India’s new mining secretary Subramanyam Vijay Kumar, 1976 batch IAS

SUBRAMANYAM Vijay Kumar, a 1976 batch Himachal Pradesh cadre IAS and special secretary in the Ministry of Mining has been elevated as mining secretary. A post graduate in mathematics, Mr Kumar’s appointment has come at a time when the mining draft bill is being debated, and there are concerns about illegal mining in some parts of India. Incidentally, the draft bill makes a provision of making land losers stakeholders of the project by awarding equity shares.

Mr Kumar served as deputy commissioner in Kulu and Mandi before coming on a Central deputation to the ministry of environment and forests. He had also served as joint secretary in Rajya Sabha secretariat and in ministry of rural development. He is very much an insider in the ministry of mines as he has been with the ministry for the last two and half years beginning as an additional secretary.

Meanwhile, the appointment of this Himachal Pradesh cadre IAS to such a key position has coincided with two IAS officers of the same cadre, Desh Deepak (1983 batch) and Vijender Singh (1987 batch) being forced to take premature retirement, a move that has probably taken place for the first time in the history of civil service.

IPS Wives Association felicitates students

The IPS Wives’ Welfare Association (IPSWWA) has honoured 21 meritorious students for scoring high marks in Class XII exams. Those include 15 girl students. On the occasion that took place on Monday, IPSWWA president Surekha Mathur praised the students and their parents who are deployed in remote border areas or on internal security duties. The event was hosted by Sadhana Bhatia, wife of the director general of the ITBP.