Who are 5 Most Powerful Indian Bureaucrats, 2011? CAG Vinod Rai tops list

Rai with his wife after swearing-in on January 7, 2008

HERE is the final BoI (www.babusofindia.com) list of 5 Most Powerful Bureaucrats of India, 2011. Surprisingly, it’s not a PMO babu who is ranked top, but 1972 batch retired IAS Vinod Rai has been chosen as India’s most powerful bureaucrat, 2011. Rai, who took over as Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) in January 2008, has been a game-changer, forcing the government guessing what damning report comes next in this season of scams. On certain occasions, Prime Minister himself took on Rai, but the CAG remained unperturbed and indirectly dragged the PMO in Commonwealth Games fiasco.

In this BoI power list, third in last three years, Rai has piped those like Pulok Chatterji and TKA Nair. The list has been prepared after evaluating the opinions of 50 politicians and bureaucrats in Delhi’s corridors of power, and using inputs from BoI’s own assessment.

Rai, who was the Union banking secretary before joining as CAG, has cornered the government with his reports on 2G scams and Commonwealth Games. India’s investigating agency CBI has so far arrested 17 honchos including a former telecom minister, former telecom secretary and several top business executives in connection to the 2G scam. Rai is however being criticized by a section in the government for entering into the policy space which auditors are not supposed to intrude.

The CAG report on Air India and KG Basin will be tabled in the House today (Tuesday). The KG Basin report is likely to raise uncomfortable questions to India’s most powerful business house, Reliance Industries.

A post-graduate in economics from Delhi School of Economics and public administration from Harvard University, Rai spends his spare time in playing tennis.

In Order

Chatterji 2nd Most Powerful

When UPA chairwoman Sonia Gandhi was reportedly admitted in New York’s Sloan-Kettering hospital for an undisclosed surgery in August, it was Pulok Chatterji who according to some sources, arranged all the logistics keeping the Indian Embassy in Washington in dark. The big question is: Will Chatterji be able to do the same magic in improving UPA-II’s deteriorating health?

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The man close to 10 Janpath

Kumar 3^rd Most Powerful

In this season of scams and growing anti-corruption movements, it’s not unusual that power centre shifts from the conventional powerful bureaucrats to those who check-mate the high and mighty. Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) Pradeep Kumar is the third most powerful bureaucrat, according to BoI.

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Kumar may check-mate high and mighty

Seth 4^th Most Powerful

Those who know Ajit Kumar Seth from close quarters say he is not a power hungry bureaucrat, and in many ways represents the same culture that his predecessor KM Chandrasekhar. He is cool and down-to-earth and does not enter into the other person’s domain. But Seth’s woos may come from the fact that it’s not a honeymoon time for the government.

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Seth’s power and problems

Nair 5^th Most Powerful

Principal secretary to PM, TKA Nair, who was the second most powerful bureaucrat in BoI’s list of 2009 and 2010, has slipped to the fifth position in the list of 5 Most Powerful Indian Bureaucrats in India, 2011. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has recently divested Nair’s power as he would no longer be the principal secretary to PM from October 3, 2011. Yet, Nair will continue to exert influence in high-voltage power scene in the year to come. BoI in earlier occasions dubbed him as a master bureaucrat comparing him with Henry Kissinger of yesteryears.

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Nair loses AAA rating