Headless Departments: ITBP joins government’s temporary arrangement list

THE adhoc appointment of Dr Mahboob Alam, a 1981 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IPS, as director general of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) is the latest in the series of government’s temporary arrangements for heading departments and organizations. The only exception was the reversal of the government’s own order of a temporary arrangement for the post of…
secretary in the ministry of environment and forests. Though the government in an order dated November 30, 2012 appointed the ministry’s in-house man MF Farooqui, a 1978 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS, as secretary on a temporary basis for three months, it quickly reversed the decision. On December 6, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet headed by PM, brought in V Rajagopalan, also a 1978 batch IAS, as the full-fledged secretary in the ministry of environment and forests.
The decision, however, ended the uncertainty caused after the retirement of secretary T Chatterjee, a 1975 batch Andhra Pradesh cadre IAS. After all, the government’s investment push by pumping in billions of rupees through its own cash-rich PSUs will dampen if environment clearances don’t come on time.
But the temporary arrangements have continued in other crucial government departments. For example, there is no full-fledged secretary in the departments of disinvestment and heavy industries even as the budget estimate for disinvestment is about Rs 30,000 crore, and as on December first week, the government raised some Rs 800 crore only by divesting a 5.58% stake in Hindustan Copper.
Secretary of department of financial services DK Mittal who is retiring next month, is given additional charge of disinvestment department too. Mittal will “hold additional charge of the post of secretary in the department of disinvestment for a period of two months, or till the appointment of a regular incumbent to the post, whichever is earlier,” the ACC order said. Similarly, DPE secretary and 1977 batch MP cadre IAS OP Rawat was holding additional charge as secretary in the department of heavy industries too since October 31. Earlier, it was the ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises which remained headless for a long period.

Action and Appointments
a) Tabom Bam, a 1977 batch UT cadre IAS currently in the cadre, has been appointed as secretary in the Inter State Council Secretariat under the ministry of home affairs.
b) Prashant Kumar Singh, a 1993 batch Manipur-Tripura cadre IAS, presently working as director in the ministry of petroleum and natural gas, has been elevated as joint secretary in the same ministry.
c) Arun Kumar Jain, a 1977 batch Nagaland cadre IAS, presently adviser in Inter State Council Secretariat under MHA, has been appointed as secretary in the department of official language under the same ministry.