Pranab Mukherjee’s key aide Manoj Pant appointed as Sr Adviser to World Bank ED

Pant (right) with his boss Mukherjee

INDIAN finance minister Pranab Mukherjee’s key aide and 1991 batch West Bengal cadre IAS Manoj Pant is not taking a train back to Howrah but a plane to Washington DC. The Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) has appointed Pant, presently private secretary to finance minister, as Senior Adviser to Executive Director, World Bank at the level of a joint secretary. The approval was given on September 13, 2011.

Pant will aid 1972 batch retired IAS and secretary to PM, MN Prasad who was recently appointed as Executive Director to World Bank in place of Pulok Chatterji. Chatterji is taking over as principal secretary to PM in the first week of October.

Pranab Mukherjee’s earlier private secretary Anil Verma got an assignment in Indian High Commission in London, but he had to come back half-way after he was embroiled in a case of domestic violence.

Pant who had earlier served as district magistrate of Murshidabad and North 24 Parganas in West Bengal, will replace BVR Subrahmanyam, a 1987 batch Chhattisgarh cadre IAS who is completing his extended tenure on September 30, 2011. A post graduate in geology, Pant also had an MA degree on public administration from an US university.

Babu Marriage: Rajan Vishal and Archana Singh

The Central government has transferred Rajan Vishal, a 2008 batch Manipur-Tripura cadre IAS and Ms Archana Singh, a 2008 batch Gujarat cadre IAS from their respective cadres to Rajasthan cadre on the ground of marriage. Such transfers are done by exercising powers conferred by sub-rule (2) of Rule 5 of the Indian Administrative Service (Cadre) Rules, 1954 and with the concurrence of the respective state governments.

Action and Appointments

a) Bhaskarjyoti Sarma, a 1999 batch Orissa cadre IAS, has been appointed as deputy secretary in the department of financial services in the ministry of finance. A former IITian, Sarma is currently working as a deputy secretary in cabinet secretariat.