UP CM’s role in three Vidhan Sabha elections

Popularity of UP Chief MinisterYogi Aditya Nath is visible in the States. The BJP won elections in three  States  where Yogi Aditya Nath toured extensively. He reportedly addressed about 60 public meetings in the poll bound states where he appealed for the victory of BJP. It shows he is much in demand across the country.

Aman Singh an architect of change in Chhattisgarh Govt?

It may sound strange but it is a fact that Aman Singh played a major role in the change of Bhupesh Baghel led Government in Chhattisgarh. Aman Singh had been touring the State for collecting feedback and supplying to the top BJP leadership for the last one year. His long experience in Chhattisgarh  worked. Any reason for his untiring efforts to topple the Bhupesh Baghel Government?

Name of Anu Garg is doing the rounds for the post of Chief Secretary Odisha after the retirement of P K Jena on December 31. Garg is a 1991 batch IAS officer,

L Khiangte has been appointed as Chief Secretary, Jharkhand. He is a 1988 batch IAS officer of Jharkhand cadre.

Outgoing Chief Secretary, Sukhdev Singh, has been appointed as Director Shri Krishna Institute of Public Administration, Ranchi in Jharkhand. He is a 1987 batch IAS officer of Jharkhand.

A K Sinha appears to be in the race for the post of Member (Infrastructure), Railway Board. He is a 1987 batch IRSE officer.

Randhir Jaiswal is new Spokesman of the Ministry of External Affair. He has succeeded Arindam Bagchi

Subodh Kumar Singh is likely to return to the parent Chhattisgarh cadre from central deputation as Principal Secretary to the new Chief Minister. He is a 1997 batch IAS officer.

Grapevine has it that about four to five IAS officers who are presently on central deputation are likely to return to the parent Chhattisgarh cadre after the formation of BJP Government. The names: Rajat Kumar of 2005 batch; Sonmony Borah of 1999 batch; Amit Agrawal of 1993 batch; Amit Kataria of 2004 batch and Rajat Bansal of 2012 batch are in circulation.

It is said that Prasar Bharti CEO Gaurav Dwivedi is unlikely to return to the parent Chhattisgarh cadre. He is a 1995 batch IAS officer.

The tenure of Deb Kalyan Mohanty as Director (Commercial), Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL), is coming to an end in April 2024. Ghantasala Venkata Nagambica Prasad, GM, RINL, will be succeeding him.

Parveen Kumar, Director, Department of Economic Affairs, has been given premature repatriation to his parent cadre to avail the benefit of promotion. He is a 2004 batch IRS-IT officer.

Sumit Kumar has been appointed as Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Heavy Industries. He is a 2012 batch ISupplyS officer.

Vikram Singh, Director, Ministry of Ayush, has been given premature repatriation to his parent cadre in order to avail the benefit of the promotion. He is a 2001 batch CPES officer.

In an unusual order, the DoT has cancelled the order issued in February, 2022 in respect of the officers-R K Pathak and Ms Sangeeta Chuh of Ex-DGTD for granting NFU in HAG. They were granted NFU after their request. The DoT order dated December 5, 2023 said that in the light of clarification received from DoPT in August 2023. It was observed that the ex-DGTD officers are not part of an Organized Group 'A' Service (OGAS) and hence not eligible for the benefits meant for OGAS. The scheme of NFU came only in 2009. Accordingly, the NFU/NFSG granted to the officers of ex-DGTD is not in accordance with DoPT instructions. Therefore, the earlier order has been cancelled. Now the questions, why were the DoPT instructions not followed earlier?

Ms Seema Arora, Pr. DG, GST, has been given the additional charge of DG, Audit. She is an IRS(C&IT) Officer.

Five IAS officers of 1993 batch belonging to Tamil Nadu cadre have been promoted to Chief Secretary (CS) grade in TN. The officers are: Gagandeep Singh Bedi, Sunil Paliwal, Dheeraj Kumar, S Vijaykumar and Dr K Manivasan.

Surat Singh has been designated as Liaison Officer by the Central Administrative Tribunal, Principal Bench.

The Department of Atomic Energy has advertised for the post of Chairman & Managing Director for Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL). The post will fall vacant on March 1, 2024. The last date to apply for the post is January 22, 2024.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has advertised for the engagement of a retired Under Secretary/ Director/ Deputy Secretary for the post of Consultant to the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety. The last date to apply is December 26, 2023.

Suneesh Buxy will continue to hold the post of Head of Forest Department in Delhi despite the post of PCCF being discontinued. The post of PCCF in Delhi segment had been temporarily added for a period of two years with effect from October 31, 2022 and has been discontinued till the creation of post of PCCF in the segment.

Mrs Sumitra Singh Director Administration Central Bureau of Communication has been nominated as Liaison Officer to look after the matters of reservations and other related issues for the Economically Weaker Section in the CBC.

Sanction is accorded for extension of 3 temporarily added posts of APCCF in the UT of J&K for a period of 2 years up to December 18, 2024 as per the recommendation of the Joint Cadre Authority and with the approval of the Central government.

The post of PCCF in Ladakh segment, which had been temporarily added for a period of two years w e f August 1, 2022, is abolished with immediate effect. Further, post of APCCF in UT of Ladakh is temporarily created, as per recommendation of the Joint Cadre Authority, for a period of 2 years w e f August 24, 2023.

Gaurav Kumar, Director, Mechanical Engineering (P) - 1, Railway Board, has been assigned additional duties of the post of Director, Mechanical Engineering (Freight), Railway Board. He is an Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME) officer. 

Ankit Dugar, Deputy Chief Signal and Telecommunication Engineer (Dy. CSTE), C, North Western Railway (NWR), has been selected for deputation as Director in the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Delhi for a period of five years. He is an Indian Railway Service of Signal Engineers (IRSSE) officer.

Anubhav Chaudhary, who is on deputation to Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) as Chief Manager, has been selected for deputation as Director in National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) in the Ministry of Housing & Uban Affairs for a period of five years. He is an Indian Railway Stores Service (IRSS) officer.

Paul Enoch Edwin has been transferred from Southern Railway (SR) to South Central Railway (SCR) and posted as Additional Divisional Railway Manager (ADRM), Vijayawada. He is an Indian Railway Service of Engineers (IRSE) officer.

R K Vishnoi, Chairman and Managing Director, THDC India Limited informed about the pivotal developments during the Energy Conclave held on 05th December 2023 at Dehradun. Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Pushkar Singh Dhami granted the responsibility for the development and commissioning of five Hydro Electric projects totalling 1719 MW in Uttarakhand to THDCIL-UJVNL Energy Company Limited, a joint venture company between THDC India Limited and UJVNL.  Notable projects include the Mori Hanol Hydro Electric Project (63 MW) in Uttarkashi, Urthing Sobla Hydro Electric Project (280 MW) in Pithoragarh, Bogudiyar Sarkari Bhyol Hydro Electric Project (146 MW) in Pithoragarh, Pungarh-Matiyala Pump Storage Plant (600 MW) in Tehri-Garhwal and Jaspalgarh Pump Storage Plant (630 MW) in Pauri-Garhwal in Uttarakhand.  The allotment letters were formally received by Sh. Bhupender Gupta, Director(Technical), THDC India Limited, from the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Sh. Pushkar Singh Dhami.  Vishnoi further informed that, upon completion, these projects will contribute 1719 MW of clean energy, with a substantial investment of ₹17,000 crores and the creation of approximately 900 employment opportunities. This significant announcement underscores the commitment of THDCIL and UJVNL to fortify the nation’s energy sector. Furthermore, the emphasis on clean energy aligns with the global efforts toward achieving net-zero emission targets, highlighting the pivotal role these projects play in advancing sustainable and environmentally responsible energy solutions.

Six IAS officers have been shifted and given new responsibilities in UP. Accordingly, Vijay Kiran Anand has been made the Mela Officer, Kumbh Mela Prayagraj, while Kanchan Verma has been made the Director General, School Education, and Dr. Rupesh Kumar gets the responsibility of In-charge Inspector General, Registration. Besides, Anil Kumar has been made In-charge Commissioner and Registrar, Cooperative Societies, Sukhlal Bharti was posted Special Secretary, Secondary Education Department and Dr. Vipin Kumar Mishra is shifted as Additional Food Commissioner and Secretary, Vigilance Commission.

Fifteen IPS officers have been reshuffled in UP. K Satyanarayan has been appointed as ADG, CBCID, while Pawan Kumar takes over as Additional Police Commissioner, Police Commissionerate, Prayagraj and Mohammad Nezam Hassan is now Superintendent of Police, Rules and Manual. Similarly, Arvind Mishra is posted as SP, UP Power Corporation, Lucknow; Shailendra Kumar Rai as SP, PTS Meerut; Chandra Prakash Shukla as SP, Regional Intelligence, Azamgarh; Vipin Kumar Mishra as DIG, PAC, Varanasi; Bharti Singh as DIG, PTS, Meerut; Ajay Kumar Singh as DIG, Chitrakoot Dham; Kalpana Saxena as DCP, Police Commissionerate Ghaziabad; Dr Kaustubh as SP, Ambedkar Nagar; Somendra Meena as SP, Maharajganj; Nipun Aggarwal as SP, Hathras; Ajit Sinha as SP, Cyber Crime, Lucknow and Devesh Kumar Pandey has been shifted as Commander, 23^rd Battalion, PAC Moradabad.

Ms Bhawna Gulati has been appointed as Chief Accounts Officer (DS/Director level) in the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, New Delhi. She is an IRS-IT officer.

Mayank Mishra has been relieved to join as Director in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) New Delhi. He is an IRS-IT officer.

As many as 7 IAS officers of 2021 batch in Haryana have been posted as SDO (Civil) of various districts. Lakshit Sareen has been appointed as SDO (Civil), Ambala Cantt and Estate Officer for Management of Govt land in Excised Area, Ambala Cantt, while Narandra Kumar takes over as SDO (Civil), Palwal. Similarly, Nisha was posted as SDO (Civil), Kalka; Sonu Bhatt as SDO (Civil), Narnaund; Vishwajeet Chaudhary as SDO (Civil), Badshahpur; Vivek Arya as SDO (Civil), Rohtak and Yash Jaluka is now SDO (Civil), Jagadhri.

Dr R K Tyagi, former CMD, HAL and Sudhakar Rao former, Chief Secretary , Karnataka have joined  as independent director on the board of GMR Air Cargo and Aerospace Engineering Ltd , Hyderabad

Amit Kumar Srivastava has been appointed as Director on the Board of PNB Gilts Limited.

Ms. Sonal Desai has been re-appointed as Independent Director of Sharda Cropchem Limited.

Mrs. Ganapathi Raju Mani has stepped down from the position of the Independent Director of Blue Cloud Softech Solutions Limited .

Thirupathi Reddy Bheemuni has resigned from the position of Independent Director of Bartronics India Limited.

Madhivanan Balakrishnan has resigned from the position of  Executive Director and Key Managerial Personnel of IDFC FIRST Bank Limited.

Abhinav Anand has resigned from the position of Non-Executive Independent Director of Aryaman Financial Services Limited.

Ms. Harlin Arora has resigned from the position of  Non- Executive & Independent Director of Sri Amarnath Finance Limited.

Why humiliating defeat in recent elections?

Why has the opposition lost massively in the recent elections? The opposition has no vision. All it has done is to try to dent the "sabka saath sabka vishwas sabka prayas" model of the BJP by resorting to divisive tactics of minorityism and rabid casteism. In the new India, these Stone Age issues have no traction with the voters. The opposition is not setting its house in order. The new India does not like the corrupt dynasts period. If the opposition wishes to retain the corrupt dynast model, they have only themselves to blame. The opposition cannot match the strategy, energy and hard work of the well oiled machinery of the BJP. The reason is that the opposition parties do not have any inner party democracy. No one can rise in the rungs of these corrupt dynastic parties on talent, merit, effort. The opposition does not have any ideology except inanely bashing the top leadership of the BJP. So what does the future hold? 400+ in 2024.

Vijay Kumar

Appointment of first woman officer as DG, ICFRE

She is an excellent officer with high values. I wish madam a successful tenure as DG, ICFRE.

Sudhir Kumar

Copy of the nomination form executed by late father

Appellant sought copy of nomination form E2 and F2 allegedly executed by her late father with Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited raising concerns regarding the authenticity of a document, executed by her late father. The said document is crucial for the reconstitution of an LPG distributorship associated with BPCL. The respondent stated that the requested information could not be disclosed under the provisions of Section 8(1)(e) and Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act. The CIC observed that the appellant is the daughter and heir of the late Shri Bharatkumar Mohanlal Suchak and has been unwittingly included in the indemnity clause of Annexure E2, which was supposedly executed by her late father. Holding that this clause effectively makes her a party to the document, the CIC directed that she is not considered as third party, and is entitled to request and receive a copy of the same.

Comments

The RTI Act has often been used by individuals in commercial disputes to obtain certain information to build a case. The applicant has to show either the information is not personal or has to establish that there is larger public interest in disclosure.

Citation: Ms. Sharmila Bharatkumar Suchak v. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, CIC/BPCLD/A/2022/117952 –UM; Date of Decision: 02.11.2023

Dr Anuradha Verma (dranuradhaverma@yahoo.co.in) is a RTI Consultant currently working with IIM Visakhapatnam. She has co-authored the books, RTI Right to Information - Law and Practice and PIO’s Guide to RTI. She offers consultancy on RTI matters and Third party audit. Her other articles can be read at the website of RTI Foundation of India at the link www.rtifoundationofindia.com