Stepping beyond administrative offices into villages. IAS K. B. Thakkar a 2014 Batch officer currently posted as Collector of Jamnagar-a prominent district of Gujarat, has been directly engaging with villagers to understand their issues and review them first-hand.Over the past year,Thakkar has visited more than 100 villages across the district focusing on extensive village outreach.

“I believe governance has to be visible at the grassroots level,” Thakkar says.“Unless we physically visit villages, we cannot understand the real problems people are facing.”

Believing that administration must reach the last mile,Thakkar has prioritized direct engagement with rural communities.His visits are multidimensional from identifying and addressing pressing concerns on sanitation gaps, land maintenance disputes, road connectivity, healthcare access and drinking water shortages.By being physically present in villages,he aims to ensure quicker grievance redressal and improved coordination among departments.

School inspections form another important part of these tours by reviewing the quality of education,facilities and the standard of mid-day meals being served.“Children’s education and nutrition cannot be compromised. Field inspection gives a clearer picture than reports alone”he notes. 

Apart from that , recognizing that many eligible beneficiaries remain excluded due to lack of awareness,he is focused on saturation of welfare schemes.“While flagship initiatives such as Ayushman Bharat and Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana are available,some eligible families remain uncovered simply because they are unaware of the process.”He shared 

To address this,the district machinery has been directed to identify such cases assist with documentation and ensure wider coverage.“Our job is to identify them, help with documentation and ensure saturation of schemes”He quoted 

Through regular village outreach, IAS K. B. Thakkar is bridging the gap between policy and delivery at the rural and grassroots level.

As many as 22 IAS officers of various cadres and batches are retiring in February 2026. They are: Chou Nakacham Longphai of AGMUT cadre; Md Nayyer Iqubal and Rakesh Kumar of Bihar cadre; M K Dave of Gujarat cadre; Rajesh Sharma of HP;  Krishna Kumar Singh of Jharkhand; Urmila Surendra Shukla of MP; Vivek Bhimanwar of Maharashtra; Ms Shakuntala Bindhani of Odisha; Arun Sekhri and Arvind Pal Singh Sandhu of Punjab; Dr Pratibha Singh of Rajasthan; Dr K Gopal of Tamil Nadu; Tarun Kanti Debnath of Tripura; Dr Devesh Chaturvedi, Subhash Chand Sharma, Chandra Bhushan Singh and Atal Kumar Rai of UP; Deependra Kumar Chaudhary of Uttarakhand and Vivek Kumar, Parthapratim Manna and Arup Sengupta of West Bengal cadre.

Indian officials have quietly hit the pause button on the next round of trade talks with Washington. According to my information, the Indian negotiation team has postponed its planned visit to the US and no fresh dates have been communicated so far. This comes right after the US Supreme Court struck down a big chunk of President Trump’s earlier global tariff framework, throwing fresh uncertainty over the legal basis and durability of any new tariff concessions. New Delhi’s worry is simple. India had just negotiated a path to bring punitive US tariffs on select Indian exports down to 18 percent in return for a big multi‑year purchase commitment of US goods, including energy and aircraft. With the court now saying Trump exceeded his authority on the previous tariff regime, it is unclear what exactly replaces it, how long a new structure will survive, and whether already agreed cuts can stick without Congress stepping in. Until there is clarity on how the US retools its tariff laws after the verdict and what that means for refunds, collections and future hikes, India has decided to sit tight and wait rather than lock itself into an agreement that might need rewriting within months.

Retired IPS officer Jagjit Singh Bawa, a towering figure of the 1951-batch Punjab cadre, marked his 100th birthday on Saturday with quiet grace and thunderous official acclaim. The Punjab Police, under Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav, led the celebrations, honouring a man who laid the bedrock of professional, fearless policing in the state and beyond.

Bawa served with distinction as SSP Ferozepur, IGP Punjab, and later as Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation. During one of the CBI’s most vulnerable moments, he personally persuaded Prime Minister Indira Gandhi not to disband the premier investigative agency — an intervention that preserved an institution vital to India’s justice system.

Even at 100, Bawa remains remarkably active. He plays bridge five times a week and regularly meets friends at Chandigarh’s Golf Club. The centenarian credits his longevity to a simple diet, daily exercise, and an unwavering commitment to honesty and positivity.

On Saturday, a high-level delegation including Special DGP SS Srivastava and DIG Personnel Amneet Kondal visited Bawa’s Chandigarh residence to present the force’s greetings. In a heartfelt message, DGP Yadav described him as “a generation of officers who laid the strongest foundations of professional, principled, and fearless policing,” adding that Bawa’s life continues to inspire serving officers across the country.

For Punjab Police, the milestone is more than a birthday — it is a living testament to institutional memory, integrity, and service that spans a full century.

Maharashtra's state bureaucracy faces mounting pressure from the top to operationalize key sections of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway by end-2027, despite cascading delays plaguing the flagship infrastructure project. Originally slated for full completion in October 2025, the 1,386-km corridor spanning six states now eyes partial openings like Delhi-Vadodara by mid-2026, with Gujarat bottlenecks pushing the Vadodara-Mumbai stretch, including Maharashtra segments, to FY28. In Maharashtra, land acquisition hurdles, utility shifting lags, and contractor defaults have slowed progress on spurs to economic hubs like Navi Mumbai's JNPA port, where a 21-km link remains critical. High command directives demand accelerated reviews, accountability enforcement, and stakeholder coordination to meet the revised 2027 target, amid Union Minister Nitin Gadkari's repeated interventions. This push underscores tensions between ambitious deadlines and on-ground execution realities in India's highway revolution.

The Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) is yet to hold interviews for the post of Chairman & Managing Director, IRCON International Limited. The PESB had sought applications before October 30, 2025.

The tenure of Sanjiv Kumar Singh as Chairman-cum-Managing Director, Hindustan Copper Limited is coming to an end on June 30, 2026. The Government of India has started searching for a successor to him.

Shailesh Vagerwal, CGM, Munitions India Limited, has been selected for the post Chairman-cum-Managing Director, Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) at a Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) meeting held on February 21, 2026. As many as nine persons were interviewed for the same.

Who will be appointed new MD and CEO of the Canara Bank? The clearance of the new MD &CEO by the PMO is still awaited.

The Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) issued a notification on “Fixation of Seniority/Year of Allotment to officers (Non-SCS) inducted to Tamil Nadu Cadre of IAS from the Select List 2024.” This is a routine cadre-management exercise confirming inter-se seniority for promotee officers already inducted.

Sanjiv Shankar, Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, has been given premature repatriation to his parent cadre in order to avail the benefit of promotion. He is a 1993 batch IRS-IT officer.

The Andhra Pradesh Government issued an order appointing retired IAS officer Dinesh Kumar (RR-1983 batch) to head a one-man committee. The panel will probe administrative and governance lapses in the supply of adulterated/substandard ghee to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), following a Supreme Court-monitored CBI SIT chargesheet (filed Jan 23, 2026) and a self-contained note highlighting tender enforcement failures. The committee must submit a recommendatory report within 45 days; it can call records, seek explanations, and obtain expert assistance (with govt approval). TTD will provide secretarial support. The review is limited to administrative aspects and will not interfere with ongoing court proceedings.

In all probability H U Khan will be new Forests Head in Madhya Pradesh. He is 1989 batch IoFS officer.

R Kuppan has been empanelled for appointment as IEM. He is from Bihar Gramin Bank (DBG Bank).

Rajesh Pratap Singh and Ashok Kumar Poddar have been empanelled for appointments as IEMs. Bothare from Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC).

Devendra Kumar Pathak has been empanelled for appointment as IEM. He is a 1979 batch IPS officer and retired as Special Director General, Border Security Force.

Dilip Vithoba Sonpipare has been empanelled for appointment as IEM. He is a 1983 batch IOFS officer and retired as Addl DGOF & Member.

Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, Delhi has advertised the post of Assistant Director on deputation basis. Applications must reach latest by March 23, 2026.

Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited has advertised the posts of Deputy General Manager and Joint General Manager (Corporate Coordination) for the Corporate office, Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Applications must reach latest by March 10, 2026. Details can be availed from http://dfecil.gov.in/dfecil_app/Careers.

Railtel Corporation of India Limited has advertised one post each of Executive Director/Group General Manager-technical for Northern Region/ Lucknow on deputation basis. Details can be availed from www.railtel.in.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has invited applications for  the posts of Senior Consultants and Consultants-Research. Applications must reach latest by March 31, 2026.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers WelFare has advertised two posts of Director for Farm Machinery Training and Testing Institute on deputation basis. Applications must reach latest by April 17, 2026.

Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) is organizing a National Level Consultative Workshop on "Using Administrative Data for Governance: Harmonizing Departmental Data at State Level" with State and Union Territory governments along with Central ministries and departments and other stakeholders on 24th February 2026 at Vigyan Bhawan.

Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) has advertised the post of Joint General Manager (Human Resource) for Corporate Office, New Delhi on deputation basis. Applications must reach latest by March 20, 2026.

NBCC (India) Limited has once again demonstrated its strong financial position and commitment to shareholders by announcing its third interim dividend for FY 2025–26. The declaration was approved at the meeting of the Board of Directors held on Wednesday, February 18, 2026.

The Board has declared an interim dividend of ₹0.12 per equity share of face value ₹1 each, translating to 12% of the face value.

NBCC (India) Limited during FY 2025–26, the company has maintained a consistent dividend payout trend across the quarters. The first interim dividend of ₹0.21 per equity share (21% on face value of ₹1 each) was declared at the Board Meeting held on August 7, 2025, followed by a second interim dividend of ₹0.21 per equity share (21%) approved on November 13, 2025.

The latest announcement further underscores NBCC’s stable earnings profile, disciplined financial management, and continued focus on enhancing long-term shareholder returns.

Sitansu Mohan Routray has been shifted as Director, Housing & Urban Affairs, while Sankha Roy was made Director, Water Resources River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation and Veena Dunga is Director, DoPT. Similarly, Jitendra Kumar Jha has been appointed as Deputy Secretary, Home Affairs; Ashok Kumar Gupta as Deputy Health & Family Welfare and Ashok Kumar Kaushik is posted as Deputy Secretary, Commerce.

Vice-President of the Republic of Seychelles, Sebastien Pillay, visited the headquarters of NBCC (India) Limited in New Delhi leading a high-level delegation. The Seychelles delegation held detailed discussions with K P Mahadevaswamy, CMD, NBCC and other senior officers of the company regarding projects in Seychelles.

During the meeting, comprehensive presentations were made to the delegation outlining infrastructure development for an area of about 139 acres of an island. The proposed development would include affordable social housing, leisure & hospitality, premium villas, sports arena, social infrastructure etc. This visit builds upon earlier high-level deliberations by CMD, NBCC with Government of Seychelles during his visit to Seychelles in January this year. The delegation were also made aware of the capabilities of NBCC by showcasing the successful execution of 2000 Social Housing Project at Hulhumale, Maldives. It is pertinent to mention that skilled workforce and construction materials from India played a significant role in the project completion.  Vice President and the delegation expressed their confidence in the capabilities of NBCC and their appreciation towards the efforts shown in the presentations made during the meeting.

Speaking on the occasion, CMD, NBCC, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to delivering high-quality, sustainable infrastructure solutions and expressed confidence in further deepening cooperation with Seychelles across multiple sectors. It is to mention that NBCC is currently executing the construction of the Indian Chancery Building, along with a Cultural Centre and Residential Units in Seychelles, reflecting India’s continued commitment to strengthening bilateral ties and development partnership with the island nation.

The visit of Vice-President Pillay underscores the strong and enduring partnership between India and Seychelles and highlights the shared vision of enhancing infrastructure development.

Two Assistant Accounts Officers (AAOs) have been assigned additional charge. N Ratan Kumar Singh, currently posted at Ministry of Agriculture, Mumbai, will also hold charge of INGAF, Mumbai, while Ms Priyanka Narwal, posted with CBDT, Mumbai, gets additional responsibility of Law & Corporate Affairs, Mumbai.

Sunil Kumar Shahi has been re-designated as Managing Director and Chairman of SER Industries Limited.

Bhavik Jayantibhai Kothiya has been appointed as Non-Executive Independent Director of Akshar Spintex Limited.

Harry Paghdhar has been appointed as Executive Director of Akshar Spintex Limited.

Mrs Archana Chirawawala has been re-appointed as Non-Executive Independent Director of Family Care Hospitals Limited.

Sanjeev Seth has been re-appointed as Non-Executive Independent Director of Family Care Hospitals Limited.

Suchit Raghunath Modsingh has been re-appointed as Executive Whole-time Director of Family Care Hospitals Limited.

Ms Shweta has been appointed as Additional Director (Non-Executive Independent) of Leading Leasing Finance And Investment Company Limited.

Shivakumar Dega has resigned from the position of Independent Director of Vadilal Industries Limited.

Mrs Mini Ipe has resigned from the position of Independent Director of Avantel Limited.

Saumik Arvind Ghervada has resigned from the position of Independent Director of Leading Leasing Finance And Investment Company Limited due to pre-occupancy.

Banks merger

Whether the previous merger is satisfactory. Are the Customers happy with the merger? I think staff may not be adjusted wholeheartedly. The cost of Merger is much much higher. Modi, Shah and Sitharaman just want to fulfill their unhealthy ideology. In real terms it is very difficult to cope up with the hardships faced at route level.

Kiritbhai Vitthalbhai Patel

Linguistic AI Gain

Claims V/s reality AI is going to help India in many ways undoubtedly. It is exciting to read promising success stories of Indian linguistic developer companies, but I am a bit hesitant at the moment. It seems like the claim of COVID-19 medicines by some Indian company. We are being told about use of IA for translation in multiple Indian languages, speech to text and vice versa. The exercise reveals foreign methodology, which has dominated the entire quarter of this Century. Their success is the English language, with millions of words in the corpora and scores of dictionaries, subject wise glossaries, and many other language aids. It helps with translation. Is/are our dictionaries comparable at all? Promising translation in Modern Indian Languages or other low-resource languages today and cutting sorry figures tomorrow like the case of the Covid medicine or the Robodog by a university will prove very, very costly later. Discretion, Shakespeare rightly said, is the better part of valour!

M L Gupta

Appellant has not approached CIC with clean hands

Information about allotment of lease and release from seizure of land comprising a particular GLR Survey No. was sought. The Directorate General Defence Estates replied that the Appellant mentioned incorrect date of application for allotment of lease in his RTI Application because of which the relevant information could not be provided to him and therefore, the Appellant was advised to file a fresh RTI Application in their office with correct date of application. The respondent added that First Appeal has been adjudicated on 31.05.2024 and the same has been taken on record. The Commission noted that the Appellant has willfully suppressed the replies provided by the CPIO and FAA while filing the instant Second Appeal. The CIC commented that the appellant has not approached the CIC with clean hands and his conduct is not appreciated.

Comments

The probability of obtaining the information sought increases if the conduct of the RTI applicant is transparent.

Citation: Chandra Kant Sonkar v. Directorate General Defence Estates, File No: CIC/DIGDE/A/2024/118526; Date of Decision: 12.12.2025

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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