Dileep Raj S Chaudhary, a 1977 batch IAS, appointed as new MHA spokesperson

ONLY a few days after Union home secretary GK Pillai’s ISI remark created a storm amid India Pakistan foreign ministers’ level talks in Islamabad, the government has decided to appoint a senior IAS officer Dileep Raj S Chaudhary, a 1977 batch Madhya Pradesh cadre official, as spokesperson of ministry of home affairs (MHA). He will now interact with media in a day-to-day basis. Chaudhary is one of the 43 IAS officers of 1977 batch who have been empanelled as secretaries to the government of India. (List of 1977 batch IAS empanelled as secretaries)

Onkar Kedia, an Indian Information Service officer will remain at his current post of MHA spokesperson, but will now assist Chaudhary. Chaudhary who is a postgraduate in political science and had undergone a three-week long short programme in UK in 2004 is currently handling Naxal management at the rank of an additional secretary. He is five batch junior to Pillai.

During NDA regime, PD Shenoy, an IAS officer with an additional secretary rank used to handle media and acted as the official spokesperson of the MHA. LK Advani was then the home minister and Kamal Pande was the home secretary. Significantly, current home secretary Pillai was then a joint secretary in the ministry and aired his voice to the media whenever he felt it necessary.

Action and Appointments

a) The ACC has approved the extension of inter-cadre deputation tenure of Ms Shobha Ohatkar, a 1990 batch Bihar cadre IPS from Bihar cadre to Maharashtra cadre, by two years beyond June 30, 2010, as a special case.

b) The ACC has approved the proposal o the MHA for inter-cadre deputation of Alok Kumar, a 1997 batch JK cadre IPS from Jammu and Kashmir cadre to Bihar cadre.

c) The ACC has approved the proposal of the ministry o environment and forests for inter-cadre deputation of T Gnana Prakash, a 1993 batch Punjab cadre IFS ,from Punjab cadre to Karnataka cadre.

d) The ACC has approved the inter cadre deputation of Ms Deepa D Nair, a 2001 Manipur-Tripura IFS from Manipur-Tripura to Kerala for a period of five years.

e) Ms Mamta Kundra, a 1985 batch IA&AS has been appointed as joint secretary in the Departmentof Personnel and Training (DoPT).

f) JS Deepak, a 1982 batch UP cadre IAS, presently joint secretary in the department of telecommunication, has been appointed as joint secretary in the department of commerce in place of PK Dash, a 1981 batch MP cadre IAS.

g) Nitin Ramesh Gokarn, a 1990 batch UP cadre IAS has been appointed as joint secretary in the ministry of road transport and highways.