Andhra IPS officer PV Sunil Kumar (IPS:1993:AP) seems to be heading for more trouble as the state government has appointed Special Chief Secretary(Revenue) RP Sisodia (IAS:1991:AP) as the Inquiring Authority to investigate the charges against him. Director General of Vigilance and Enforcement Harish Kumar Gupta (IPS:1992:AP) has been named as the Presiding Officer.
It was made public through a Government Order, issued by Chief Secretary K Vijayanand (IAS:1992:AP), on Friday.
Sunil Kumar is facing charges of misconduct when he was Additional Director General of Police (CID). He is alleged to be responsible for the custodial torture of then Member of Parliament and present Deputy Assembly Speaker, K Raghu Ramakrishna Raju.
As Sunil Kumar had denied the charges, the government decided to conduct a regular inquiry under Rule 8(2) of the All India Services (Discipline & Appeal) Rules, 1969. Accordingly, Sisodia was appointed as the Inquiring Authority and Gupta as the Presiding Officer.
Union Steel Minister HD Kumaraswamy has said that the government is considering merging pellet maker KIOCL with iron ore major NMDC. The minister said that as KIOCL is in critical condition and has also reported losses, the government is considering merging it with NMDC.
He said it on the sidelines of a press meet called to announce a revival package of Rs 11,440 crore for Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL).
NMDC, an entity under the Steel Ministry, caters to India’s 20 per cent of iron ore demand.
On the other hand, KIOCL Ltd, under the Ministry of Steel, operates a 3.5 million tonne per annum (MTPA) iron-oxide pellet plant and a blast furnace unit to manufacture 2.16 lakh tonne per annum pig iron at Mangaluru, Karnataka.
It is worth noting that speculation about a potential merger has been circulating since last year. In October 2024, NMDC had denied such reports, clarifying that no official discussions or formal communication regarding the merger had taken place at that time.
The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) overruled the order of the Kerala government to appoint senior IAS officer B Ashok (IAS:1998:KL) as the head of the newly constituted Local Self Government Reforms Commission. The CAT ordered B Ashok IAS to continue as principal secretary to the Government (Agriculture) and as Agricultural Production Commissioner.
The Bench, comprising Justice K Haripal and Member V Rama Mathew, issued the order on Friday.
Ashok has been serving as principal secretary to the Government (Agriculture) and Agricultural Production Commissioner. But he was recently transferred from Agriculture department to the LSG Reforms Commission. He has been protesting against it.
After lodging his complaint with the Chief Secretary, Ashok moved a petition with the CAT challenging the government order appointing him as the head of the newly constituted Local Self Government Reforms Commission.
Ashok’s counsel, Girija K Gopal, argued that the post of Local Self Government Reforms Commission is not equivalent to the position of Principal Secretary. It was pleaded on Ashok’s behalf that the appointment order was issued as a forced or mandatory deputation, compelling the applicant to leave his cadre post without obtaining his consent.
Furthermore, the decision was made without formally constituting the Commission or determining its staff structure, including the fact that it should be led by an officer of Principal Secretary rank.
It was also submitted that the order also violated the mandatory requirements of the All India Services (Cadre) Rules, 1954, the Consolidated Deputation Guidelines for All India Services, and the Indian Administrative Services (Pay) Rules, 2016, as well as binding judicial precedents.
Therefore, the Tribunal found the order liable to be set aside.
If you are steeped in suffering, you find a savior too. The hapless people of Parvathipuram-Manyam district of Andhra Pradesh have come to realize this. Known for low literacy and high mortality rates, people of this region have long endured inhospitable terrain, wildlife conflicts, and a lack of access to good healthcare and infrastructure, leaving the entire district getting stuck in abject backwardness.
But one man, an IAS officer of 2014 batch, Nishant Kumar, emerged as a suffering- saviour. He reversed the trend of high mortality rates, a curse of this region, through his visionary programme. During his tenure as a district collector, between 2021 and 2024, he launched a programme called ‘Prism 10’ aimed at tackling maternal and child health issues. The programme brought impressive results, on the basis of which Nishant Kumar has been selected for the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration in the category of ‘Innovation-District’ for the year 2023.
Before the ‘Prism 10’ programme was launched in 2022, the Infant Mortality Rate (IFR) stood at an alarming 24 (per 1,000 live births) and Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) at 129 (per 1 lakh live births). The immunisation cover was only 48 percent in the district.
‘Prism 10’ was designed to have a targeted approach. The first step was to rope in adoption officers, who were drawn from the village and ward secretariat system, self-help groups, anganwadi workers, and health department staff. They were instructed to specifically work for high-risk pregnant women and infants.
The next step was to use technology to achieve goals. Modern analytics was used to identify medical gaps and provide immediate services. Digital health platforms were pressed into action.
The expansion of medical services was another critical component of ‘ Prism 10’ project, for which twenty-nine mobile health clinics were pressed into service to provide health in remote areas. Through the “family doctor” programme, 282 community health offices strengthened the medical facilities in the tribal and interior areas. Anaemia action groups were tasked with reducing maternal and child anaemia. Secretariats were ordered to monitor the monthly progress of the project. In the next two years, results were visible everywhere.
The result: by 2024, the IMR had fallen from 24 to 8 and MMR from 129 to 67. The immunisation went up drastically from 48 percent to 97 percent.
Punya Salila Srivastava (IAS:1993:AGMUT), Secretary in the Department of Health & Family Welfare, has been given additional charge of Secretary, Ministry of Ayush. According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Friday (17.01.2025), the competent authority has approved assignment of additional charge of the post to Ms Srivastava from 18.01.2025 to 25.01.25 during the period of absence on leave of Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha.
Pankaj Agrawal (IAS:1992:MP), Secretary in the Ministry of Power, has been given additional charge of Secretary, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs. According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Friday (17.01.2025), the competent authority has approved assignment of additional charge of the post to Mr Agrawal from 18.01.2025 to 25.01.25 during the period of absence on leave of Katikithala Srinivas (IAS:1989:GJ).
Abhishek Ranjan (IOFS:2008), Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO), Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited (GRSE), Kolkata, will continue to hold the additional charge of CVO, Bharat Dynamics Ltd. (BDL), Hyderabad, for six more months. According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), the competent authority has approved the proposal for entrustment of additional charge of the post to Mr Ranjan for a period of six months from December 1, 2024 i.e. upto May 31, 2025 or till appointment of a regular CVO or until further orders, whichever is earliest.
Mr. Ranjan had earlier been assigned this charge on October 17, 2024, which was initially valid until November 30, 2024. With this extension, his tenure now continues until May 31, 2025, or until further orders.
The Union Cabinet gave its stamp of approval on Thursday for setting up 8th Pay Commission to revise salaries of central government employees and allowances of pensioners. The decision was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
While announcing this, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the chairman and two members of the Commission will be appointed soon. According to him, consultations with state governments and other stake holders will also be undertaken.
The news is bound to bring smiles on faces of over 49 lakh central government employees and nearly 65 lakh pensioners as well, as Pay commissions also decide pension payments.
PM Modi shared his happiness on twitter handle X, saying that the government’s decision to constitute the eighth pay commission will boost consumption and improve the quality of life.
The central government constitutes a pay commission once every decade to revise the salary structure of its employees. In addition to revising the salary structure, each pay commission has a term of reference (ToR), which broadly defines its focus.
Those covered under pay commission are central government employees, which means all persons in the civil services of the central government and those who are paid salaries out of the consolidated fund of India, which is the account in which government collects its revenues.
Employees of public sector undertakings (PSU) and autonomous bodies are not covered as PSU employees have separate pay scales depending on the undertaking they work for.
Arunachal Pradesh IAS officer Vishakha Yadav has brought accolades for entire bureaucracy of the state by bagging the esteemed ‘Best Preventive State’ award from the State Election Commission (SEC). This is in recognition of her outstanding contributions in ensuring law and order during the electoral process in the sensitive district, located near the Indo-China border. Vishakha is currently Deputy Commissioner of Kurung Kumey district.
A 2020-batch IAS officer, Vishakha is known for her bold leadership that played a significant role in conducting peaceful and fair elections. But more than this, it was her efforts to prevent electoral malpractices that have earned widespread praise.
Apart from her electoral management, Vishakha’s exceptional leadership came to the fore with the launch of the “Digi Kaksha” project. This initiative introduced smart classrooms in government schools across Kurung Kumey and Tirap districts, significantly improving educational access in remote areas.
An engineering graduate from Delhi Technological University (DTU), she transitioned from being a software developer to pursuing a career in the civil services.
The Ministry of Home Affairs seems to have made up its mind to strictly deal with the issue of rising shortage of IPS officers at various ranks in central agencies and forces. That is why it has admonished all states to make “a conscious attempt” to send names of IPS officers for central deputation.
This is not a new phenomenon. The ministry invites nominations of IPS officers from states for central deputation every year to fill up the vacancies for ranks ranging from Superintendent of Police (SP) to Director General (DG). But, unfortunately, some of the states/cadres do not send sufficient number of names for central deputation.
This issue was highlighted by the ministry in its letter sent to all states recently. It rued that many a time, the state governments send more names of Senior IPS officers, but they do not propose the names for appointment to the posts of SP to IG. That is the reason why it wants a conscious attempt to be made by the state governments to forward the names of officers for deputation in such a manner that officers of different levels/ranks are adequately and proportionately represented as well as every eligible officer gets an opportunity to serve at the Centre.
A similar request was made by the MHA in June last year. But there has been a lukewarm response from the states.
It has resulted in the number of vacancies rising steadily over the years. According to the vacancy statement of MHA as of December 18, 2024, posts of 114 SPs, 77 DIGs, 40 IGs (Inspector Generals), two ADGs (Additional Director General) and one SDG (Special Director General) are lying vacant in various central agencies and forces, including the CBI, CRPF, NIA, ITBP, CISF, BSF, NSG, SSB and others.
Even Union Minister for Personnel Jitendra Singh had informed the Parliament last month that there were 586 posts of IPS vacant as on January 1, 2024. There were 4,469 IPS officers working across the country against their sanctioned strength of 5,055.
According to a highly-placed source, IPS officers at SP and DIG level are particularly not deputed to the Centre because there are vacancies at those ranks in the states’ as well, and then there are retirements and resignations. The issue has become so problematic that the MHA has tried to take strict action against the officers who fail to join even after their names having been cleared for central deputation.
In order to strictly deal with this attitude, the ministry has adopted a policy of debarring officers from central deputation for five years if an officer, on being selected, does not join within one month of issue of his/her appointment order, either on account of personal disinclination or on refusal by concerned state government to relieve the officer.
Under the IPS (cadre) rules, 40% of senior duty posts in each cadre are earmarked as Central Deputation Reserve (CDR).
