Poona to PMO: Former cabinet secretary BG Deshmukh died

BG Deshmukh, former cabinet secretary and principal secretary to three prime ministers --- Rajiv Gandhi, VP Singh and Chandrashekhar, is no more. Deshmukh, a 1951 batch IAS who had a rare distinction of being the first person to get into the IAS through competitive examinations, died at a private hospital in Pune on Sunday night. He was 84.

In a condolence message, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that Deshmukh was known for giving “straight forward advice to the governments that he served”. After all, Deshmukh hadled controversial subjects like Bofors, Mandal Commission report and India’s involvement in Sri Lanka. In his memoir, A Cabinet Secretary Looks Back, Deshmukh paints fascinating portraits of Giani Zail Singh, Rajiv Gandhi, VP Singh and Chandrashekhar.

Deshmukh also served as Maharashtra chief secretary, additional secretary in home ministry and municipal commissioner of Bombay. Deshmukh was the cabinet secretary from August 1986 to March 1989. He then joined the PMO as principal secretary and served three PMs in quick succession.

Action and Appointments

a) Archana Arora, a 1983 batch IAS officer, took oath as chairperson of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) on Monday. Earlier, she was posted in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. She had also served in the departments of education, trade and taxes, transport, and energy of the Delhi government. Arora was also a commissioner VAT and had worked in the Election Commission of India.

b) Air India’s chairman and managing director Arvind Jadhav is on his way out. The government is learnt to have begun the search process to find his successor. Jadhav is a 1978 batch Karnataka cadre IAS. The government is, however, finding it tough to spot his replacement as no officer is willing to take up the responsibility of a disputed carrier that has a debt of about Rs 70,000 crore.