 "STATE FOCUS: Gujarat officials rise to top of bureaucratic heap")
Gujarat links have never been stronger at the Centre. The state where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was chief minister for 13 years is prominently represented across top government positions. Though there are only three Gujarat-cadre IAS officers in the list of 70-plus secretaries, many other key posts are held by officers associated with the state.
Achal Kumar Joti, who took charge as Election Commissioner this month, is the latest senior appointment from Gujarat. The 1975-batch IAS officer was chief secretary in Gujarat from 2010 to 2013 when Modi was the CM. The appointment is important because Assembly polls in Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Puducherry, Assam, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat will take place during Joti’s term as Election Commissioner.
But, it is the prime minister’s office (PMO) that is dominated by Gujarat officials. P K Mishra, additional principal secretary to the prime minister, is considered among the most powerful at the South Block office. A 1972-batch IAS officer, Mishra reports directly to Modi. He was principal secretary to Modi in the CM’s office from 2001 to 2004. He also held top positions in the Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission and Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA).
Arvind Kumar Sharma, a 1988-batch IAS officer and now a joint secretary in PMO, is another bureaucrat with a lot of weight. He is the pointsman in PMO for industry captains. He is believed to have contributed to the success of Vibrant Gujarat earlier, and to getting the Tata Nano plant relocated to Sanand.
One of the PM’s private secretaries, Rajeev Topno, is from Gujarat. A 1996-batch officer, he was joint CEO of GSDMA when Modi was CM. He was the only Gujarat-cadre IAS officer in PMO during the previous government, as a director.
Then, there are others at PMO who had worked in the CM’s office in Gujarat. Jagdish Thakkar, public relations officer at PMO, is one such. A close aide of Modi in Gujarat, he continues to make press statements in New Delhi. Modi does not have any other personnel to address the press.
There also are the four officers on special duty — Hiren Joshi, Pratik Doshi, Hemang Jani and Sanjay R Bhavsar. These information technology and marketing professionals, too, had worked closely with Modi in Gujarat. Among other things, they look at the social media initiatives of the PM.
Bharat Lal, Gujarat’s resident commissioner in New Delhi, also has a significant role in PMO. Though there was a strong buzz about Lal being posted as joint secretary in PMO, that did not happen. He was in the US ahead of the PM’s visit there, to work out the modalities, and in the initial days of Modi taking over, this Indian Forest Service officer shuttled between PMO and Gujarat Bhavan.
Another Gujarat appointment was of Rajesh Kishore, named secretary-general of the National Human Rights Commission. A 1980-batch officer, he was CEO of GSDMA from 2005 to 2009. Also, Tushar Mehta, additional advocate general of Gujarat, was made additional solicitor general of India recently.
In central ministries, there are Hasmukh Adhia, Gauri Kumar, and Vijay Laxmi Joshi. Adhia, a 1981-batch officer, is secretary, department of financial services. The 1979-batch Kumar, in the cabinet secretariat, was shifted out of the labour ministry a few months ago. The 1980-batch Joshi, who was secretary at the panchayati raj ministry, was moved to drinking water and sanitation. The reason for the shift was not known.
A Gujarat officer shunted out was Rajiv Takru. Soon after taking charge, Modi moved the 1979-batch Takru, then financial services secretary, to the ministry for development of the Northeast and then to the National Commission for Minorities.
Achal Kumar Joti, who took charge as Election Commissioner this month, is the latest senior appointment from Gujarat. The 1975-batch IAS officer was chief secretary in Gujarat from 2010 to 2013 when Modi was the CM. The appointment is important because Assembly polls in Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Puducherry, Assam, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat will take place during Joti’s term as Election Commissioner.
But, it is the prime minister’s office (PMO) that is dominated by Gujarat officials. P K Mishra, additional principal secretary to the prime minister, is considered among the most powerful at the South Block office. A 1972-batch IAS officer, Mishra reports directly to Modi. He was principal secretary to Modi in the CM’s office from 2001 to 2004. He also held top positions in the Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission and Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA).
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Arvind Kumar Sharma, a 1988-batch IAS officer and now a joint secretary in PMO, is another bureaucrat with a lot of weight. He is the pointsman in PMO for industry captains. He is believed to have contributed to the success of Vibrant Gujarat earlier, and to getting the Tata Nano plant relocated to Sanand.
One of the PM’s private secretaries, Rajeev Topno, is from Gujarat. A 1996-batch officer, he was joint CEO of GSDMA when Modi was CM. He was the only Gujarat-cadre IAS officer in PMO during the previous government, as a director.
Then, there are others at PMO who had worked in the CM’s office in Gujarat. Jagdish Thakkar, public relations officer at PMO, is one such. A close aide of Modi in Gujarat, he continues to make press statements in New Delhi. Modi does not have any other personnel to address the press.
There also are the four officers on special duty — Hiren Joshi, Pratik Doshi, Hemang Jani and Sanjay R Bhavsar. These information technology and marketing professionals, too, had worked closely with Modi in Gujarat. Among other things, they look at the social media initiatives of the PM.
Bharat Lal, Gujarat’s resident commissioner in New Delhi, also has a significant role in PMO. Though there was a strong buzz about Lal being posted as joint secretary in PMO, that did not happen. He was in the US ahead of the PM’s visit there, to work out the modalities, and in the initial days of Modi taking over, this Indian Forest Service officer shuttled between PMO and Gujarat Bhavan.
Another Gujarat appointment was of Rajesh Kishore, named secretary-general of the National Human Rights Commission. A 1980-batch officer, he was CEO of GSDMA from 2005 to 2009. Also, Tushar Mehta, additional advocate general of Gujarat, was made additional solicitor general of India recently.
In central ministries, there are Hasmukh Adhia, Gauri Kumar, and Vijay Laxmi Joshi. Adhia, a 1981-batch officer, is secretary, department of financial services. The 1979-batch Kumar, in the cabinet secretariat, was shifted out of the labour ministry a few months ago. The 1980-batch Joshi, who was secretary at the panchayati raj ministry, was moved to drinking water and sanitation. The reason for the shift was not known.
A Gujarat officer shunted out was Rajiv Takru. Soon after taking charge, Modi moved the 1979-batch Takru, then financial services secretary, to the ministry for development of the Northeast and then to the National Commission for Minorities.