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25 promotee IAS from Karnataka skip Induction Training Programme at LBSNAA, Mussoorie

By
LO Bureau
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In an intriguing development, 25 promotee IAS officers from Karnataka skip the Induction Training Programme (ITP) at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) at Mussoorie. These officers are from the State Civil Service (Karnataka Administrative Service and others) grade who were promoted to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS).

This is the 128th ITP being organized at LBSNAA from February 2, to March 13, 2026. It is a six-week training programme comprising four weeks of in-house training and two weeks of study tour.

A total of 26 promotee IAS officers from the State had been nominated for the programme, but only one officer attended it, while the remaining 25 did not even submit a request to the government for permission to go.

According to Jagadeesha K.G., Secretary of the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR), all the officers on the list sent by LBSNAA were asked to participate in the ITP. However, only one officer took permission to go there.

Among 26 such officers, seven officers were promoted in 2016, two in 2018, four in 2019, eight in 2020 batch, three in 2021, and two in 2022.

It is important to mention here that the induction programme is mandatory training for promotee officers (SCS and Non-SCS Officers) to be confirmed into IAS as per IAS (Probation) Rules, 1954. Besides, as the LBSNAA letter says, this is a one-time opportunity for these officers who have been inducted into IAS to undergo this training.

As mentioned in the LBSNAA letter, it is compulsory for officers of the SCS promoted to the IAS cadre to undergo ITP, as its aim is to equip the officers with an all-India perspective of governance issues and to develop certain core skills and attitudes required for administrators in the current context of public management.

Organized by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), a total of 547 officers from across the country, including direct recruits as well as the promotees, were nominated to participate in it this year. Around 150 officers from different states are expected to participate in this training programme on a first-come-first-served basis.

Promotee IAS officers have often been found reluctant to attend ITP due to an intriguing reason. A top-level IAS officer tries to reason it out by attributing reluctance to go to ITP to paranoia that they will lose their posts, as after being promoted to IAS, many officers get good posts. Most officers do not go for ITP, as they are worried that the government may transfer someone else to that post, as ITP lasts for about one and a half months.

The result of this collective paranoia is that many promoted IAS officers in the state retire without attending ITP, which is mandatory for confirmation into the IAS cadre. As a result, many of the promoted IAS officers really end up not being IAS officers at all.

UP’s Chitrakoot DM leads by example; enrolls 3-yr-old daughter in Anganwadi Centre

By
LO Bureau
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Chitrakoot DM Pulkit Garg

Symbolism plays a significant role in public life. Perhaps keeping it in mind, and with an aim to boost public confidence in the government-run education system, the District Magistrate of historic Chitrakoot in Uttar Pradesh, Pulkit Garg (IAS:2016:UP), got his three-year-old daughter, Siya, enrolled in a government Anganwadi Centre instead of any top private school.

Garg admitted his daughter to the playgroup at the anganwadi attached to a government composite school in Karvi’s Naya Bazaar area of Chitrakoot.

He made the occasion special by personally visiting the school and completing the admission process like an ordinary parent around four days ago. Officials believe the move reflects the administration’s efforts to encourage enrollment in government-run institutions.

Since joining the anganwadi, Siya has been seen happily participating in classroom activities. Her videos, now circulating on social media, show her playing with toys, engaging in educational activities, and dancing with other children to poems, drawing widespread attention online.

This move is being widely viewed as a noble act by the DM. Incidentally, Chitrakoot is Pulkit Garg’s first posting as district magistrate, where he has completed only four months. During this short time, he has earned recognition for notable work in the field of water conservation. The young IAS officer wants the public perception about the government-run institutions to change, saying the situation is changing now as the quality of education has improved continuously in government institutions. “If an IAS officer can educate his child in a government institution, ordinary parents should not hesitate,” he averred.

Garg pointed out that perceptions around government schools and anganwadi centres have changed significantly in recent years.

He stressed that nutrition, health, values, and a safe environment are the most important needs in a child’s early years, and anganwadi centres are effectively fulfilling this responsibility.

The Chitrakoot DM exhorted parents, villagers, and officials to move beyond social perceptions and place trust in government schools and anganwadi centres. He opined that children at govt centres receive education along with values, safety, and care, and the public education system will become stronger only when people show faith in it.

SC reprimands RBI Governor, IT Dept. for ‘systematically harassing’ IRS officer, imposes 5 lakh fine

By
LO Bureau
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SC to have more judges

The RBI Governor and the Income Tax Department were severely reprimanded by the Supreme Court for ‘systemically harassing’ an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, Pramod Bajaj. Bajaj is an ex-serviceman who was commissioned as an army officer in 1980 but was retired as a captain due to injuries sustained during an operation. He later cleared the civil services examination and was appointed to the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) in 1990.

The Supreme Court, while hearing a case on January 30 against the then Revenue Secretary for allegedly harassing an officer of his department, made significant comments regarding the ‘systematic harassment’ Bajaj was subjected to for over a decade.  The apex court reprimanded the Income Tax Department and the former Revenue Secretary and now RBI Governor, in this case and imposed a fine of ₹5 lakh on the officials.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta noted that despite his promotion to the position of Income Tax Commissioner and the possibility of further promotion, he was issued a fabricated memorandum. This memorandum was eventually rescinded. However, using this pretext, the petitioner was forcibly retired. The court ultimately set aside the forced retirement order in the previous round of litigation in its March 3, 2023, judgment, which strongly criticized the department’s arbitrary and improper actions.

The Supreme Court did not name the former Revenue Secretary, who is now the RBI Governor, but said that the ‘officer’ now holding a sensitive position played a crucial role in the entire incident that led to the litigation. The bench imposed a fine of ₹5 lakh on the officials in the case and directed the selection of new members of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT), including Bajaj.

Bajaj’s troubles began in 2014 when he applied for appointment to the position of Member (Accountant) of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal. A search-cum-selection committee headed by a sitting Supreme Court judge ranked him at All India Rank 1. However, the department did not appoint him to the position, citing the flimsy reason of an ongoing legal battle with his estranged wife.

On the CAT’s instructions, the department’s objections were presented to the Search-cum-Selection Committee, which rejected them and upheld his All India Rank 1. Appeals against the CAT order were dismissed by the Allahabad High Court and then the Supreme Court, but it failed to deter the department from initiating a vigilance investigation against Bajaj and listing him as an officer of doubtful integrity. Bajaj was finally forcibly retired months before his superannuation in 2019 even though the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) had empanelled him for the post of Joint Secretary.

In a landmark judgment on March 3, 2023, the Supreme Court quashed the proceedings against Bajaj and also set aside the forced retirement order.

Pramod Bajaj filed a contempt petition against the Revenue Secretary in 2024, and the court summoned him for willful disobedience of Supreme Court orders, following which the Revenue Secretary tendered an unconditional apology on August 4, 2024. The court also ordered the release of all resulting benefits to Pramod Bajaj.

The Bureaucrats Who Crafted Union Budget 2026 Behind the Scenes

By
LO Bureau
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While Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2026 in Parliament, the document marked the culmination of months of intensive work by a core group of senior bureaucrats in the Ministry of Finance and allied departments, who quietly shaped India’s fiscal roadmap for the year ahead.

At the centre of the Budget-making exercise was Anuradha Thakur (IAS:1994:HP), Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), who led the overall coordination and drafting of the Budget. The DEA, through its Budget Division, finalised the macroeconomic framework, fiscal deficit targets and expenditure ceilings after extensive consultations with line ministries.

The tax architecture unveiled in Budget 2026 was largely shaped by Arvind Shrivastava (IAS:1994:KN), Secretary, Department of Revenue. His department worked on revenue projections, rationalisation of direct and indirect taxes, and duty restructuring, which together formed the backbone of the taxation proposals announced in Parliament.

Expenditure priorities were scrutinised by Vumlunmang Vualnam (IAS:1992:MN), Secretary, Department of Expenditure, whose team vetted demands for grants from various ministries. The department played a decisive role in finalising allocations for flagship schemes, capital expenditure and subsidy management while ensuring fiscal discipline.

The financial sector components of Budget 2026 were shaped by M Nagaraju (IAS:1993:TR), Secretary, Department of Financial Services. His inputs covered public sector banking reforms, credit flow, financial inclusion initiatives and regulatory measures, many of which were reflected in the Budget’s focus on strengthening the banking system and supporting economic growth.

Disinvestment and asset monetisation proposals announced in the Budget were prepared under the supervision of Arunish Chawla (IAS:1992:BH), Secretary, Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM). The department worked on identifying strategic opportunities for value realisation from government assets, aligning disinvestment targets with market conditions and broader fiscal objectives outlined in the Budget.

Public sector enterprise reforms featured in Budget 2026 were supported by inputs from K Moses Chalai (IAS:1990:MN), Secretary, Department of Public Enterprises. His department contributed to policy planning on PSU performance, governance reforms and efficiency measures, which fed into the government’s broader approach to strengthening state-owned enterprises.

Providing the analytical foundation for the Budget was V Anantha Nageswaran, Chief Economic Adviser (CEA). His office prepared the Economic Survey and advised the government on growth projections, inflation trends and global economic risks, shaping several macro-level policy choices reflected in the final Budget document.

By the time Union Budget 2026 was tabled in Parliament, it represented the final outcome of this coordinated bureaucratic effort—refined through inter-ministerial negotiations, political vetting and fiscal scrutiny. While the Finance Minister remains the public face of the Budget, its substance carries the clear imprint of the senior civil servants who crafted it behind closed doors.

K Murugesan appointed PCCF and Head of Forest Force of Odisha

By
LO Bureau
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K Murugesan IFoS

The Odisha government on Saturday (January 31, 2026) appointed senior Indian Forest Service (IFoS) officer K Murugesan (IFoS:1994:OR) as the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) and Head of Forest Force (HoFF) of the state.

According to a notification issued by the General Administration and Public Grievances Department, Murugesan assumed charge following the retirement of incumbent PCCF and HoFF Suresh Pant (IFoS:1990:OR). Prior to his elevation, Murugesan was serving as PCCF (Nodal).

The 1994-batch officer has held several key positions in Odisha’s forest and environmental administration. He has served as Director, Environment, and Member Secretary of the Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB). He was also the Chief Executive of the Regional Plant Resource Centre (RPRC), Bhubaneswar.

Odisha govt promotes three IAS officers to Apex Grade, one gets proforma elevation

By
LO Bureau
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The Odisha government on Saturday (January 31, 2026) promoted three IAS officers to the Apex Grade (Level-17 of the Pay Matrix) with effect from February 1, 2026.

Saswata Mishra, Vishal Kumar Dev, and Usha Padhee, all from the 1996 batch, have been promoted and appointed as Additional Chief Secretaries, continuing in their current positions.

Additionally, Vir Vikram Yadav, also from the 1996 batch and currently on central deputation, has been granted proforma promotion to the Apex Grade (Level-17 of the Pay Matrix).

UP govt transfers five IAS officers, Nagendra Pratap is new Divisional Commissioner, Agra

By
LO Bureau
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UP PCS officers' promotion to IAS

The Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday (January 31, 2026) issued transfer and posting orders involving five IAS officers across the state.

Nagendra Pratap (IAS-SCS:2010:UP), who was serving as Additional Chief Executive Officer of the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA), has been transferred and posted as Divisional Commissioner, Agra.

Prashant Nagar (IAS:2019:UP), Chief Development Officer, Mau, has been shifted and appointed as Municipal Commissioner, Firozabad. He has also been given the additional responsibility of Vice Chairman, Firozabad–Shikohabad Development Authority.

Manish Meena (IAS:2019:UP), Chief Development Officer, Mathura, has been transferred and posted as Additional Chief Executive Officer, Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA).

Dr Puja Gupta (IAS:2019:UP), presently serving as Joint Magistrate, Ghaziabad, has been posted as Chief Development Officer, Mathura.

Meanwhile, Ranvir Prasad (IAS:2000:UP), Principal Secretary, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department, has been entrusted with the additional charge of Commissioner, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department.

Two IFoS officers empanelled for Joint Secretary-level posts at Centre

By
LO Bureau
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Indian Forest Service

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) cleared empanelled two officers of the 2005 batch of the Indian Forest Service (IFoS) for holding the posts of Joint Secretary or equivalent at the Centre, at the initial level.

According to an Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Friday (January 30, 2026), Suvasish Das (IFoS:2005:AM) and V S Senthil Kumar (IFoS:2005:AGMUT) have been empanelled for Central postings at the Joint Secretary level or equivalent.

Noorin Bux gets two-year extension as Director in Health Ministry

By
LO Bureau
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The central deputation tenure of Noorin Bux (IOFS:2010), serving as Director in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, has been extended by two years.

According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Friday (January 30, 2026), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the proposal to extend her deputation under the Central Staffing Scheme for a period of two years beyond April 22, 2026, that is, up to April 22, 2028, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.

Bux has been serving in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare since April 2021, when she was appointed as Deputy Secretary for a four-year tenure. She was subsequently re-designated as Director during her tenure.

Before the completion of her initial term in April 2025, she was granted a one-year extension, extending her deputation up to April 22, 2026. With the latest approval, her tenure in the Ministry will now continue till April 22, 2028.

Prabhat Kumar gets six-month extension as CEO, Coconut Development Board

By
LO Bureau
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Coconut Development Board

Prabhat Kumar, Horticulture Commissioner, will continue to hold the additional charge of Chief Executive Officer (Joint Secretary level) of the Coconut Development Board (CBD) for a further period of six months.

According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Friday, January 30, 2026, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the proposal of the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare for extension of the additional charge entrusted to Prabhat Kumar.

The extension will be effective from October 6, 2025, and will remain valid for six months, or until a regular incumbent is appointed, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.

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