Now, Russian bureaucrats to learn English

RUSSIAN bureaucrats are likely to be more fluent in English among other foreign languages as the government has decided to send federal bureaucrats abroad to study foreign languages. The policy of making bureaucrats learn English was outlined in a report last month. According to a report of The Moscow Times, it’s a part of the government’s push to make at least 20 percent of federal officials fluent in a foreign language by 2020.

Also, it has planned that fluent English will become a requirement for newly hired Russian civil servants starting in 2012. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is one of the few politicians in the country who can speak English reasonably well. When Russia won the right to host the 2018 World Cup, sports minister Vitaly Mutko said, “Let me speak from my heart in English”. The Moscow Times report says it took him two weeks to memorize the speech but that YouTube video of Mutko speaking English in a thick accent became a mega hit with more than one million views.

During the Soviet times, the government handed out bonuses to bureaucrats if they could muster English and other foreign languages. Those who spoke German, French or English got 10 percent bonuses, while Asian languages like Japanese fetched 15 percent bonuses.

Action and Appointments

a) ACC has approved the proposal for in-situ upgradation of the post of Director of Census Operations, Rajasthan (Director level) under the ministry of home affairs, presently held by Ms Shubra Singh, a 1989 batch Rajasthan cadre IAS to the level joint secretary.

b) Civil servants have a huge contribution to the governance of the country and government jobs have wider scope to perform than the private sector service, said former Central Chief Vigilance Commissioner N Vittal while inaugurating an IAS Academy in Chennai.

c) Radha Raman Jha, a 1979 batch Central Secretariat Service officer has been appointed as joint secretary in the ministry of home affairs in place of AK Yadav, a 1987 batch Sikkim cadre IAS on completion of his tenure on January 22, 2011.

Babus in Demand

It is proposed to fill up the post of Chairman, Spice Board, at Kochi at the level of joint secretary with a pay band of Rs 37400 to Rs 67,000 with a grade pay of Rs 10,000. For details click DoPT Circular