DESPITE the challenges by Arvind Agrawal, a 1984 batch Gujarat cadre IAS, Gujarat High Court has stayed an order of the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) asking the state government to furnish Annual Property Returns (APR) of its senior bureaucrats. The issue would again come up for hearing on December 9, 2010 .
Agrawal, vice chairman and MD of Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC), challenged the CIC order in High Court. Principal Information Officer of the state Ashok Dave asked Agrawal two months ago that he must disclose his Annual Property Return as demanded in an RTI query by a journalist.
Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Information Commission has recently pronounced a ruling asking the state to reveal assets of IAS officers, a move which was highly applauded by Lok Satta Party president Jayaprakash Narayan who left IAS to become a political activist.
Significantly, the demand for disclosing assets of bureaucrats has become stronger despite RTI’s safeguard of no disclosure of personal information of public servants. Back in Also Read
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The IAS should be given a specific area of work. They should not be a jack of all trades but a master of one. All civil services should be given their due. An IRS officer is best suited to be a Revenue Secretary than an IAS, an IFS officer is best suited to be Secretary, Min. of Environment and Forests than an IAS, an IAAS officer is the best suited to be C&AG than an IAS officer, an IRS or IAAS or ICAS is best suited to be a Finance Secretary than an IAS, an ITS officer is best suited to be DGFT and Commerce Secretary than an IAS, an IIS officer is best suited to be I&B Secretary than an IAS officer, an IPS officer is best suited to be a Home Secretary than an IAS officer, Scientists are best suited to be Agriculture Secretary, Culture Secretary, New and Renewable Energy Secretary, Science and Technology Secretary, Water Resources Secretary and an educated sportsman is best suited to be a Sports Secretary. An IRS or IPS officer should be the CVC rather than an IAS officer. But why then IAS officers are heading all these Departments and holding the country to ransom. Come on its time to change all this. Modern world needs specialization and honest officers. Our Hon’ble Prime Minister has been a Finance Secretary without being an IAS officer. He knows how the IAS lobby arm twists the Government. He is the right person to take action and fortunately he is at the helm of affairs and in a position to get it done. One should understand that the politicians don’t have the wherewithal to amass huge amounts of illegal wealth. The logistics are provided by the IAS babus. Long back the Rajamannar Committee has recommended the abolition of IAS. This is nothing to do with the persons but related only to the character of the IAS as a service that breeds corruption, nepotism and self aggrandizement which ultimately leads to the failure of a nation.
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