Cabinet secretary KM Chandrasekhar tops list of India’s 5 Most Powerful Bureaucrats, 2010

THE Prime Minister’s recent decision to bestow overriding power to cabinet secretary KM Chandrasekhar-headed committee to monitor Commonwealth Games is just one of many instances of how “soft spoken”, “non-interfering” and “mild” Cab Sec has asserted himself during the last one year as the most powerful bureaucrat in India. His serial extension as India’s top bureaucrat even at the cost of making new rules and causing heartburns for his juniors, has vindicated his clout in the government and PM’s growing confidence on him.

babusofindia.com based on feedback of politicians and bureaucrats in corridors of power in Delhi, has now ranked KM Chandrasekhar, a 1970 batch Kerala cadre IAS, as No 1 Most Powerful Bureaucrat in India for 2010. (Read: Chandrasekhar at No 3 in 2009). A former ambassador and permanent representative of India in World Trade Organization (WTO) and revenue secretary in the ministry of finance, Mr Chandrasekhar has now piped TKA Nair, principal secretary to PM, to emerge as the most powerful bureaucrat of the country, according to ranking by babusofindia.com for 2010.

Yes, Chandrasekhar may not indulge in summoning anyone to exert his influence and get his work done, but he has emerged as a game-changer for government after he had introduced a series of ground rules for making administration work better. And that precisely has made him the darling of the Prime Minister who wants bureaucrats to bring in efficiency for the delivery mechanism. Chandrasekhar, who cracked the whip to get a 100-day work plan prepared even before UPA II regime took over in May, 2009, is also credited with institutionalizing target-based performance management mechanism for government departments by supporting Dr Prajapati Trivedi’s formulae. (Read: Meet this non-IAS)

The cabinet secretariat is now virtually ranking the performance of various ministries, and in an indirect way assessing the performance of UPA ministers. Now, Chandrasekhar and his team of officials will virtually take charge of the Commonwealth Games from Kalmadi and company! And that makes him the clear topper in the list of India’s 5 Most Powerful Bureaucrats, 2010 of babusofindia.com? Watch out this space to spot who have clinched the next four ranks.