Bedi asks Puducherry officials to cooperate with new CS

Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi today showered praise on new Chief Secretary Ashwani Kumar, saying he was known for his courageous integrity and asked the officials here to consider the change in guard at the top bureaucracy as 'a blessing' for them and the union territory.
In a "mentoring note" to the officers of the Puducherry administration, she said Kumar, a 1992 batch IAS officer, "is known for his courageous integrity and has been in vigilance and also worked as Secretary to PWD (in the Delhi Government). He is known for his forthright observance of rules."
Listing the duties of the officers in the note for facilitating the new Chief Secretary to take expeditious decisions, Bedi urged them "to value this opportunity and consider this change (ofChief Secretary) as a blessing for you, your work and Puducherry."

She asked the officers to record their considered views forthrightly on the files linking with the past. They should "flag the files properly so that the new incumbent would get to know the brief history of the issues."
Kumar, who assumed charge yesterday, succeeds Manoj Parida, who has been transferred to Delhi. Parida had been at loggerheads with Bedi on a range of issues, the most recent being reappointment of seven MLAs as chairmen of statutory undertakings of the union territory government.
Bedi said when a new officer took charge, it was the duty of the "initiating officer here to make a small brief to facilitate a quicker understanding.

"Your (officials') note must refer to relevant rules and state your propositions for the Chief Secretary to take a call," she added in the note, a copy of which was circulated to the media also through 'WhatsApp'.
She advised the officers to appreciate the change (in Chief Secretary) and give their maximum cooperation.
"There is a lot waiting to be done and done properly and we should take Puducherry towards all round development and prosperity now and in the future," she added.