Saturday, June 30, 2007

Humility Par Excellence: APJ Abdul Kalam


Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, India’s most loved and respected Presidents in decades on Thursday cleared the list of the lunches and dinners he would be hosting before laying down office. He also signed a letter thanking the Prime Minister and the Union Ministers for the cooperation he had received from them and has invited them over dinner on July 20, a day after the Presidential poll.He has also lined up lunches and dinners from the next week for all those who served him in the Rashtrapati Bhawan--one with the ADCs, another with personal staff and so on. He has not forgotten even the gardeners whom he would be entertaining separately.Dr Kalam would have just 25 suitcases and boxes to transport to Chennai and has no heavy lugguage which would require the Army's 2-tonne trucks which is provided to the departing President as a matter of courtesy. He intends to transport his belongings through train. In the past, departing Presidents had requisitioned five or six military trucks for transporting their belongings, most of them gifts received during their five-year tenure.Dr Kalam does not have much to carry back from the Rashtrapati Bhawan. He is not taking back anything except his personal belongings, mostly books, while all the gifts and souvenirs that he got as President has been deposited by him in the Rashtrapati Bhawan's "Toshakhana" (strong room). His suitcases have been readied for transportation to Chennai where the Director of Studies in the Anna University has vacated his 2-room accommodation for Dr Kalam to move in. The stuff packed in them include old records, personal papers, books and personal belongings, including eight suits and about a dozen 'veshtis' (Tamilian dhotis).As for the government bungalow at 31, Aurangzeb Road in New Delhi that he inspected this Wednesday, Dr Kalam would be moving in with just five suitcases.
He has already identified the items that will go to his Delhi accommodation since the bulk of his stuff is going to Chennai where he will pusue his academic interests in the Anna University.Dr Kalam has also accepted Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's offer to be a visiting Professor of the Nalanda University.

Lady ADCs get ready for Pratibha Patil


The Rashtrapati Bhawan has already started making preparations for the arrival of the new occupant next month. Four lady officers, all single and below 25, belonging to the Armed Forces, have been already identified for appointment as ADCs in the event of Pratibha Patil getting elected. The rule book requires the ADCs to be young and single and are selected from the Indian Army, IndianAir Force and the Indian Navy to serve the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. Anyone getting married is immediately replaced because of this rule.The relatives of Pratibha Patil have already visited the Rashtrapati Bhawan to indicate the immediate changes required to be made before she moves in. The staff was told that she has a knee problem and hence hand-rests have been fitted on the commode to help her get up without difficulty.The relatives have also told the staff that at least eight family members of the would-be President would be staying with her and as such the staff is getting 10 rooms ready for them in the Rashtrapati Bhawan. Past Presidents have required as many as 15 rooms for their family members. Dr Kalam was the only exception to have just three rooms for the family members.

YSR's troubles with Election Commission


We learn that the Election Commission (EC) is set to file a case in the Andhra High Court against Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy (YSR) within the next fortnight for suppression of facts. The case dates back to 2004. Mr.Reddy, we are told, hid the fact that he owns eleven acres of land in his affidavit. YSR has often been in the thick of controversy and is also expected to face a hostile media.
The EC appears to have taken note of a false affidavit filed by YSR before the Returning Officer from Pulivendula Assembly Constituency on March 31, 2004. This follows a complaint against YSR by Nara Chandrababu Naidu, former Chief Minister, dated
December 19, 2006.
This time, YSR will find it difficult time to wriggle out of thiscivil case, as it is liable to six months imprisonment on the charge of concealment of facts.
Moreover, the EC recently directed its Chief Election Officer at Tamil Nadu to file a similar case against former Chief Minister, Jayalalitha, for suppression of facts and a false affidavit under the same section 177 IPC.

Transparency Travails

The Central Vigilance Commissioner has directed that all the tenders as well as advertisements issued by Public Sector Units (PSUs) must be displayed on their websites. This has several PSU executives wondering if the next step would be to put all corporate correspondence on the website as well. Transparency is certainly a good thing but will excessive transparency only help the private sector competitors of these PSU? Or are they protesting too much?

Oriya Ratans

What can you say when Oriya IAS officers become chief secretaries in five states? Y ou can only call them Oriya Ratnas" ! They are: P K Mishra, Chief Secretary , Uttar Pradesh; L K Tripathi, Chief Secretary, Tamil Nadu; ASK Das in Uttaranchal Pradesh, AK Deb in West Bengal and A K Tripathi in Orissa itself.

Blackwell for Amway

Guess what US Senators/Congressmen and Ambassadors do after they quit active service? They join lobbying firms that liaise between the powers-that-be and powerful interests. Robert Blackwell, former US Ambassador to India, now heads the lobbying firm, Barbour Griffith & Rogers. Early this month, the former envoy wrote to Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, requesting him to appoint a high-powered committee to look into the Amway issue. Amway India is a subsidiary of US-based Amway Corporation, the well-known direct selling company. Following a complaint, the State CID had raided the offices of Amway in several cities of AP and seized documents. A case was registered against them for violating the provisions of the Chit Funds and Prize Money Act. Amway contested this in the High Court and the matter is awaiting disposal. Last heard, YSR is still to respond to Blackwell's request.

Does this vasthu work?

There is a story floating around that if you move to the CGO Complex and occupy the chamber of the Secretary, Disinvestment, then you can be certain that luck will take you to the North Block – such is the vasthu of this chamber. This story has won credence because two IAS officers, Sanjiv Mishra from the Rajasthan cadre and P V Bhide from Andhra Pradesh have moved to North Block from CGO complex. Another officer of the 1971 batch from the Karnataka cadre, Renuka Viswanathan, is being appointed as Disinvestment Secretary. Will she also turn lucky and move to North Block? This will be the real test because she has just 13 months to go before she retires!

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Marans continue to face the heat


Marans still fact the heat


Long after the storm has blown over, the Maran brothers continue to be buffeted by the residual waves that swept them out of the corridors of power. The Marans have been forced into a cucoon, unable to get over the trauma of being dethroned by the same grand-uncle who placed them on the it.

Chief Minister Karunanidhi rejected bids by all the so-called friends of Dayanidhi Maran for the development of the Chennai airport. Straws in the wind indicate that Dayanidhi Maran kept the Patriarch in the dark about the negotiations. Karunanidhi is believed to has asked his men in Delhi to ensure that all Dayanidhi's pet projects are shelved.

Also, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, we learn, has been advised to cancel the hanger parking facilities provided to the personal aircraft of Dayanidhi Maran in Chennai Airport.

In a masterstroke, Karunanidhi has taken the entire airport project to the Sriperumbudur side, but wants -- and here lies the rub -- no private sector involvement of the type happening at Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. If both projects are handled by the same agency, the state government has argued, there is no need to close down the existing airport once the new one comes into operation.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has partially supported the idea to allow AAI to handle expansion of the existing Chennai airport. Karunanidhi has briefed Madam Gandhi and Dr Manmohan Singh on Wednesday and both of them seem to have okayed it too. If the current plans succeed, Chennai would be the first city in India served by two airports. AAI can easily meet the financial requirements as it has made provisions to raise debt. It has got AAA rating and is not even borrowing now as substantial sums have been earmarked for non-metro airports from internal resources."

Ousters, Transfers, Compulsory wait

Meena ouster causes shock


The sudden decision to remove Bhawani Singh Meena, a senior 1975 batch IAS officer of Maharashtra cadre, from the sensitive post of the Director General of Foreign Trade(DGFT), and put him on a "compulsory wait" has sent shock waves in the Udyog Bhawan. No one knows the reasons for sacking Meena and bringing in his place R S Gujral, a Punjab cadre IAS officer, as the new DGFT. Senior IAS officers say such summary ouster of a senior bureaucrat shows the Cabinet Secretariat in poor light.

Violations by vigilance commissioners



The violation of propriety or breach of ethics by ex-Vigilance Commissioners has left many dazed !! They are precluded from accepting any sinecure after retirement from the Vigilance Commission.

H J Dora, who was till recently the Vigilance Commissioner in the Central Vigilance Commission, has joined a private firm GMR as its Executive Director to monitor the security angle of the modernisation of the New Delhi airport. Dora, an IPS officer of 1965 batch, has been the Director General of Police, Andhra Pradesh, before joining the CWC and has also worked as an additional DG of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) that now provides security to the airports. Another Vigilance Commissioner, Janaki Ballabh, who was previously SBI Chairman, has accepted the job of the Chairman of the Staff Selection Board for senior officers of RBI.




Neelam Nath complains against Prof.Prahlad BasuNeelam Nath



Neelam Nath, a senior IAS officer of the Jharkhand cadre, working in the Board for Reconstruction of Public Sector Enterprises, has proceeded on leave complaining against its chairman Prof. Prahlad Basu in a two-page letter to the Cabinet Secretary. She has accused Basu of harassing her by assigning her "responsibilities in utter violation of the administrative procedures" and pressuring her to enhance the monthly salaries of part-time employees without the required concurrence of the Financial Advisor of the Department. She first approached the Union Minister for Heavy Industries Santosh Mohan Deb who is already having a running feud with Basu for defying his directions. Deb had even approached the Prime Minister to get rid of Basu but nothing happened. Deb therefore advised Neelam Nath to personally meet the Cabinet Secretary and complain to him about Basu's conduct.

Compulsory wait

Compulsory wait has become the norm for bureaucrats who do not toe the Ministers' line in the UPA regime. It has kept Ranjit Issar, a senior IAS officer of 1972 batch of Haryana cadre, on compulsory wait since April 2007. He is at home, drawing his monthly salary. At the Joint Secretary level there are five IAS officers on CW (Compulsory Wait) while at the Additional Secretary level, there are three IAS offices cooling their heels without proper administrative assignments.

Sunday, June 10, 2007

The corridors of power

Hello and welcome to Red Tape

We will bring you an inside account from the corridors of powers on what drives decision making, who greases the wheels of change or puts roadblocks on the path of decision making.

More importantly, we bring you interesting tidbits on decision makers, the hangers on, friends, foes, lobbyists, chamchas and godmen with all their virtues, idiosyncrasies and foibles.

Lets start by welcoming D.Subba Rao, the new Secretary Economic Affairs. Rao is a great believer in vaastu. So naturally, he is redoing his room at the North Block -- the same room which was once occupied by Dr.Montek Singh Ahluwalia. Next door to him is Revenue Secretary P.V.Bhide, an Andhra cadre IAS officer who is also apparently keen to rearrange his office according to the rules of vaastu. Will this trend stop with him or will the Finance Minister also follow suit in the hope of boosting his popularity with 10 Janpath? Or will the vaastu by two cross out the vaastu by one?

Another believer in vaastu is M.Damodaran, Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Board of India. The market regulator had redone his office at Mittal Court B -Wing in Mumbai by rearranging his table to face the opposite direction from his four predecessors - G.V.Ramakrishna, S.S.Nadkarni, D.R.Mehta and G.N.Bajpai. The vaastu clearly worked during his first two years at SEBI, but things have begun to get rather hot for the regulator after moving into the imposing SEBI Bhavan at the post Bandra-Kurla business district. Has the smart building dimmed the power of vaastu at the new office?