New climate laws prompt Australian govt to create super bureaucracy; Britain under pressure to cut NHS civil servants

THE Australian government is likely to establish somewhat a super bureaucracy to administer compliance with new climate change laws, according to media reports from Down Under. The new Australian Climate Change Regulatory Authority, which could be supported by a new division created within the department of climate change, may initially have 100 bureaucrats though the number would swell dramatically when implications of what will effectively amount to a federal consumption tax on carbon emissions become clear, according to a report in a leading newspaper, The Australian. The new regulatory agency is set to be a powerful body as it will have sweeping powers to enforce the government’s climate change regime. It will also issue and auction emissions permits and collect revenue from these. Meanwhile, the British press has highlighted how Britain’s Opposition party wants to cut the number of bureaucrats in National Health Service (NHS), the country’s publicly-funded healthcare system, which they had estimated could save 1.5 billion British pounds (GBP) or whopping Rs 11260 crore if it’s converted into Indian currency. Tories, who seek NHS bureaucracy cut, have given various estimates of how money could be saved by cutting down the number of staff and officials. Straight From Files Indian PM has Kissinger-type master bureaucrats (August 13, 2009)

Action & Appointments a) Sanjay Bansal, IRS (C&CE, 1995 batch), who was recommended for Central deputation by the department of revenue, has been selected for appointment as director in the department of chemicals & petrochemicals, New Delhi, for a period of five years from the date of taking over charge of the post or until further orders. b) Premature reversion of Prabhanshu Kamal, a 1985 batch MP cadre IAS, presently working as joint secretary in the ministry of home affairs, to his parent cadre has been approved with immediate effect in order to enable him to avail the benefit of promotion to the next higher grade in the cadre. The MHA is requested to place the services of Mr Kamal at the disposal of the state government of Madhya Pradesh for his next posting.