Guj. IAS circles expect more officers to get impaneled in the next round
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved empanelment of IAS officers for holding Secretary level or Secretary equivalent posts at the Centre with a total of 40 officers of 1987, 1988, and 1989 batch impaneled on February 11, 2021. The buzz is that there could be another empanelment list expected by end of 2021 for 1990, 1991, and 1992 batch IAS officers, and interestingly IAS circles in Gujarat are expecting more officers to get impaneled as in the previous list, only two officers K Srinivas and Pankaj Joshi (both of 1989 batch) made it with Tamil Nadu and UP having four and three officers of 1989 batch impaneled, respectively.
Will RailTel HQ ever shift to Gujarat? Only PMO can answer
Buzz has it that the issue of an old proposal of shifting RailTel HQ from Gurgaon to GIFT city in Gujarat has suddenly started coming under discussion in the higher bureaucracy circles at the Centre. It was learned that the issue went from IAS circles in Gandhinagar to the Centre. Many still believe that the file is closed as there is no response from the PMO. Just to recall, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani had written a letter to Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on August 26, 2019, in which he had stated that he invites RailTel to set up large scale operations in GIFT City. Interestingly, many officers both in the bureaucracy in the Railways and the IAS circles at the Centre aware of the issue still feel the pending file may be opened someday. The buzz is that the bureaucracy in Gujarat wants RailTel to shift its HQ to GIFT city, in line with what Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani desires, but is waiting for a response from the PMO. Will RailTel HQ ever shift to Gujarat one does not know but this is certain that the issue will keep coming under discussion in the IAS circles for a long time.
Indian diaspora in US dream of seeing T S Sandhu as next Foreign Secy
Taranjit Singh Sandhu, the Indian Foreign Service officer of 1988 batch and currently India’s Ambassador to the United States and also admittedly being the most knowledgeable officer among serving Indian diplomats in US affairs is very popular with the Indian diaspora in the United States so much so that many dreams of seeing him as India’s next Foreign Secretary. Ambassador Sandhu is also extremely well-known in the White House. If the PMO has its way, Ambassador Sandhu could well become the next Foreign Secretary !!
Why re-employment of a retired bureaucrat?
IAS circles are talking about extension in the term and re-employment of retired IAS officer Umesh Sinha of 1986 batch of UP cadre as Deputy Election Commissioner in the Election Commission of India on contract basis for a further period of one year beyond June 30, 2021, i.e. up to June 30, 2022. The question being raised in the discussion is when there is such a large pool of serving senior IAS officers then why the need was felt to go for re-employment of a retired bureaucrat?
