IAS Akshay Sunil Agrawal, a 2019-batch officer of the Odisha cadre and currently the District Magistrate of Nayagarh encountered a stark reality during field visits earlier this year. Despite the district’s steady development indicators, remote habitations remained cut off from basic services lacking roads, electricity, schools, safe drinking water and social security coverage. “The gaps were stark and demanded not just infrastructure, but respect and visibility for communities long left out of the development story” he shared.

To address this, ‘Mission Antyodaya’ was launched to reach the last mile by prioritising the most underserved villages. Rooted in the Antyodaya philosophy, the initiative follows a bottom-up, data-driven approach- mapping gaps across education, housing, power, water, connectivity and livelihoods.

Zeroing in on the Most Neglected: One early focus was village called Nepal, deep inside a protected forest and nearly 10 km from the nearest motorable road. Families there lacked grid power, a school, potable water and Anganwadi services- conditions emblematic of systemic neglect. Agrawal’s team brought baseline surveys, essential services and a human-centered approach to the forefront. 

Under Agrawal’s leadership Practical Progress was delivered on Multiple Fronts by moving beyond templated schemes:

Education Access: With no nearby school, teachers now travel to Nepal village to hold classes twice a week. Children have been supplied uniforms and books, and proposals are underway for a permanent primary school. Older adolescents are being enrolled in open schooling and residential institutions after family trust was built through sustained dialogue.

Anganwadi Services : Construction completed providing services covering  nutrition, early childhood care, and maternal health

Power & Water Solutions: Where extending grid power would take years and forest clearances, solar micro-grids now provide immediate electricity. A new borewell with solar pumping and filtration replaced contaminated water sources. 

Road Connectivity: A coordinated effort between revenue and forest teams, financed through rural connectivity programs and MGNREGA, is underway to construct all-weather access,crucial for health, markets and broader engagement. 

Livelihood & Housing Support: Households lacking land now receive support through goat-rearing and dairy projects. Eligible families have been linked to housing schemes like PMAY (Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana) with flexible use of local materials allowed under forest rules. 

Social Security Inclusion: A key milestone under the mission has been 100% Aadhaar saturation in Nepal village, enabling seamless linkage to welfare schemes.All eligible families have been connected to pensions and public distribution benefits, reinforcing the mission’s emphasis on dignity over charity. 

Presence and Trust Building: Agrawal’s personal engagement trekking difficult terrain, speaking directly with villagers and sitting with families on the ground  has helped break barriers and build confidence in governance “Development isn’t statistics or structures alone, it’s about dignity and being seen” he notes.

Today, Mission Antyodaya has expanded beyond Nepal to similar hamlets across the district with ongoing road works, increased solar coverage, rising school participation and strengthening government-community trust. IAS Agarwal is quietly reshaping expectations of rural administration by ensuring that no village and no citizen, is left behind.

Rumour mill says that the present Chairman, CBDT Ravi Agrawal is unlikely to get extension and may be sent to Rajya Sabha as Secretary General.

As many as 20 officers of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) of various cadres and batches are retiring in December, 2025. They are: Shantamanu, Dr Pawan Kotwal, Prashant Kumar Panda, Krishan Kumar of AGMUT cadre; Pankaj Jain, Renette C Sohkhlet and Debajyoti Dutta of Assam-Meghalaya cadre; Sayed Jawaid Haider, V J Rajput, D J Jadeja of Gujarat; Ramesh Chander Bidhan of Haryana; Anjani Kumar Mishra, Pawan Kumar of Jharkhand; Kishor Sadashiv Tawade of Maharashtra; Dr Subodh Agarwal of Rajasthan; Vikram Kapur and Dr Atulya Mishra of Tamil Nadu and Anil Verma, Hirdyesh Mohan and Subhra Chakrabarti of West Bengal cadre.

There’s growing chatter within the Enforcement Directorate that senior officials who spearheaded the National Herald investigation may face internal scrutiny after the high-profile acquittal of the Gandhis. The case, once projected as a marquee probe, has now drawn criticism within the agency for being legally weak and politically motivated. Sources suggest that top brass in the Directorate are upset over what they see as procedural lapses and overreach that embarrassed the agency. Speculation is rife that quiet departmental reviews, transfers, or accountability measures could follow to contain the fallout and restore credibility after the setback.

National Investigation Agency (NIA) Director General Sadanand Date has been repatriated to his parent Maharashtra cadre, paving the way for his appointment as the next Director General of Police (DGP) of the state. A 1990-batch IPS officer, Date is known for his integrity and long experience in handling sensitive investigations, including counter-terror operations. His return is understood to have the backing of  Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who played a key role in the decision. Date’s elevation is expected to bring stability to the state police leadership amid ongoing administrative reshuffles and law-and-order challenges in Maharashtra.

Krishna Kumar Thakur, who joined BHEL as Director (Human Resources) on July 4, 2023, is now switching over to NMDC. Thakur, who belongs to an IRPS officer, has applied for the post of Director Personnel, NMDC. Why is he trying to join a smaller PSU than BHEL?

The Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) is holding interviews for the post of Director (Projects), Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA) on December 24, 2025.

The IndiGo disruption has sharpened debate within the government on whether competition law is keeping pace with market concentration in aviation. Senior bureaucrats in the economic ministries and the aviation establishment are learnt to be informally flagging gaps in the Competition Commission of India’s toolkit, arguing that an airline with over 60% domestic market share can convert operational lapses into a systemic shock for consumers and the wider economy. The CCI has already opened a probe into IndiGo’s conduct and pricing behaviour during the cancellations episode, but officials now want faster, more pre-emptive powers, including suo motu intervention, interim directions and sharper penalties when dominance interacts with essential infrastructure-like services. The emerging view is that the current saga should become a test case to hard-wire deterrence, through amendments or stronger regulations before the next disruption hits.

The tenure of Dr Vipin Kumar as Deputy Secretary in Prime Minister's office (PMO) has been extended upto January 4, 2027. He is a 2013 batch IFS officer.

The tenure of Ms Reshma Reghunathan Nair as Director in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has been extended upto January 19, 2027. She is a 2011 batch IRS-IT officer.

The post of Amit Kumar as Private Secretary to Sarbananda Sonowal, Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has been upgraded to Director level. He is a 2012 batch IAS officer of Bihar cadre.

Ms Nandini Paliwal has been appointed as Secretary to Lt. Governor Delhi. She is a 2003 batch IAS officer of AGMUT cadre.

The 5th National Conference of Chief Secretaries will begin at ICAR, New Delhi on December 26. The Conference will last for two days. In view of the CS Conference, the NITI Aayog will observe a working day on December 25. The Office Order has directed all officers, Officials and Contractual staff to attend the office on the said day.

A latest corridor rumour says that a retired IPS officer may be appointed new NIA chief, but there is no official confirmation about this . Some sources said that a working DG May be appointed next NIA Chief.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has issued fresh posting orders for six officers in the grade of Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax (Pr CCIT)/Principal Director General of Income Tax (Pr DGIT). Adarsh Kumar Modi has been posted as Pr CCIT, Pune with additional charge of Pr. CCIT, Nagpur, while Anita Sinha takes over as Pr DGIT, Training, Delhi with additional charge of Pr DGIT, HRD, Delhi. Ashok Kumar Saroha will join as Pr CCIT, North Western Region (NWR), Chandigarh; Anand Rajeshwar Baiwar as Pr CCIT (OSD), Hyderabad with additional charge of Pr CCIT, Odisha; Anand Jha as Pr CCIT, Delhi-2 and Rakesh Gupta is now DGIT, Vigilance/Chief Vigilance Officer, CBDT, Delhi.

Sajeesh Kumar N, Coal Controller, Coal Controller Organization, has been assigned an additional charge of Commissioner, CMPFO for a period of six months. He is a 2002batch IRTS officer.

The central deputation tenure of Ms Gitanjali Gupta working as Additional Secretary, NITI Aayog has been extended for a period of two years up to February 3, 2028. She is a 1996 batch IAS officer of AGMUT cadre.

N Saravana Kumar, Vice Chairman, DDA, has been assigned an additional charge of Member Secretary, National Capital Region Planning Board till the appointment of a regular incumbent. He is a 2000 batch IAS officer of Bihar cadre.

National promotions elevated 27 IAS officers to Selection Grade, including Lalvena (2001 batch, Tamil Nadu cadre) to Additional Chief Secretary.

Reports indicated 11,152 acres of defence land remain encroached upon, impacting military readiness. This was flagged in a government update as a policy concern for the Army and other forces.

 Post-Somanath era (former Chairman), speculations are rife over return to “pre-2022 opacity” in updates, with current Chairman V. Narayanan criticised for delayed info on Gaganyaan. There is prediction of potential mid-2026 reshuffle if un-crewed test (Q1 2026) faces delays, favouring more private sector integrations (e.g., Dhruva Space).

Whispers suggest potential IAS/IPS rotations influenced by the Centre’s new transfer oversight. Social media trends predict increased focus on North-South industrial shifts, with Karnataka positioning as a “China+1” hub via PLI schemes (₹40,000 crore rolled out).

A former IAS officer flagged youth job crisis and advocated special status with full Amaravati development to boost employment.

Buzz emerged over IAS officer S. Sandeep Kumar Jha’s (1995 batch) transfer, with his posting reportedly withheld without official confirmation; speculated roles include key revenue or urban development positions amid state reshuffle talks.

Two officers of Non-State Civil Service of Tamil Nadu: F Abdul Razick and V Nallasivan have been promoted to Indian Administrative Service (IAS) against the Select List of 2024 and allocated Tamil Nadu cadre.

CBDT has ordered transfers and postings in the DGIT grade. This reshuffle affects senior IRS (Income Tax) officers, with notable postings including a shift from the Investigation Directorate in Bengaluru to the Foreign Tax and Tax Research unit in New Delhi. The order aims to address workload imbalances in high-revenue zones.

 Persistent speculation in tax circles suggests the Revenue Secretary’s return of CBIC posting files could lead to a full reshuffle post-new Chairperson appointment on January 1, 2026. This may impact DRI and Central Excise leadership, with whispers of cross-postings to high-evasion zones like Mumbai and Chennai.

Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has invited applications for senior posts in the O&M Wing. These posts include Deputy General Manager (SSM), Deputy General Manager (AFC/Tele), Deputy General Manager (Stores) and Deputy General Manager (P-Way). Applications must reach latest by January 15, 2026.

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), New Delhi has advertised six posts of Technical Officers. Online applications must reach latest by January 4, 2026.

High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL), Pune is seeking Junior Research Fellow (JRF). Applications must reach latest by January 7, 2026.

Proof & Experimental Establishment (PXE), Chandipur, Balasore, Odisha invites applications for two posts of Junior Research Fellows in the field of Electronics and Communication Engineering. Applications must reach latest by January 8, 2026.

Last date to apply for the post of Director General (Akashvani) & Director General (Doordarshan), New Delhi on deputation basis has been extended. The revised date is January 15, 2026.

Dr Kacham Anand Rao has been selected for the post of Chairman and Managing Director (CMD), Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL), Jaduguda. Prior to this, he was serving as Outstanding Scientist & Head (MPD), BARC.

World Bank is seeking Governance Specialist for Washington, DC, United States. Applications must reach latest by January 5, 2026.

World Bank has advertised the post of Senior Investment Officer (Business Development-MAS) for Tokyo, Japan. Applications must reach latest by January 25, 2026.

Saleem Ahmad, Director (Projects), NBCC (India) Limited, has been appointed as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), for a period until his superannuation on April 30, 2029.

Himanshu Shukla has been transferred from North Central Railway (NCR) to Eastern Railway (ER) and posted in the cadre. He is an Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) officer.

Manish Singh has been transferred from Central Railway (CR) to Eastern Railway (ER), appointed to officiate in Senior Administrative Grade (SA Grade) and posted in the cadre. He is an Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS) officer.

Abhishek Ranjan has been transferred from South Central Railway (SCR) to IRIFM, appointed to officiate in Senior Administrative Grade (SA Grade) and posted in the cadre. He is an Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS) officer.

Subodh Vishwakarma has been transferred from West Central Railway (WCR) to North Central Railway (NCR), appointed to officiate in Senior Administrative Grade (SA Grade) and posted in the cadre. He is an Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS) officer.

MB Murlidhar has been transferred from South Central Railway (SCR) to South Western Railway (SWR), appointed to officiate in Senior Administrative Grade (SA Grade) and posted in the cadre. He is an Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS) officer.

Ms. Suvarna Deshpande Dash has been transferred from South Western Railway (SWR) to Northern Railway (NR) and posted in the cadre. She is an Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS) officer.

Vaibhav Chauhan has been transferred from North Western Railway (NWR) to Patiala Locomotive Works (PLW) and posted in the cadre. He is an Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS) officer.

In a major administrative reshuffle in Gujarat, as many as 26 IAS officers have been given new assignments. Sanjeev Kumar has been appointed as Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister and will also handle charge of PS, Home, while Dr Vikrant Pandey, Additional PS to CM, has been given additional charge of Secretary, Information and Broadcasting Department. Similarly, Ajay Kumar has been appointed as Secretary to the Chief Minister with additional charge of Vice Chairman and CEO, Gujarat Maritime Board, Gandhinagar; Ramesh Chand Meena as PS, Agriculture, Farmers Welfare & Co-operation; Arun Kumar M Solanki as ACS, Agriculture, Farmers Welfare and Co-operation with additional charge of MD, Gujarat State Warehousing Corporation; Mukesh Kumar as PS, Education Department; Milind Shivram Torwane as PS, Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Department; Ashwini Kumar as PS, Energy and Petrochemicals; Mrs Avantika Singh as MD, Gujarat State Petrochemicals Corporation; Sandeep Kumar as Secretary, Finance; Jenu Devan as Secretary, Finance (Expenditure); Rajesh Manjhu, Revenue Inspection Commissioner, will also hold charge of Superintendent of Stamps and IG of Registration; Ms Aarti Kanwar as Chief Commissioner, State Tax, Ahmedabad; Dr Vinod Rao as Principal Secretary, Forest and Environment;  Dr Anju Sharma as ACS, General Administration Department; Hareet Shukla, Chief Electoral Officer gets additional charge of ACS, Ports and Transport;  Rajeev Topno as PS, Health; Rajendra Kumar as Commissioner, Transport; Dr Kuldeep Arya as Secretary, Industries and Mines; Lochan Sehra as Secretary, Labour and Employment Department; Rajkumar Beniwal as MD, GNFC; Dhananjay Dwivedi has been transferred as PS, Panchayats, Rural Housing and Rural Development; Harshadkumar Ratilal Patel as Secretary, Social Justice and Empowerment; Dr Rahul Gupta as Secretary, Sports Youth and Culture and Mohammad Shahid has been transferred as PS, Tribal Affairs Department.

Seven IAS officers have been reshuffled in UP. Pratyush Pandey has been appointed as Special Secretary, Coordination and Additional Project Coordinator, Uttar Pradesh Diversified Agriculture Support Project, while Rajesh Kumar Singh takes over as Chief Development Officer (CDO), Deoria and Ankur Kaushik is now CEO, UP State Rural Road Development Authority. Similarly, Vinay Kumar Singh joins as Special Secretary, Irrigation & Water Resources; Mrs Lakshmi N as Vice Chairman, Mathura Vrindavan Development Authority and Vidhan Jaiswal was posted as CDO, Kanpur Dehat.

The post of Siva Shankar Bandi has been upgraded as Director in the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC). He is a 2012 batch IDAS officer.

The post of Ajay Bartwal has been upgraded as Director in the Cabinet Secretariat. He is a 2012 batch IRAS.

The post of Shekhar Srivastava has been upgraded as Director in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. He is a 2012 batch ISS officer.

The post of Parthasarathy Bhaskar Devarakonda has been upgraded as Director in the Cabinet Secretariat. He is a 2012 batch IRS-C&IT officer.

The post of Bhuvnesh Pratap Singh has been upgraded as Director in the Department of Promotion of Indutry & Internal Trade (DPIIT). He is a 2012 batch IAS officer of Jharkhand cadre.

ASM Technologies Ltd. signed MoUs worth ₹760 crore with the Karnataka government (₹510 crore share) for expanding ER&D-led Design-Led Manufacturing (DLM) and precision engineering, to be executed over 18-24 months in phases.

Jay Singh Bardia has been re-appointed as Managing Director of Krypton Industries Limited, with effect from January 1, 2026.

SN Kamath has been appointed as Managing Director of Bliss GVS Pharma Limited.

Madhav Bansidhar Shriram has been re-designated from Managing Director to Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of DCM Shriram Industries Limited.

Uday Shriram has been appointed as Additional Director and designated as Deputy Managing Director of DCM Shriram Industries Limited.

Rohan Shriram has been appointed as Additional Director and designated as Whole-Time Director of DCM Shriram Industries Limited.

Kapil Mehta has been appointed as Additional Director (Executive) of Bhudevi Infra Projects Limited.

Prathamesh Kamble has been appointed as Additional Director (Non-Executive Non-Independent) of Omega Interactive Technologies Limited.

Zubair Ahmed has been appointed as Additional Director (Non-Executive Non-Independent) of Omega Interactive Technologies Limited.

Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari (Retd.) has been appointed as Additional Independent Director (Non-Executive) of Dynamatic Technologies Limited.

Ms. Shyamala Venkatachalam has been appointed as Additional Independent Director (Non-Executive) of Dynamatic Technologies Limited.

Shivanshu Pandey has been appointed as Additional Director (Executive) of Esaar India Limited.

Hiren S Mahadevia has been appointed as Additional Director designated as Non-Executive Independent Director of SAL Steel Limited.

Kaustubh Agarwal has been appointed as Additional Director designated as Whole-Time Director of SAL Steel Limited.

Mahesh Kumar Agarwal has been appointed as Additional Director designated as Whole-Time Director of SAL Steel Limited.

Sriganesh Padmanabhan has been appointed as Additional Independent Director of Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Limited.

Rajendrakumar Shah has resigned from the position of Non-Executive Non-Independent Director and Chairman of S.A.L. Steel Limited.

Mrinal Sinha has resigned from the position of Whole-Time Director of SAL Steel Limited.

Alok Bansidhar Shriram has resigned from the position of Senior Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of DCM Shriram Industries Limited.

Ms. Ritu Ashokbhai Sharma has resigned from the position of Non-Executive Non-Independent Director of Omega Interactive Technologies Limited.

Mrs Urvashi Tilakdhar has resigned from the position of Whole-Time Director of DCM Shriram Industries Limited.

“Bangladesh’s sinister agenda”

 Having tasted power, Mohammad Yunus, the chief advisor, is getting his own people killed to sabotage holding free and fair elections in Bangladesh in Feb 2026. Absence of administrative experience makes him unfit to govern the country.  His anti-Hindu and anti-India stance is a threat to Bangladeshi minorities particularly the Hindus. The mob lynching must stop.

The siliguri corridor (chicken’s neck) has suddenly grown extremely vulnerable. India should strengthen its defences in the region to thwart the nefarious designs of Pakistan and China on separating the north-eastern seven sisters from India.

Further, Sheikh Haseena sheltered in India, may be advised to refrain from issuing political statements from the Indian soil.

A K Saxena (Former civil servant)

Do the details of my passing out match with the official records?

The appellant gave his enrollment number and submitted that he had completed his Diploma in Civil Engineering from a particular University in 2014. He wanted to verify whether these details match with the official data records. The PIO informed that the UGC does not verify the Validation of documents and requested the appellant to approach the concerned University. The CIC observed that the Appellant did not seek for any information as envisaged under Section 2(f) of the RTI Act, rather he sought for clarification or confirmation of a speculative statement. While the PIO attempted to facilitate the Appellant by giving a clarification as though replying to a grievance petition, but the PIO ought to have specified that the Appellant has not asked for any information per se.

Comments

In purely legal terms, the role of the PIO is restricted to providing what is covered under the definition of the term “information” as defined under Section 2(f) of the RTI Act. It would be prudent for the PIO to examine whether the request of the applicant is within the parameters of section 2(f) of the RTI Act and take action accordingly.

Citation: Praveen Kumar v. University Grants Commission, Second Appeal No. CIC/UGCOM/A/2024/658054; Date of Decision: 13.10.2025

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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