Commentary/Rajiv Shukla
Decision time
Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral will
soon have to make up his mind about the appointment of certain
top-rung
bureaucrats. The terms of the Cabinet secretary, home secretary,
foreign secretary, CBI director, IB director and UPSC chairman are
running out.
As far as the post of Cabinet secretary goes, a change of guard
is imminent. T S R Subramaniam is already on extension and is
not at all keen on another one. He ought to be rehabilitated
in a manner that would enable the government to
utilise his experience.
The names that are doing the rounds as successor to Subramaniam
include Animal Husbandry Secretary Yogesh Chandra, Water Resources Secretary Mata
Prasad, Textiles Secretary Prabhat Kumar, Industries Secretary
T R Prasad and Expenditure Secretary C Ramachandran. Subramaniam is due to
retire in December
and the new Cabinet secretary is required to work as officer-on-special
duty in the secretariat for a month before taking charge.
Home Secretary K Padmanabhaiah is due for retirement on October 31. Hectic lobbying
is on for the post. At the moment, Revenue Secretary N K Singh, Culture Secretary B P Singh, Personnel Secretary Arvind Verma, Mata Prasad and Manish Gupta are the
front-runners.
Union Home Minister Indrajit Gupta has made it clear that no further
extension will be granted to the home secretary. Padmanbhaiah
could well be in line for a gubernatorial posting or could become
the Prasar Bharti CEO.
Manish Gupta of the West Bengal cadre is said to be the home minister's choice. But neither
is Gupta empanelled for the
secretary's job in the Government of India, nor is he in
West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu's best books. So, if Indrajit
Gupta is really serious about appointing Manish Gupta, he must
have the latter empanelled in the GOI as a special case.
Though N K Singh's efficiency and experience cannot be questioned, it
is unlikely that Finance Minister P Chidambaram will let his
trusted revenue secretary go, especially when the crucial VDIS
scheme is midway.
Mata Prasad's name is being floated for both the slots -- home
and Cabinet. The fact that he had earlier worked closely with
Sitaram Kesri in the ministry of welfare could work to his advantage.
But his term as water resources secretary does not end before
January.
Both Arvind Verma and B P Singh have been in the home ministry
and are known for their efficiency. But they are low-profile bureaucrats
with no political clout.
As far
as the top job in the UPSC goes, a retired IAS official is expected to
take over.
Another important slot that will soon fall vacant
in the home ministry is that of Special Secretary V S Mathur.
In the foreign office, the prime minister is keen to give an extension
to Secretary K Raghunath. Gujral also wants to send former foreign
secretary Salman Haider to London as high commissioner.
The final decision regarding all these bureaucratic matters will
have to be taken in a hurry.
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