Amit Agrawal who is currently on central deputation is likely to return to the parent Chhattisgarh cadre as Chief Secretary. He is 1993 batch IAS officer of Chhattisgarh.

Ravi Agrawal, the Chairman, CBDT is on extension which expires in June this year. The Board has only two members.

With 27 AIS officers, it is the AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union territories) cadre that has the highest representation at the Centre. AGMUT is the second largest cadre after Uttar Pradesh in terms of cadre strength. It has the cadre strength of 542 IAS, 457 IPS, 302 IFoS officers. AGMUT is followed by Bihar and MP with 19 and 18 such officers in these posts until October last year. In terms of authorised cadre strength, Bihar has 675 sanctioned posts, while MP is the third largest with 1,074 sanctioned posts.

Ajay Seth, Secretary, DEA, has been appointed as Finance Secretary. He is a 1987 batch IAS officer of Karnataka cadre.

( We said this on March 1, 2025)

The post of Ms Arti Bhatnagar has been upgraded as Special Secretary & Financial Advisor, Ministry of Commerce & Industry in Secretary rank. She is a 1990 batch IDAS officer.

The post of Ms Trishaljit Sethi has been upgraded as Director General (Training), Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship in the Secretary rank. She is a 1990 batch IPoS officer.

The post of Sanjay Prasad has been upgraded as Special Secretary, Department of Expenditure in the Secretary rank. He is a 1990 batch IRS-IT officer.

The post of L Staya Srinivas has been upgraded as Special Secretary, Department of Commerce in Secretary rank. He is a 1991 batch IRS-C&IT officer.

The post of S Sharad Rao has been upgraded as Director in the Ministry of Steel. He is a 2011 batch IOFS officer.

According to sources, a major reshuffle is anticipated in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in the coming weeks, with transfers expected at the levels of DIG to ADG.

Raman Kumar has been empanelled for holding Joint Secretary or Joint Secretary equivalent posts in the Government of India. He is a 2009 batch IAS officer of Bihar cadre.

Sharandeep Kaur Brar has been empanelled for holding Joint Secretary or Joint Secretary equivalent posts in the Government of India. He is a 2009 batch IAS officer of Haryana cadre.

D Prasanth Kumar Reddy has been empanelled for holding Joint Secretary or Joint Secretary equivalent posts in the Government of India. He is a 2009 batch IAS officer of Odisha cadre.

Milind Dharmarao Ramteke has been empanelled for holding Joint Secretary or Joint Secretary equivalent posts in the Government of India. He is a 2009 batch IAS officer of Tripura cadre.

Mannan Akhtar has been appointed as Commissioner in the Delhi Development Authority (DDA). He is a 2011 batch IAS officer of UP cadre.

Devendra Kumar, GGM, ONGC has been appointed as Director (Finance), Mangalore Refinery & Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL).

Ms Ritu Goswami is proving her mettle in the preponderance of male dominated management. She is one of the 27 women Board members out of 700 Board Members in Public Sector Undertakings (PSU). She was appointed as Director (Technical), Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers Limited with effect from January 17, 2024. Ms Goswami is a Chemical Engineer having more than 35 years of hands on experience in varied aspects of the fertilizer industry. She has an acumen for leadership oriented management with key areas of expertise in conceptualization of projects, project feasibility, selection of technology, project cost estimates,  projects coordination, business strategies,  contract management, process engineering, optimizing input costs for product manufacturing via  negotiations with leading suppliers, production planning and  performance monitoring of mega fertilizer plants. She has actively represented the urea industry and taken up issues related to major raw material i.e. natural gas and policy matters with stakeholders including regulatory and government bodies. While on deputation as fertilizer expert in HURL, she led drafting of the techno-commercial scope on  LSTK basis  and obtained statutory approvals for  mega fertilizer  projects at Gorakhpur, Sindri and Barauni. She has attended an advanced leadership programme organised by Indian institute of Public Administration, New Delhi and International Business School, Hague.

The Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) is yet to issue approval for the appointment of S M Ramanathan, ED, Bhopal Unit, BHEL, Director (Engineering, Research & Development), Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL). Meanwhile, Ramanathan has been shifted to Delhi corporate office with P K Upadhayay looking after the charge of Bhopal Unit.

Ms Shilp Chopda has been appointed as Deputy Secretary in the Department of Defence. She is a 2015 batch IRS-IT officer.

K V Tirumala has been appointed as Director in the Department of Defence. He is a 2009 batch ITradeS officer.

No officer of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) of 1994 batch from Jharkhand cadre has been empanelled as Secretary in the Government of India.

As many as 18 members of the State Civil Service (SCS) of W Bengal have been promoted as IAS against the Select List of 2023 and awarded W Bengal cadre. Those promoted include: Shyamal Chandra Mondal, Hrishikes Mudi, Amyas Tshering, Goma Lhamu Tshering, Dawa Lamu Phinijo, Kausik Basak, Manirupa Bhattacharjya, Sumita Bagchi, Saikat Sannidhi Bhattacharyya, Avijit Kumar Latua, Sanjukta Chakraborty, Debasish Nandi, Arindam Mani, Arindam Dutta, Santanu Mukherjee, Hindole Datta, Sheuli Banerjee Mukherjee and Suman Kumar Ghosh.

The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) has invited applications for IABSE Awards-2025. The awards are held to honour extraordinary talent and groundbreaking projects that shape the field of bridge and structural engineering. This year the awards will be held on November 14, 2025. Nomination applications for different categories must reach on or before March 31, 2025.

The Office of The Controller General of Defence Account (CGDA) has called for volunteers from IT Pool Manpower for PCSA (P) Prayagraj. Applications must reach on or before March 28, 2025.

The Office of The Controller General of Defence Account (CGDA) has invited applications from AAOs for the post of Senior Finance Officer for Internal Audit Duties in Aeronautical Development Agency, Bengaluru.

Two  IDAS officers have been promoted and to the grade of Principal Controller of Defence Accounts (Higher Administrative Grade) alongwith transfer/ posting in SAG in the Indian Defence Accounts Service. Pramod Kumar has been posted at PCDA, Bengaluru and Dr A K Pradyot at PIFA (Q&M), Delhi. Both are 1995 batch officers.

IRCON International Limited has invited applications from SAG/NFSAG-CGM level officials for one vacancy of Chief General Manager-Civil (CGM-Civil) for Corporate Office, New Delhi on deputation basis. Applications must reach on or before April 23, 2025.

Ms Rekha Solanki has been appointed Executive Director in National Insurance Company Limited (NICL). Prior to this, she was serving as General Manager, Oriental Insurance Company Limited.

Ms Sreedevi Nair has been appointed as Executive Director in National Insurance Company Limited (NICL). Prior to this, she was serving as General Manager in New India Assurance Company Limited (NIACL).

Ayyappan Chakravarty Seshadri has been appointed Executive Director in National Insurance Company Limited (NICL). Prior to this, he was serving as General Manager in New India Assurance Company Limited (NIACL).

Interviews of 53 candidates for 19 posts of Assistant Director GradeII (IEDS) (Food) in Office of the Development Commissioner, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) will be held on April 21, 22, 23 and 24.

Interview of 37 candidates for 12 posts of Assistant Director GradeII (IEDS) (Hosiery) in Office of the Development Commissioner, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) will be held on April 8 and 9.

Ashish Sharma, Principal Chief Safety Officer (PCSO), Northern Railway, has been transferred to Railway Board and posted as Additional Member (Mechanical Engineering), Railway Board. He is an Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME) officer

Mahesh Kumar Garg, Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Northern Railway, has been transferred to the Indian Railway Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering (IRIMEE), Jamalpur, and appointed as Director General (DG), IRIMEE. He is an Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME) officer.

Alok Shekhar has been appointed as ACS-cum-Financial Commissioner, Cooperation and in additional ACS, Home Affairs, while Mrs Jaspreet Talwar was made ACS, Planning in addition ACS, Mines & Geology and Ajit Balaji Joshi is Administrative Secretary, Rural Development & Panchayats in addition Administrative Secretary. Besides, Bansant Garg has been appointed as Secretary, Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare and Dilraj Singh is Secretary, Parliamentary Affairs in addition Secretary, Health & Family Welfare in addition Commissioner, Food & Drug Administration.

South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) observed World TB Day at its headquarters and various operational areas by organizing special awareness programs. On this occasion, activities such as Nikshay Pledge, awareness rallies, awareness camps in schools, free screening camps, and various competitions in schools and colleges were conducted. SECL’s Director (Personnel), Biranchi Das, emphasized the company’s commitment to India’s TB eradication mission, stating, "SECL is fully dedicated to making India TB-free. We are continuously working towards eliminating this disease among our employees and the surrounding communities." SECL’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Pratibha Pathak, highlighted the role of the company’s medical team in spreading awareness about tuberculosis. She said, "The entire medical team of SECL’s headquarters and operational areas is playing a crucial role in ensuring that the message of TB awareness reaches every individual." Recently, SECL actively participated in the 100-day National TB Eradication Program launched by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, which concluded on March 17, 2025. As part of this campaign, SECL organized multiple awareness programs and conducted free TB screening for people living near mining areas. National TB Elimination Program (NTEP): A Vision for TB-Free India. The 100-day campaign was a key initiative under the National TB Elimination Program (NTEP), implemented under the National Health Mission (NHM). It aligns with the National Strategic Plan (NSP) 2017-2025, aimed at eradicating TB from India.

Himanshu Gunawat has been appointed as Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship. He is a 2014 batch IRSME officer.

Atul Kumar has been appointed as Director in the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management. He is a 2011 batch IRS-IT officer.

Manas Ranjan Mohanty has been promoted to the grade of Chief Commissioner of Customs & Indirect Taxes in the Indian Revenue Service (Customs & Indirect Taxes) against the Panel Year 2025 on ad hoc basis.  

Chandra Prakash Goyal and Prachi Saroop have been promoted to the grade of Principal Chief Commissioner / Principal Director General of Customs & Indirect Taxes in the Indian Revenue Service (Customs & Indirect Taxes) against the Panel Year 2025.

REC Power Development and Consultancy Limited (RECPDCL), a wholly owned subsidiary of REC Limited, the Maharatna CPSU under the aegis of Ministry of Power, handed over project specific SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle) of ISTS Transmission Project under TBCB route viz, Ratle Kiru Power Transmission Limited to IndiGrid 2 Private Limited on March 24, 2025 at Gurugram. IndiGrid 2 Private Limited emerged as the Transmission Service Provider (TSP) through Tariff-Based Competitive Bidding (TBCB) process conducted by RECPDCL, the Bid Process Coordinator, for development of the transmission project on Build, Own, Operate & Transfer (BOOT) basis. The SPV was handed over by TSC Bosh, CEO, RECPDCL to Puneet Singh Chauhan, Vice President & Head (Commercial), IndiGrid 2 Private Limited in the presence of Senior Officials of RECPDCL, IndiGrid 2 Private Limited and Central Transmission Utility of India Limited. The implementation period of the project is 24 months. The scheme covers construction of 150 kms of 400 KV transmission line between Samba (J&K) & Jalandhar (Punjab), 35 kms of 400 KV line between Kishenpur (J&K) & Samba including other associated works. The estimated cost of the project is around Rs. 1,407.44 Crore.

Amit Kumar Singh has been appointed as Director in the Department of Land Resources. He is a 2011 batch IOFS officer.

Vaibhav Chandrakant Ghalme has been appointed as Director in the Department of Health and Family Welfare. He is a 2011 batch ICAS officer.

As many as 17 IPS officers in Delhi have been transferred. B Shankar Jaiswal has been shifted as Joint CP/Central Range, while Parmaditya takes over as  Joint CP/ Special Branch and Vikramjit Singh is now Joint CP/Security. Similarly, Pushpendra Kumar has been posted as Joint CP/ Eastern Range; Ms Nupur Prasad as Joint CP/ Licensing; Sharat Kumar Sinha as Addl CP/ GAD; Sanjay Bhatia as Addl CP/ HQ (Pers.); D K Surendra Singh as Addl CP/ SPUWAC & SPUNER; Ms Akanksha Yadav as DCP/Security; Bharat Reddy Bommareddy as DCP/HQ; Sudhanshu Verma as DCP/Licensing; Harsh Indora as DCP/ Crime; Amit Verma as DCP/ EOW; Ms Shristi Pandey as DCP/ SPUWAC; Ms Nithya Radhakrishnan as Addl DCP/ North District; Rishi Kumar as Addl DCP/ Central District and Ms Aishwarya Singh will be posted as Addl DCP/ South West District.   

As many as 11 DANIPS officers in Delhi have been transferred. Rajeev Kumar has been shifted as DCP/HQ, while Satish Kumar will take over as DCP/Traffic and Dhal Singh Patle is now DCP/1st Bn., DAP. Similarly, Chandra Prakash Meena is posted as Addl DCP/Outer North District; Hukma Ram Sai as DCP/Traffic; Piyush Jain as Addl DCP/ West District (CDC); Manoj Kumar Meena as Addl DCP/Outer District (CDC); Ridhima Seth as Addl DCP/ SPUWAC (CDC); Ishan Bhardwaj as Addl DCP/ South East District (CDC); Prashant Choudhary as Addl DCP/ Central District (CDC) and Patel Nirav Kumar Arvindbhai was made Addl DCP/ Outer-North District (CDC).

Recognizing in-house exceptional contributions and performance, SAIL presented the prestigious Corporate Awards for Excellence for 2023 and 2024 at a ceremony in New Delhi on 24 March, 2025. The event honored 25 employees across 11 categories. IISCO Steel and Bokaro Steel Plant were awarded Best Steel Plant for the performance years 2022-23 and 2023-24, respectively. For these years, awards for the Best Plant/Unit (other than ISPs) were conferred upon the Centre for Engineering and Technology (CET) and the Management Training Institute (MTI), both based in Ranchi, Jharkhand.

Launched in 2020, the awards celebrate achievements in areas such as profitability, cost reduction, process efficiency, technology adoption, motivation, marketing innovation, and safety practices among others. The ceremony was graced by SAIL's Chairman, Board of Directors, Chief Vigilance Officer, and other senior officials, underscoring the organization’s commitment to employee engagement and excellence.

Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) Board of Directors has elected Gopal Vittal vice chairman and managing director of Bharti Airtel, as its new chairman, until 2026.

Sachindra Salvi has been appointed as Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer (MD & CEO) on the Board of GIC Housing Finance Limited.

Arun Kumar Diwan has been appointed as Part-time Official Director on the Board of Andrew Yule & Company Limited (AYCL).

Rahul Narendra Mehta has been appointed as a Non-Executive Independent Director of Banswara Syntex Limited.

Lopamudra Chatterjee has been appointed as Additional Director (Non-Executive Non-Independent) of Williamson Magor & Company Limited.

Ashim Kumar Mookherjee has been appointed as an Additional Director (Non-Executive Independent) of Williamson Magor & Company Limited.

Manju Lakhanpal has been re-appointed as Non-Executive Independent Director of Winsome Textile Industries Limited, effective April 1, 2025.

Naresh Dhanrajbhai Kella has ceased to be Independent Director of State Trading Corporation of India Limited (STC) upon completion of his tenure.

Justice Chitra Venkataraman has ceased to be Independent Director of Ramco Industries Limited upon completion of her tenure.

Ms Neena Singh has ceased to be Non-Executive Independent Director of Winsome Textile Industries Limited upon completion of her tenure.

Best wishes to SBI Chairman!

We wish our SBI chairman to be elected as chairman of IBA. Wish him all the best.

Venkata Subbarao

Numerous complaints against CPIO and First Appellate Authority of Bank

The PIO denied information sought by the appellant claiming that it relates to internal communication of the Bank and is confidential in nature. Further, no larger public interest is involved in the matter and the information is exempt from disclosure under Section 8(1)(d) of the Act. Before the CIC, it was submitted that the appellant has filed multiple RTI applications and First Appeals and the same have been disposed of within stipulated time frame. It was informed that RTI applications of the appellant are an offshoot of a family dispute between him and his relative (being one of their staff) and the respondent authority is being dragged to such a personal dispute, which is a clear abuse of the provisions of RTI Act. The respondent claimed that in addition to filing numerous RTI applications and complaints, the appellant had also been harassing the officials of our Zone by repeated calls and personal visits to the Branch/Zone. The Appellant has filed numerous complaints against the CPIO, First Appellate Authority of Ujjain Zone and even against the CPIO and First Appellate Authority of Head Office for exercising their functions under the RTI Act. The officials including the CPIOs are under threat of constant attack from the RTI Applicant for no fault of theirs. Malicious attacks are made on CPIOs through lengthy RTI Applications and Appeals. It was also submitted that the appellant's second appeal was dismissed by the CIC vide order dated 20.09.2024 in No. CIC/BKOIN/A/2023/128876 and order dated 28.11.2024 in No. CIC/BKOIN/A/2023/141282. The CIC noted that the reply given by the PIO is evasive and misleading. The CPIO, without applying his mind, has simply denied the information as it pertains to their internal communication and most importantly, the CPIO has not specified any of the exemptions clauses or sub-clauses as enumerated under sections 8 and 9 of the RTI Act. The CIC directed the PIO to revisit the above-mentioned points and furnish a revised reply to the appellant, specifying the correct exemptions clauses or sub-clauses. Regarding the submission of the respondents of multiple RTI applications being filed by the appellant, the CIC observed that the said concern can be taken up in an appropriate matter in the future for want of any similar pattern of cases as well as in the absence of any specific reference of the number of RTI applications filed with the respondent.

Comments

A PIO must know the clauses of the RTI Act thoroughly and the denial of information should be only as per section 8 or section 9.

Citation: Premchand Bangaria v. Bank of India, Mumbai, CIC/BKOIN/A/2024/116770; Date of Decision: 05.03.2025

Dr Anuradha Verma (dranuradhaverma@yahoo.co.in) is a RTI Consultant currently working with IIM Vishakhapatnam. She has co-authored the books PIO’s Guide to RTI and Right to Information – Law and Practice. Her weekly article is being published since 2008 on this site. She offers consultancy on RTI matters and third party audit to individuals / organisations. Her other articles can be read at the website of RTI Foundation at the link https://www.rtifoundationofindia.com

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