Home Ministry relating to security clearances. This IMC will over-see all cases of security clearances relating to “ease of doing business” as part of Modi’s vision of fast-tracking investment, jobs and opportunities in India.

All companies/individuals desirous of setting up industries, companies, businesses are given security clearances by the MHA. This clearance is also required in cases of expanding existing business venture.

The MHA undertakes a thorough screening of companies, their ownership, route of investments and origin of such investments and antecedents of the directors & owners. The MHA vets these cases with the help of intelligence agencies and other such mechanism to which no other ministry has access. But often MHA and other Ministries are engaged in a bitter tussle over years for security clearances. The worst happened when proposal to grant security clearance to Sun TV, when its owners Maran brothers were chargesheeted by the CBI and Enforcement Directorate for bribing and corruption in Aircel-Maxis scam and for setting up illegal telephone exchange. Finally, Home ministry toned down its objections and home secretary was sacked.  But there were many such cases including foreign direct investment in the Telecom, power & port sectors.

After discussions at the highest level in the PMO it was decided that let the Home Ministry continue with its mandate of security clearances exercise. But all its negative recommendations will go to the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) comprising of officials of Finance, Corporate, Commerce Ministries and Niti Ayog. The IMC will have powers to veto the recommendation and opinions of the Home Ministry and even send back it for further examination in a time bound manner.

The Cabinet secretariat has also directed the MHA that it must complete scrutiny of all cases of security clearances within a stipulated period of 45 -60 days rather than taking its own sweet time. In several cases, the MHA sat over the clearances for several years on one ground or the other.

The creation of IMC will help the concerned ministries, departments and even state governments who are normally scared to question the wisdom of the MHA. One of the reasons cited by the PMO was that though many of the issues highlighted by the MHA/security agencies may be important. But they may not be so vital as to necessitate stoppage of the said investment or project. However, the Ministry/Department/State Government concerned is not able to or willing to take full responsibility in this regard. And the project get stalled or delayed or canceled causing huge loss of investments. This also clearly goes against the spirit of the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ on which Government has been working seriously for the last two years,” said the two-page order.

Therefore, it is necessary that there is a “mechanism to take a holistic view of the observations made by security agencies on economic, corporate of criminal proceedings involving the proponent company or its directors,” the Cabinet Secretariat said.

  

The creation of IMC will also help the officers concverned not to be too much scared of the Prevention of Corruption Act while over-ruling the MHA.

The order further said,“Once this committee has seen the observations made by the MHA or the security agencies indicating that the investment/projects, its activities and/or directors are not a threat to national security, it will proceed to look into other observations.

“If other remarks or observations of the MHA or security agencies have been found to be inconsequential or irrelevant with regard to any other national or public interest, then the committee would record the same and recommend the investment/project,” said the Order.