Dilli ka babu
Bitter brew
Discontent is brewing among Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers of election-bound Assam who have been denied their rightful opportunity to be considered for appointment as chief of the Tea Board of India. The position is a coveted one and conventionally IAS babus from West Bengal and Assam take turns to head the tea board.
According to sources, the post was lying vacant since October when Basudeb Banerjee, a West Bengal cadre IAS officer, completed his five-year term. It was widely expected that a babu from Assam would replace him. Surprisingly, the government has appointed Dinesh Sharma, an IAS officer from Kerala, as chairman of the tea board on a temporary basis.
Speculation is rife in babu circles as to why the government broke away from the long-standing convention, but it is rumoured that Mr Sharma’s appointment is a bid to buy time until after the crucial Assembly elections due later this year. Some babus in the state indicate that “vested” interests in the Union commerce ministry are not in favour of Assam officials despite the state government having recommended the names of three eligible IAS officials for the coveted post.
According to sources, the current disquiet in the Assam cadre officers is unlikely to cease soon. Watch this space for updates.
***
Language patrol
For a government under siege, poorly drafted Cabinet notes would not be very high on the agenda, but it appears that former academician and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gives it top priority.
The buzz is that Dr Singh is rather unhappy with the quality of policy papers and notes reaching his office from the various ministries, despite reminders. This column had earlier reported that Cabinet Secretary K.M. Chandrasekhar had asked secretaries and senior officials to dot their “i”s and cross their “t”s and urged the importance of sticking to timelines in their correspondence with the Prime Minister. Clearly that missive failed to elicit the desired response.
Once again, sources say, the Prime Minister has instructed Mr Chandrasekhar to pull up babus who have not improved their drafting skills or are otherwise tardy in meeting specified deadlines. Apparently, Mr Chandrasekhar has been instructed not to accept any note if it does not meet the stipulated deadline, other than in exceptional cases.
So, will we see babus burning the midnight oil to complete their tasks and undertake some much-needed quality control? While few believe that we’ll see babus match the high standards achieved during Jawaharlal Nehru’s term, the Prime Minister, they say, is keen to ensure they develop their language skills for effective communication.
Post new comment