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Telangana IPS lobby agog over how UPSC interprets “residual service of six months” rule for DGP panel

By
LO Bureau
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Telangana DGP panel

After the Supreme Court’s four-week deadline given to the Union Public Service Commission to complete its empanelment process for the appointment of a regular DGP for Telangana, IPS officers in the state are agog with excitement as to how the UPSC determines the eligibility of the three top IPS officers for the DGP post.

What has come to create complication in the minds of IPS officers in the state is one key rule: that the officer should have residual service of at least six months from the date of occurrence of vacancy.

Now the problem is Anurag Sharma, who was the last regular DGP appointed through a UPSC panel, retired in November 2017. But the state govt sent a list of IPS officers to the UPSC for empanelment only in April 2025. It resulted in the UPSC returning the list sent in April and doing the same again with the second list sent in December.

Officers in the state are keeping their fingers crossed as to how the UPSC interprets the “residual service of six months” rule.

If the commission counts former in-charge DGP Jitender’s superannuation at the end of September 2025 as the date of vacancy, B Shivadhar Reddy (IPS:1994:TG) would be eligible for empanelment, as he had more than six months of service remaining at that time. If the December list is taken into consideration, Reddy will be out of the list.

The senior-most officer on the list was 1991-batch officer CV Anand, who had two years and four months of service remaining. Second in seniority was 1994-batch officer Vinayak Prabhakar Apte, with three years and eight months of service left, while the third on the list was his batchmate B Shivadhar Reddy, who had only about three months of service remaining until April 2026. Other DGP-rank officers included 1994-batch officers Soumya Mishra and Shikha Goel.

As per the Supreme Court directions in the Prakash Singh case, the new chief of state police will have a minimum of two years’ tenure, irrespective of his or her date of superannuation. In this way, the confusion persists until the UPSC sends its panel.

UPSC’s CSE notification carrying spate of errors invites sarcasm on social media

By
LO Bureau
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Tamil Nadu DGP appointment

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) came out with a notification on Wednesday inviting applications for the Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2026, but it has ended up inviting sarcasm from aspirants instead. The reason: the spate of childish grammatical errors and spelling mistakes that its notification is replete with. There are at least 40 irritatingly glaring mistakes that riddle the entire document that is spread over 160 pages.

These mistakes range from incorrect spellings to flawed sentence construction, and these are to be found across multiple sections of the notification, including eligibility conditions, instructions to candidates, or procedural details.

Even the most basic words the notification is meant for, like “candidates” and “examination,” are not written correctly, and what irritates most is the fact that the same errors are repeated multiple times. ‘Examination’ becomes ‘Examinaiton’ on pages 2, 17, and 156, including the “How to Apply” section, and ‘Candidates’ is spelled ‘Cadidates’ on pages 2, 18, 24, and 156. 

The notification is virtually full of such shocking mistakes and typos. Beyond becomes “Beynd,” Benchmark becomes “Bechmark,” Kolkata is “Kolkatta,” Functional is spelled as “Functinal,” Abbreviations is spelled “Abbriviations,” ” Underkings” is in place of “Undertaking,” “Asssociated” instead of “Associated,” and the list goes on!

The outcome: widespread public outrage, with lakhs of serious civil service aspirants flagging the errors and expressing disappointment and sarcasm over the irony of a recruitment body that demands exceptional clarity and competence while failing to ensure the same in its own communication.

Undoubtedly, typographical errors creeping into large documents are not uncommon; however, the sheer number of mistakes—around 40—suggests a systemic lapse that points to inadequate proofreading and an apparent absence of multi-level review, which should have been done before releasing a public document of national importance.

For an institution that recruits officers for the highest echelons of governance, like IAS, IPS, IFS, and IRS officers, such lapses are not only shocking but also raise serious questions about the Commission’s own internal scrutiny and the quality of its quality control.

Though the UPSC has rectified these mistakes and made corrections in its notification, the episode underscores the need for stricter editorial checks within institutions that set standards for the rest of the country’s administrative machinery.

Being the gateway to India’s civil services, the UPSC must keep in mind that its responsibility is not only to test excellence but also to exemplify it.

Delhi Police reshuffle: Devesh Chandra Srivastava gets DG Prisons charge, Anil Shukla DG Home Guards

By
LO Bureau
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Devesh Chandra Srivastava IPS

In a key development, the Delhi Home Department on Friday (February 6, 2026) assigned additional charge of Director General (Prisons) to IPS officer Devesh Chandra Srivastava and Director General (Home Guards) to IPS officer Anil Shukla. The order takes immediate effect and will remain in force until regular incumbents are appointed to the two posts.

Devesh Chandra Srivastava, a 1995-batch IPS officer, is currently serving as Special Commissioner of Police (Crime), while Anil Shukla, a 1996-batch officer, is posted as Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell).

Ajatshatru Shrivastava appointed consultant, AIGGPA Bhopal

By
LO Bureau
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Ajatshatru Shrivastava

The Madhya Pradesh government appointed retired IAS officer Ajatshatru Shrivastava as consultant at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Good Governance and Policy Analysis (AIGGPA) in Bhopal. Though formally attached to the institute, he is expected to look after the political affairs of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.

Ajatshatru Shrivastava, who retired in 2018, earlier served as Officer on Special Duty to former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and is considered close to the present chief minister as well. As contractual OSD appointments are subject to an upper age limit, the government assigned him the consultant role. A former collector of Ujjain and commissioner of Bhopal, he assumes responsibilities earlier handled by former IAS officer Mahesh Choudhary, now appointed administrative member of the Private Universities Regulatory Commission.

Haryana govt relieves IAS officer Shyamal Misra for central deputation

By
LO Bureau
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Shyamal Misra IAS

The Haryana Government on Friday (February 6, 2026) placed the services of senior IAS officer Shyamal Misra (IAS:1996:HY) at the disposal of the Government of India following his appointment as Administrator (Digital Bharat Nidhi) in the Department of Telecommunications. The order in this regard was issued by Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi.

Prior to this move, Shyamal Misra was serving as Chief Administrator of the Trade Fair Authority of Haryana, New Delhi, along with holding the charge of Additional Chief Secretary, Energy Department. The Government of India had appointed him as Administrator (Digital Bharat Nidhi) on December 30, 2025, in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary.

Rajeev Prakash repatriated to parent cadre from Defence Production Department

By
LO Bureau
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Rajeev Prakash (IP&IT&FS:1995), Joint Secretary in the Department of Defence Production, has been prematurely repatriated to his parent cadre. According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Thursday (February 5, 2026), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved his premature repatriation along with the imposition of an extended cooling-off period.

Odisha transfers 21 IAS officers; Bishnupada Sethi appointed OFDC Chairman

By
LO Bureau
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The Odisha government on Thursday (February 6, 2026) issued transfer and posting orders for 21 IAS officers across the state. Senior IAS officer Bishnupada Sethi has been appointed as Chairman of the Odisha Forest Development Corporation and given additional charge as Chief Administrator of KBK (Kalahandi-Balangir-Koraput). Notably, the posting comes months after he was moved as Officer on Special Duty in the General Administration Department following a CBI summons in a bribery case.

The names of the officers and their postings are as follows;

  1. Deoranjan Kumar Singh (IAS:1993:OR), currently DC-cum-ACS and Secretary, Planning & Convergence Department, will continue in additional charge of Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) to the Steel & Mines Department.
  2. Surendra Kumar (IAS:1993:OR), ACS in Steel & Mines with additional responsibilities in General Administration & Public Grievance (GA&PG) and Parliamentary Affairs, has been appointed as ACS to the GA&PG Department, retaining his Parliamentary Affairs role.
  3. Bishnupada Sethi (IAS:1995:OR), Officer on Special Duty in GA&PG, has been transferred as Chairman of the Odisha Forest Development Corporation, with additional charge as Chief Administrator of KBK.
  4. Chithra Arumugam (IAS:1995:OR), ACS in Labour & ESI with additional Science & Technology duties, has been given additional charge of Director General of Training Coordination at Gopabandhu Academy of Administration, Bhubaneswar.
  5. Dr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee (IAS:1996:OR), ACS, Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment has been transferred as ACS in Revenue & Disaster Management, while keeping his role as Chief Administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration in Puri.
  6. Usha Padhee (IAS:1996:OR), ACS in Housing & Urban Development, is allowed to remain in additional charge of Chairperson of the Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO).
  7. Suresh Kumar Vashishth (IAS:1997:OR), Principal Secretary in Fisheries & Animal Resources Development, has been transferred as Principal Secretary in Social Security & Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities.
  8. Shubha Sarma (IAS:1999:OR), Principal Secretary, Women & Child Development, has been transferred as Principal Secretary, Water Resources Department.
  9. NBS Rajput (IAS:1999:OR), Principal Secretary, Public Enterprises Department with additional charge of CMD, Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC), has been appointed as Principal Secretary in Commerce & Transport Department, with additional charge of Chairman-cum-Managing Director of Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC).
  10. Girish SN (IAS:2002:OR), Commissioner-cum-Secretary in Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water Department, is allowed to remain in additional charge of Chairman of Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC).
  11. Dr. Mrinalini Darswal (IAS:2002:OR), Special Resident Commissioner in New Delhi, has been transferred and posted as Commissioner-cum-Secretary in Women & Child Development.
  12. Rajesh Prabhakar Patil (IAS:2005:OR), Commissioner-cum-Secretary to Co-operative Department, has been given additional charge of Special Secretary, Housing & Urban Development Department. He is allowed to continue in additional charge of the posts of Chairman, Odisha State Housing Corporation (OSWC), Special Relief Commissioner, Odisha, and Managing Director, Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA).
  13. Balwant Singh (IAS:2007:OR), Commissioner-cum-Secretary in Tourism Department, will continue to hold additional charge of Managing Director of Odisha State Highway Authority.
  14. Sachin Ramchandra Jadhav (IAS:2007:OR), Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Sports & Youth Services Department with additional charge of Revenue Divisional Commissioner (Northern Division), Sambhalpur, has been transferred as Commissioner-cum-Secretary in Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment Department.
  15. Sudhansu Mohan Samal (IAS:2010:OR), Managing Director of Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) Limited, has been given additional charge of Revenue Divisional Commissioner (Central Division), Cuttack.
  16. Rashmita Panda (IAS:2010:OR), Director, Employment-cum-CEO, Odisha Skill Development Authority with additional charge of CEO, ORSAC and CEO, Startup Odisha, has been appointed as VC, Bhubaneswar Development Authority, with additional charges as Managing Director of Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited and Special Secretary in Housing & Urban Development.
  17. Md. Sadique Alam (IAS:2010:OR), Director of Fisheries, Odisha, has been appointed as Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Public Eneterprises Department with additional charge of Managing Director of Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT).
  18. Mansi Nimbhal (IAS:2010:OR), Managing Director of Odisha Lift Irrigation Corporation with additional charge of Special Secretary, Water Rerources Department is appointed Commissioner-cum-Secretary in Department of Mission Shakti.
  19. Prem Chandra Chaudhary (IAS:2010:OR), Director of Textiles & Handlooms, Bhubaneswar, has been transferred as Commissioner-cum-Secretary in Fisheries & Animal Resources Development.
  20. Anupam Saha (IAS:2012:OR), Additional Secretary to the Chief Minister, has been given additional charge of Managing Director of Odisha Bridge & Construction Corporation.
  21. Sangram Keshari Mohapatra (IAS-SCS:2012), Revenue Divisional Commissioner (Southern Division), Berhampur, has been given additional charge of Revenue Divisional Commissioner (Northern Division) and Chairman of Western Odisha Development Council (WODC).

India Energy Stack Version 0.3 Strategy & Architecture Documents Released

By
LO Bureau
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The Ministry of Power on Friday (February 6, 2026) released Version 0.3 of the India Energy Stack (IES) Architecture and Strategy documents, taking another step towards building a digital public infrastructure for India’s power sector. The initiative aims to create a unified digital framework that allows utilities, system operators, market players, innovators and consumers to exchange data securely through common standards and protocols, improving coordination and transparency across the energy ecosystem.

The updated documents reflect the government’s ongoing efforts to test and refine the framework through phased consultations, pilot deployments and ecosystem collaboration. Officials said the India Energy Stack is designed to support a more reliable and future-ready power system by enabling interoperable digital services and seamless interaction among stakeholders.

A major focus of the initiative is empowering consumers and prosumers — those who both generate and use electricity. Through consent-based data sharing, users are expected to gain greater control over energy usage, access improved services, compare options and participate in programmes such as demand response and EV charging. The framework also seeks to enable households, businesses and community groups to monetise surplus power and engage more actively in energy markets through trusted measurement and settlement mechanisms.

The review meeting on Version 0.3 was attended by several senior experts and industry leaders, including Taskforce Chairman Dr. Ram Sewak Sharma, Pradeep Kumar Pujari, Pramod Verma, Abhishek Ranjan, Vikram Gandotra, Vikram Dhaka, Swetha Ravi Kumar, Dr. Rahul Tongia, Reji Pillai and Pranav Tayal, among others. REC Limited is steering the initiative as the nodal agency in coordination with the Ministry of Power, with FSR Global serving as the knowledge partner.

The India Energy Stack project, scheduled for completion by July 2026, is expected to play a key role in modernising India’s power sector and enabling smarter, data-driven energy governance.

Delhi Police books IPS Shankar Choudhary in alleged illegal raid and detention case

By
LO Bureau
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Delhi Police

Senior IPS officer IPS Shankar Choudhary (IPS:2011:AGMUT), currently posted as OSD at Police Headquarters in Mizoram since October 2025 and formerly Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) in Delhi, has been booked by the Delhi Police Vigilance Unit in connection with an alleged illegal inter-state raid and unlawful detention of a Nigerian national in 2023. The FIR follows an inquiry initiated on the directions of the Union Home Ministry and relates to a raid conducted in Delhi’s Dabri area on November 26, 2023, when Choudhary was serving with the Mizoram Police and allegedly operated without informing or coordinating with Delhi Police authorities.

According to the probe findings, the foreign national was taken from his residence and kept at Mizoram House in Delhi from November 26 to November 29 without formal arrest, court production, or documented seizure procedures, while a subsequent PCR call alleged extortion linked to the detention. The vigilance case against IPS Shankar Choudhary has been registered under relevant IPC provisions, and further legal as well as departmental proceedings are expected based on the outcome of the investigation.

UP transfers 5 DIG-rank IPS officers, four get first postings after promotion

By
LO Bureau
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The Uttar Pradesh government on Friday (February 6, 2026) issued transfer and posting orders for five IPS officers of DIG rank in the latest UP IPS reshuffle. Among them, four officers have received their first independent postings as DIG following promotion.

Akhilesh Kumar Chaurasia (IPS:2009:UP), who was serving as DIG, ACB, Lucknow, has been transferred and posted as DIG, Establishment at the DGP Headquarters.

Ghule Sushil Chandrabhan (IPS:2012:UP), DIG/SSP, STF, Lucknow, has been posted as DIG, STF.

Yamuna Prasad (IPS:2012:UP), DIG/DCP, Gautambuddha Nagar, has been posted as DIG, Police Training College (PTC), Moradabad.

Hemraj Meena (IPS:2012:UP), DIG/SP attached to the DGP Headquarters, has been transferred and posted as DIG, UP State Institute of Forensic Sciences (UPSIFS), Lucknow.

Sachindra Patel (IPS:2012:UP), currently serving as DIG/Commandant of the 44th Battalion PAC, Meerut, has also been transferred and posted as DIG, ACB, in the latest UP IPS reshuffle order.

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