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Journalism of Courage
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has repeatedly warned against politicisation of the bureaucracy. But Union ministers continue to push their favourites for middle-rung civil service posts. It is the Central Services Board, comprising the Cabinet Secretary, Personnel Secretary, the seniormost SC officer and the Secretary of the Ministry where there is a vacancy, that is authorised to decide on the post. But the CSB has virtually been rendered defunct with ministers recommending their own choices to the Personnel Ministry. A classic example is the appointment of Satyajeet Rajan, a Kerala-cadre officer, to the post of Joint Secretary in the Department of Defence Production. Rajan was sought by name by Defence Minister A K Antony from the Personnel Ministry. Another example is Manu Shrivastava, who worked as private secretary to Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath. Though he was selected for the India Trade Promotion Organisation, he waited a while to go to the Petroleum Ministry as Director (Natural Gas). Of course, a word to Murli Deora by Kamal Nath apparently helped. Deora, likewise, put in a word to Power Minister Sushilkumar Shinde to pick his Director V P Joy as joint secretary in the power department. Shinde also came to former Minister of State (Personnel) Suresh Pachauri’s rescue by absorbing the latter’s private secretary Malay Shrivastav in his department after Pachauri was sent to Madhya Pradesh as the PCC president. Shinde became a knight in shining armour for Kamal Nath again by taking on his second private secretary, I C P Kesri, as joint secretary in the Power Ministry when rules forbid a minister’s private secretary becoming a joint secretary in the same ministry.
