Corridor’s other Manmohan Singh: Andhra Pradesh cadre IAS is in the dock

What's in a Name?

THE Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to Dr Manmohan Singh on a petition alleging that he helped Kadapa MP YS Jaganmohan Reddy in accumulating illegal assets. Surprised? Utterly confused? Just hold your breath. This Manmohan Singh is not the Prime Minister of India but a 1985 batch Andhra Pradesh cadre IAS.

In fact, the apex court issued notices to six Andhra Pradesh ministers and eight bureaucrats including Manmohan Singh. The other IAS officers who were also issued notices by SC were SV Prasad, now retired, 1980 batch IAS CVSK Sarma, 1978 batch IAS M Samuel, 1988 batch IAS Y Srilakshmi, 1987 batch IAS Aditya Nath Das, 1981 batch IAS K Ratna Prabha and 1983 batch IAS B Sam Bob. K Ratna Prabha incidentally is a Karnataka cadre IAS.

Significantly, IAS Manmohan Singh, originally hailing from Madhya Pradesh, was a veterinary doctor before getting into IAS. So, according to DoPT records, he is Dr Manmohan Singh. And that’s technically correct. Armed with a diploma in French, Singh is also an MBA from UK. In late 1990s, Singh was a deputy secretary and then director in rural development ministry at the Centre. Currently, he is principal secretary in charge of housing in Andhra Pradesh.

Babu Tweets

Amitabh Kant, a 1980 batch Kerala cadre IAS, has joined the world of micro-blogging. On Monday, he tweeted from Istanbul: “President of India terms the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor project as iconic and highlights the significant progress made by it”. Kant heading the USD 90 billion DMIC project was in Istanbul to deliver a talk on future trends in travel and tourism.

Action and Appointments

a) PK Das, a 1983 batch IRS (Central Customs and Excise) officer, has been empanelled to hold the post of a joint secretary and equivalent. His batch-mate Asif Iqbal is however not eligible to hold joint secretary’s post “because of incomplete ACRs”, a DoPT circular said.

b) The name of Nikunja Bihari Dhal, a 1993 batch Orissa cadre IAS, has been recommended by the state government for Central deputation.

c) Vijayendra Kumar, a 1995 batch Haryana cadre IAS, has been appointed as director in school education in HRD ministry.

d) Jagdish Prasad Meena, a 1983 batch Assam cadre IAS, has been shifted to the ministry of food processing as a joint secretary on a lateral basis. He is currently working as a JS in National Human Rights Commission.