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.

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Malik to Continue as J&K LG

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

special report

Malik to Continue as J&K LG

Prakash Mishra may be new LG of Ladakh

State to be Bifurcated on October 31 as UTs 

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, Oct 11

The Modi government has set the ball rolling for the appointment of new Lieutenant Governor of the newly carved out Union Territory of Ladakh. While it has been decided that Jammu & Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik will continue to hold the fort in Srinagar after October 31, there will be a new LG for Ladakh. It is learnt that Satya Pal Malik will be re-designated as Lieutenant Governor of Union Territory of J&K as per the J&K Reorganisation Act and he has no hesitation is continuing there. But Ladakh UT will have new LG soon.

If reports are to be believed, former CRPF Director General Prakash Mishra is the front runner for the Ladakh UT. He belongs to the Odisha cadre of the IPS and had a running battle with the Naveen Patnaik government. He was removed as DGP following which he was inducted as special secretary (Internal Security) in the Union Home Ministry by the Modi government. Later, he was posted as DG, CRPF. The 1977 cadre IPS officer later joined the BJP after retirement.

It is learnt that Prime Minister Modi is keen to induct only bureaucrats and top police officers in Union Territories. There are five union Territorires and all of them have retired IAS or IPS officers barring Dadra, Nagar & Haveli where Praful Khoda Patel was appointed. He was Minister of State for Home Affairs in Gujrat. Otherwise, Kiran Bedi (Pudduchery), D K Joshi (A&N), Farooq Khan (Lakshadweep) and Anil Baijal (Delhi) belong to regular services. IN chandigarh, V P Singh Badnore is the Administrator by virtue of his being the Governor of Punjab.

Sources say, that Prakash Mishra fits into the government's scheme as he was an outstanding officer and Ladakh needs an experienced hand.

However, a final decision will be taken within the next two weeks. Currently, the Union Home Ministry is busy bifurcating the IAS, IPS cadres between the UTs of J&K and Ladakh and work is going on at a faster pace in North Block.

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Satya Pal Malik May continue as LG in J&K ?

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Exclusive story

Satya Pal Malik May continue as LG in J&K ?

Home Ministry in a Fix

Harish Gupta 

New Delhi, Aug 7

With the President signing the bill bifurcating the State of Jammu & Kashmir and converting it into a Union Territory, the position of Governor Satya Pal Malik has become somewhat owkward. Under the new dispensation, the post of the Governor has been down-graded to that of the Lieutenant Governor as J&K has become a Union Territory and Ladakh has been made a completely new UT. Now Satya Pal Malik was appointed as Governor of the joint state of J&K  including Ladakh. 

The question bothering the legal luminaries is; can a Governor be down-graded as LG without his express consent. The President, Ram Nath Kovind has already signed the proclamation after the Parliament's both houses passed four bills dealing with J&K. But a fresh notification appointing new Lieutenant Governors for the Uts of J&K and Ladakh are yet to be issued. These appointments have not been notified so far as the Union Home Minister Amit Shah is still awaiting Satya Pal Malik's consent to continue as LG instead of as Governor. Secondly, the government wants a separate LG for Ladakh region to give the feeling of the people of Ladakh that its a separate state now. It doesn't want to continue Satya Pal Malik as LG of both the states. While the present arrangement can continue for sometime but the government is keen to appoint two separate LG s. 

Secondly, once the state of J&K converted into two UT s, rules of services and a lot of paper work need to be completed in accordance with law passed by Parliament. There are five Union Territories in the country as on date and with the creation of two more UT s, the number has shot up to seven. Now the state officers cadre of the J&K has to be merged with the UT cadre officers which is a cumbersome task. This is a unique situation where a full state has been bifurcated and converted into two Union Territories never witnessed in 70 years. Secondly, LG s have been promoted as Governors. But never a Governor will be demoted as LG. Therefore, it is yet to be seen whether Malik will agree to continue as LG. There is also a proposal that Malik may keep the designation of Governor “until further orders pending the framing of rules by the Union Home Ministry.” 

But certainly the creation of two new Union Territories has created some serious administrative complications. 

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Govt buckles under Pressure

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Govt buckles under Pressure

It will be Interim Budget now on February 1 

No tinkering with Income-tax code 

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, Jan 30 

Stung by wide-spread criticism of government's intentions to present a full budget on February 1, the Union Finance ministry today clarified that it will present an “interim budget” . 

Finance ministry officials denied reports in the media that it will be a full budget for the year 2019-20 by Union Finance Minister Piyush Goyal.  

The Ministry official asserted that it will be a vote-on-account, as the Lok Sabha elections are likely to be held in April and May. “The Budget will be called Interim Budget 2019-’20,” Ministry of Finance Official Spokesperson DK Joshi said today. 

The official asserted that there was no confusion in the ministry. However, if there is any policy announcement, it is not a budgetary exercise.

Obviously, the government wants to douse the fire on the issue after shouting from the roof-tops that it had every right to take into account the needs of the people and incorporate the same in the proposed Budget. In fact, Arun Jaitley asserted this in a statement before leaving for the USA for treatment. Some of the Cabinet Ministers of the Modi government have also been saying that several new schemes are at works. 

These assertions sparked condemnation by the Opposition and the Congress even threatened to stage protests if the government presents a full budget instead of a vote-on-account, which is a convention followed by outgoing administrations for decades. Congress leader in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma had said that such a step would be a “blatant violation of Constitutional propriety”.

Insiders in North Block, however, say that the Interim Budget may not propose any Income-tax related slab changes. But offering relief to targeted section will not fall in the full budget category. 

While several governments have tinkered with indirect taxes, most finance ministers have kept income tax rates unchanged in the interim budget.

In 1977-78, the then finance minister H M Patel  proposed to enable companies to make deposits with the industrial development bank  of india in lieu of payment of surcharge of income tax. The bill proposed the discontinuance of the duty on salt for the year.

In 1980-81, Finance Minister R Venkataram proposed income tax exemption for residents of Ladakh those assesses engaged in poverty alleviation, corporations or other bodies promoting the interests of the Scs/STs.  The Bills proposed to levy auxiliary duties of customs on all imported goods.

In 2004-05, Finance Minister Jaswant Singh proposed levy of national calamity contingent duty on certain items. Amendments  were proposed in baggage rules also. In 2014-15, even Finance Minister P Chidambaram proposed changes in customs duty structure on non-edible grade industrial oils, fatty acids and fatty alcohols, Exemption from countervailing duty on specified imported road  construction machinery withdrawn and Concessional customs duty on imported capital goods to encourage domestic production of security paper for printing currency notes