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The Centre has extended the tenure of NITI Aayog Chief Executive Officer (CEO) B V R Subrahmanyam by one year, according to a Personnel Ministry order. Subrahmanyam, a 1987-batch retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Chhattisgarh cadre, was in February 2023 appointed to the post for a period of two years. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved extension in Subrahmanyam's tenure as NITI Aayog CEO for a period of one year beyond February 24, 2025, the order said.
The Supreme Court on Friday extended till March 17 protection from arrest to former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, accused of cheating and wrongly availing OBC and disability quota benefits in the civil services examination. A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma directed Khedkar to cooperate in the investigation. During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General S V Raju sought rime to file reply in the matter. Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, appearing for Khedkar, submitted that police were not calling her for investigation and she was willing to come. The top court directed the ASG to file reply within three weeks. The apex court on January 15 had issued notice to the Delhi government and the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Khedkar's plea seeking anticipatory bail. Khedkar is accused of misrepresenting information in her application for the UPSC civil services examination, 2022, for availing reservation benefits. She refuted all the allegations
Bhuvnesh Kumar has assumed charge as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), an official release said on Wednesday. Kumar also continues to be an Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). He takes over from Amit Agrawal who has been appointed as the new pharma secretary. "Bhuvnesh Kumar assumed charge as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on Wednesday," an official release said. Kumar is an IAS officer of the 1995 batch from the Uttar Pradesh cadre. "A graduate and gold medalist from the National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra, he held several important positions both at the Centre and in his cadre state," the release said. Earlier, he also served as the Joint Secretary in MeitY. In Uttar Pradesh, he served as the Principal Secretary in the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries. Previously, he was the Sec
Senior bureaucrat Arunish Chawla on Thursday took charge as the Secretary, Department of Revenue. A 1992-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Bihar cadre, Chawla served as the Secretary in the Department of Pharmaceuticals in the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers since November 1, 2023. On Wednesday, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet appointed Chawla as the Revenue Secretary. A doctorate in Economics from the London School of Economics, Chawla served as the Managing Director of the Metro Rail Project Patna; and on Foreign Assignment through Department of Economic Affairs as the Senior Economist, International Monetary Fund; Minister (Economic), Embassy of India in Washington DC; and also as Joint Secretary in the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, the finance ministry statement said.
Delhi High Court on Monday refused to grant anticipatory bail to former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar in the criminal case lodged against her for alleged cheating and wrongly availing of OBC and disability quota benefits in the civil services examination. "Anticipatory bail plea is dismissed. Interim protection from arrest is vacated," Justice Chandra Dhari Singh said while ruling on the plea. Justice Singh said a strong prima facie case was made out against Khedkar and investigation was required to unearth the conspiracy. It was a classic case of fraud committed on a constitutional body as well as society, the judge said. Khedkar is accused of misrepresenting information in her application for the UPSC Civil Services Examination, 2022, to get reservation benefits. The counsel for the Delhi Police as well as the complainant, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), opposed the plea for pre-arrest bail. The UPSC was represented by senior advocate Naresh Kaushik and lawyer Vardhm
The Hemant Soren government has reinstated Manjunath Bhajantri as the Ranchi district deputy commissioner (DC), from which he was removed by the EC before the Assembly elections following a complaint by the BJP, according to a notification. The decision to bring Bhajantri back to the post was taken hours after JMM leader Hemant Soren took oath as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand. The 2011 batch IAS officer was appointed as Ranchi DC by the Hemant Soren government on September 30 ahead of the polls which took place in two phases - November 20 and 23. He was removed on October 15 following a complaint by the BJP legal cell to the Chief Electoral Officer and shifted to Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society as its CEO. "Chief Executive Officer of Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society (JSLPS) Manjunath Bhajantri has been transferred and appointed as Deputy Commissioner, Ranchi, till further orders," a notification from the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms .
The Kerala police on Saturday said that the phone of the IAS officer, whose WhatsApp account was used to create a religious group, was completely reset and therefore, forensics could not ascertain whether it was hacked as claimed by him. Amidst reports quoting police suggesting that the IAS officer's phone was not hacked, Thiruvananthapuram City Police Commissioner Sparjan Kumar said that it remains unclear whether the device was compromised, as it had been "reset". He also said that he had given a report regarding the matter to the State Police Chief, DGP Shaik Darvesh Saheb. The DGP's office said that the report was confidential and would be forwarded to the state government. The police investigated the matter following a complaint by the IAS officer alleging that his personal WhatsApp number was hacked and used to create a religious group. In the controversial WhatsApp group, officers from various communities were added, and the group was labelled as a Hindu community group. U
The Kerala government will examine the incident involving the controversial formation of a WhatsApp group for Hindu IAS officers, State Industries Minister P Rajeeve said on Monday. His statement followed a complaint lodged by an IAS officer with the police, alleging that his personal WhatsApp number was hacked and used to create a religious group. Responding to the controversy, Rajeeve said that the state government would investigate the formation of a group specifically for Hindu IAS officers. Describing the incident as "serious," he said that community-based divisions are highly concerning. "The government will look into this matter. There is a general code of conduct for IAS officers, which falls under the Public Administration department. We are currently examining the situation. Let's review and determine what needs to be done," he told reporters in New Delhi on Monday. The controversy arose after an IAS officer lodged a complaint with the police, claiming his personal Whats
The Delhi High Court on Thursday sought the stand of Puja Khedkar on the UPSC's allegation that the former IAS probationer committed perjury by making a false statement in relation to her anticipatory bail plea. Justice Subramaniam Prasad asked Khedkar to file her reply to the Commission's application, which is filed in the proceedings on her pre-arrest bail plea. "I will issue notice. File your reply," Justice Prasad told Khedkar's counsel, and listed the matter for hearing on September 26. Khedkar has been accused of cheating and wrongly availing Other Backward Classes (OBC) and disability quota benefits in civil services examination. She has denied all allegations against her. In its application filed through lawyer Vardhman Kaushik, the UPSC submitted that Khedkar, in her rejoinder, made an "absolutely false" statement on affidavit that the Commission had collected her biometrics during personality tests. Seeking initiation of inquiry and appropriate proceedings against her f
Mohammad Shafi Pandit, the first Muslim IAS officer from Kashmir, passed away on Thursday. He was 80. Pandit was undergoing treatment at a hospital in Delhi after he was detected with cancer about a month ago, his family said. Pandit was the first Muslim from Kashmir to qualify the civil services examinations in 1969. His final assignment with the government was as the head of autonomous Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission. In the bureaucratic circles, Pandit was widely viewed as a chief secretary that Jammu and Kashmir never had. The soft-spoken Pandit was part of many civil society and philanthropic initiatives in Kashmir. He also played a key role in rolling out of the Mandal Commission report as he was the joint secretary in the Government of India in 1992. Pandit's body will be flown to Srinagar later in the day. "If possible, he will be laid to rest today," his family said. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh condoled the death of the IAS officer. "My good friend of ma
Senior IAS officer Amardeep Singh Bhatia has assumed the charge of Secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), an official statement said on Wednesday. He has replaced Rajesh Kumar Singh, who has been appointed as Officer on Special Duty, Department of Defence. Prior to this, Bhatia, a 1993 Batch from Nagaland cadre, was serving as Additional Secretary in the Department of Commerce and was involved in trade policies and free trade agreement negotiations. In the central government, he has held many important positions in the Ministries of Corporate Affairs and Health and Family Welfare. In the state government, the new DPIIT secretary has handled Departments of Planning and Coordination, Health and Family Welfare, Environment and Forest, Municipalities and Local Self Government and Home, among others. DPIIT, under the commerce and industry ministry, looks after foreign direct investment (FDI) policy, startups, ease of doing business, promoting
Senior IAS officer Govind Mohan on Thursday will take charge as the new Union Home Secretary from Ajay Kumar Bhalla, who completes his five year tenure at the sensitive post, official sources said. Mohan, a B.Tech from Banaras Hindu University and PG Diploma from IIM, Ahmedabad, was serving as union culture secretary before his appointment to the top bureaucratic post, next only to the Cabinet Secretary. A 1989 batch IAS officer of Sikkim cadre, Mohan has already joined the Union Home Ministry as an Officer on Special Duty. He has a wide experience of serving both the Sikkim and the central governments in various capacities. Mohan is considered to be one of the brilliant officers presently serving in the government and known for his diligence. He had earlier served the home ministry as additional secretary handling several key divisions, including Union territories. A seasoned bureaucrat, Mohan was also the government's key officer during the COVID-19 pandemic and tasked with ...
Senior IAS officer Govind Mohan was on Wednesday appointed the next Union Home Secretary, succeeding Ajay Kumar Bhalla, according to an official order. Govind, presently serving as Secretary, Ministry of Culture, will join as Officer on Special Duty in the Ministry of Home Affairs. "The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Govind Mohan, IAS (Sikkim: 1989), Secretary, Ministry of Culture as Officer on Special Duty in the Ministry of Home Affairs with immediate effect. "The officer will take over as Home Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs vice Shri Ajay Kumar Bhalla, IAS (Assam-Meghalaya: 1984) on completion of his tenure on 22.08.2024," the order stated.
A Delhi court on Thursday denied anticipatory bail to former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar who has been accused of cheating and wrongly availing of OBC and PwD (person with disabilities) quota benefits. Additional Sessions Judge Devender Kumar Jangala said Delhi Police "must also investigate if anyone from inside the UPSC helped Khedkar". The judge also widened the probe in the case and directed Delhi Police to investigate if other persons have availed of benefits under OBC and PwD quotas without entitlement. The UPSC on Wednesday cancelled Khedkar's candidature and debarred her from future exams. The judge had on Wednesday reserved the order after hearing arguments on the application filed by Khedkar, who claimed through her lawyer that she has "imminent threat of arrest". During the proceeding, the prosecution as well as the counsel appearing for the UPSC had opposed the application, claiming that she has "cheated the system". "This person has abused the law and process of law.
The Delhi Police has registered an FIR and formed multiple teams to probe the Rajinder Nagar coaching centre flooding incident which killed three IAS aspirants, officials said on Sunday. The police have arrested the owner and the coordinator of the Rau's IAS Study Circle and booked them for culpable homicide and under other charges. "Multiple teams have been formed to investigate the entire incident. We have asked the Delhi Fire Services to provide us report about the building and the basement which was being used as a library but mentioned as 'store room'," a senior police officer said. The officer further said the basement was eight-feet below the ground level and more than 18 students were present in it on Saturday evening when it got flooded after heavy rains. According to sources in the police department, the gate of the basement was closed, but due to high pressure of rain water, it got damaged and water gushed in. "We are checking CCTV footage from the area to ascertain the