Dilli Ka Babu
Ancien regime?
There are rumours that Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav is about to do a major turnaround in his political management. About time, maybe, because in his regime, till now, Uttar Pradesh has seen only a return of corruption and crime. Instead of going after babus facing charges of corruption, Mr Yadav seems to be rewarding them with coveted positions. Senior IAS officer Pradeep Shukla, a prime accused in the National Rural Health Mission scam, was appointed as a member of the Revenue Board while out on bail. He has been suspended now, but only after being forced by the Allahabad high court.
Observers also cite the example of former state Industrial Development Corporation chief engineer A.K. Mishra, whose suspension was recently revoked. Indeed, some such acts have come to the notice of the judiciary which has now asked the government to explain its actions, especially in the case of K. Dhanlakshmi, another accused IAS officer who was named district magistrate of Sultanpur by the Akhilesh Yadav government.
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Ambitious plans
The ministry of external affairs is in an expansionist mode. It is felt that the current strength of 800 Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officers is inadequate to meet India’s growing engagement with the world. The current strength of India’s diplomatic corps is equivalent to that of Singapore. But foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai is reportedly trying to induct more officers — about 500, according to some accounts. While this is nowhere near China, which has over 6,000 diplomats, Mr Mathai is keen to at least get the process going.
According to sources, the government has already sanctioned 500 additional posts. But policy experts say that while this is not enough, a start has been made. Mr Mathai, however, may also have to deal with the IAS lobby, which has never been too pleased to see other civil services grow.
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A long wait
Gujarat’s former director-general of police (DGP) R.B. Sreekumar has been trying to get Narendra Modi’s sarkar to appoint a “full-time” police chief in the state. The current chief is Chittaranjan Singh, an additional DGP, who has been “in-charge DGP” since 2010, after the retirement of S.S. Khandwawala.
With the state government ignoring Mr Sreekumar’s appeals, the former top cop has reportedly now written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh about the issue, mentioning that the post needs to be filled immediately in view of the approaching state Assembly elections. So far, sources say, there has been no response from Dr Singh’s office. But IPS officers in Gujarat are keeping their fingers crossed.
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