Deputy secretary-level officer wanted for a Washington-based IMF post

IMF Headqaurters

THE government is looking for an official at the rank of a deputy secretary or director for the post of Adviser to the Executive Director, International Monetary Fund (IMF). The selected candidate will have a three-year term, and will be based out of Washington.

In a letter dated September 12, 2011, the department of personnel and training (DoPT) wrote to Union secretaries and state chief secretaries in this regard. The mandatory qualifications include two years of cumulative working experience in the ministry of finance or economic ministries, and “substantial graduate level university degree” in areas related to the work of the Fund, and most desirably, in economics with an emphasis on macroeconomics, monetary economics and public finance. The familiarity with major Fund-related issues is also required.

The “desirable qualifications” include experience of dealing with externally aided projects, experience in the department of economic affairs (DEA), degree in economics or MBA or international trade or public finance.

The officer should not be over 54 years of age. The last date of application is October 14, 2011.

Top officials may get encrypted mobiles for emergencies

The government may provide encrypted mobile phones to some of its officials handling sensitive issues. The phones which work on reserved air frequency will be helpful in case of emergencies, some media reports said. The Prime Minister’s Office is expected to hold a meeting in this regard to take the final call. During the recent Mumbai blast, all telephone lines got jammed, and for 15 minutes even the chief minister of the state could not get an update on the rescue operation.

Action and Appointments

a) Upendra Tripathy, a 1980 batch Karnataka cadre IAS, has been appointed as additional secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat in place of Dr Mrutyunjay Sarangi, a 1977 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS. Ms Nivedita Shukla Verma, a 1991 batch UP cadre IAS will handle Tripathy’s work at the rank of a joint secretary.