Dilli Ka Babu
Kissa kursi ka
This is one appointment that you can expect the government to approach with the greatest caution. The present Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG) Vinod Rai’s term is ending in May and the UPA, for one, may actually be relieved, after all the trouble he has caused for the government! Given the prominence the CAG has acquired in recent times, there are many who will vie to occupy Mr Rai’s kursi.
Apparently, the lobbying has already begun. But the stakes are high for not just the Congress, which would prefer a more trustworthy person, but also the BJP which would not like to compromise unless the chosen person is one the party approves of. For now, those in the know say that the babus in contention are banking secretary D.K. Mittal, former former secretary, department of personnel & training, P.K. Mishra, and former petroleum secretary G.C. Chaturvedi. Incidentally, all belong to the Uttar Pradesh cadre. No doubt, we shall hear about more names in the coming weeks and months.
Punters indicate that Mr Mittal seems to have the edge, having reportedly secured the support of several politicians as well as corporates. But it’s early days yet. Watch this space for updates.
Babus’ crunch
One usually does not associate multi-tasking with our sarkari work culture, but necessity has forced officials in Jharkhand to do just that. The reason is that despite Jharkhand becoming a full-fledged state more than 12 years ago, it faces a severe babu crunch. Consequently, it is not unusual to see senior bureaucrats and police officers handling more than their primary tasks.
According to sources, Jharkhand has a mere 114 IAS officers against the allotted cadre strength of 208. Among these, at least 16 officers are on Central deputation. This results in one babu holding two or sometimes even three portfolios and not doing justice to even one.
But, sources say, few serving babus have dared to complain about the need to strengthen administration. The voices that are being heard belong to babus who have safely retired! Former chief secretary A.K. Singh, for example, blames the carving out of the new state from Bihar in which the state only got one-third of the IAS officers but the number of departments remained the same.
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