Southern states could lose 20-25 Lok Sabha seats?

Speculations are rife over post-delimitation (2026), southern states could lose 20-25 Lok Sabha seats, prompting bureaucratic advocacy for revenue-sharing reforms.

Will Trump join QUAD in India?

This time, India will host the QUAD meeting in New Delhi sometime in December. Now, the big question is- whether US President Donald Trump will come to New Delhi to participate in the proposed meeting? India, US, Japan and Australia are members of QUAD.

Former IAS officer joins Congress

Kannan Gopinathan, former IAS officer, who resigned from Civil Services after levelling criticisms against the Central Government, has joined the Congress. He is a 2012 batch former IAS officer.

Grapevine has it that Gujarat Chief Secretary Pankaj Joshi is getting  extension in service on November 1. He is a 1989 batch IAS officer.

IAS Anshuman Raj, a 2020 batch officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre currently posted as Managing Director of the State Wide Area Network (SWAN) and Director of the State Computer Security Incident Response Team (MP-CERT) Bhopal, aims to make the state’s digital governance faster, more efficient, and technology-driven.

“My main role will be to bring greater efficiency to the websites through which we deliver services -by reducing downtime and identifying areas for improvement”Raj explained.He stressed that optimizing minor delays, such as those in Aadhaar linkage can save significant man-hours when multiplied across thousands of users.

Raj also highlighted the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in governance.“AI is evolving rapidly, and integrating it with GIS opens up immense possibilities”he said.

During his earlier tenure, one of his major contributions was SIPRI,a GIS-based planning tool that has become vital for panchayats in creating infrastructure such as check dams and stop dams. The technology has been integrated into state initiatives and was also used to identify optimal sites for Amrit Sarovars based on slope, proximity to water bodies and drainage density.

Overseeing MP-CERT,Raj is working to strengthen the cybersecurity framework and develop it as a model for other states. 

Building on his experience with his previous initiatives including a GIS-based crop loss assessment system using multispectral and satellite imagery, and a well detection project that is expected to identify nearly 45 lakh wells across Madhya Pradesh- the focus is on strengthening Madhya Pradesh’s digital systems with emerging technologies

Ashutosh Jain has been empanelled for holding Joint Secretary or equivalent posts in the Government of India. He is a 1993 batch officer of Indian Telecommunications Service (ITS).

Satyanarain Gupta has been empanelled for holding Joint Secretary or equivalent posts in the Government of India. He is a 1993 batch officer of Indian Telecommunications Service (ITS).

Ajay Kumar Nema has been empanelled for holding Joint Secretary or equivalent posts in the Government of India. He is a 1994 batch officer of Indian Telecommunications Service (ITS).

Ashok Kumar has been empanelled for holding Joint Secretary or equivalent posts in the Government of India. He is a 1994 batch officer of Indian Telecommunications Service (ITS).

Rajiv Ranjan Tiwari has been empanelled for holding Joint Secretary or equivalent posts in the Government of India. He is a 1994 batch officer of Indian Telecommunications Service (ITS).

V S Burde has been empanelled for holding Joint Secretary or equivalent posts in the Government of India. He is a 1994 batch officer of Indian Telecommunications Service (ITS).

Prakash Bhupal Magdum has been empanelled for holding Joint Secretary or equivalent posts in the Government of India. He is a 1999 batch officer of Indian Information Service (IIS).

Ritu Shukla has been empanelled for holding Joint Secretary or equivalent posts in the Government of India. Shukla is a 2000 batch officer of Indian Information Service (IIS).

Shruti Patil has been empanelled for holding Joint Secretary or equivalent posts in the Government of India. Patil is a 2000 batch officer of Indian Information Service (IIS).

Ms Tripti Gurha, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Women & Child Development, has been given premature repatriation to her parent cadre on personal grounds. She is a 1993 batch IRTS officer.

Dr Pankaj Kumar, Director (Grade 'E'), RBI, has been appointed as Senior Advisor to ED (India), International Monetary Fund (IMF), Washington DC, USA.

Dr Dirghau Keshao Raut, Director (Grade 'D'), RBI, has been appointed as Advisor to ED (India), International Monetary Fund (IMF), Washington DC, USA.

Tarun Kumar Pithode, Joint Secretary, EF&CC, has been appointed as member Secretary, Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in the National Capital region and Adjoining Areas. He is a 2009 batch IAS officer of MP cadre.

Ms Archana Agrawal, Member Secretary, National Capital Region Planning Board, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, has been given premature repatriation to her parent cadre on personal grounds. She is a 1990 batch IAS officer of UP cadre.

Awadesh Kumar presently working as Pr. CCA, Tamil Nadu, has been promoted to Higher Administrative Grade-Plus (HAG+) and posted as Additional CGA in CGCA, New Delhi. He is an IP&TA&FS officer.

The five decade old building in the National capital is not safe now. The CPWD has put  boards at the building which says do not come near to the building. Plaster may fall on you.

Ms Kalyani Sethuraman , CVO, HAL, Bengaluru, has been assigned an additional charge of CVO, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bengaluru till the appointment of a regular incumbent. She is a 1994 batch IRAS officer.

Neha Raj Kochhar has been promoted as Director (Law) in the Competition Commission of India with effect from October 8, 2025. Prior to this elevation, she was serving as Joint Director (Law) in the CCI. With the current promotion, no promotion post is vacant in CCI, as on date.

Haryana Director-General of Police (DGP) Shatrujeet Kapur has been sent on leave.The Acting DGP is yet to be named.

Ajit Kumar Mishra, Director (Works), IRCON International Limited, appears to be an eligible candidate for the post of Chairman-cum-Managing Director, IRCON International Limited.

 The second meeting of the National Anti-Smuggling Coordination Centre (S-CORD) was held on October 10, 2025, at DRI Headquarters, New Delhi. Attended by 21 agencies including BSF, ITBP, ED, CBI, IB, and FIU, it emphasized intelligence sharing to combat smuggling of narcotics, gold, and counterfeit currency. No personnel changes, but strengthens inter-agency ties under CBIC/DRI.

 CBIC/GSTN clarified no major changes to return filing with IMS rollout. GSTR-2B auto-populates ITC as before (on the 14th monthly); amendments possible until GSTR-3B filing; credit note rules apply from October 2025. This addresses taxpayer concerns on liquidity and compliance.

 Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs) have announced over 15,943 vacancies for NTPC (Non-Technical Popular Categories), Junior Engineer (JE), Apprentices, Executives, Sports Quota, and Scouts & Guides Quota roles. Eligibility: 10th/12th pass to ITI/Diploma/Graduation. Applications open until October/November 2025. This builds on 9,000+ appointment letters issued in Q1 FY26, accelerating fresher onboarding.

30 lakh extra berths added on high-demand routes (e.g., Delhi-Mumbai, Kolkata-Chennai) for Diwali/Chhath. Features dynamic pricing and ‘no-regret’ booking via IRCTC app (real-time availability sans waitlist). 380+ Ganpati specials extended; 262 Konkan services with discounts. Bookings from August 14 for October 13-26 travel.

Post of Consultant in RRC Division of Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), New Delhi  has been advertised. Applications must reach latest by November 3, 2025.

 

Workshop on Gender Parity is scheduled to be held tentatively from December 8, 2025 in Hanoi, Viet Nam.

World Bank has invited applications for Lead Economist post for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Applications must reach latest by October 10, 2025.

 

World Bank has invited applications for Senior Social Development Specialist post for Kigali, Rwanda. Applications must reach latest by October 31, 2025.

 

Two-week Online Short Term Internship Programme (OSTI), organised by National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) will be held from November 10 to 21, 2025. Applications must reach latest by October 19, 2025.

National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is seeking to fill the existing/ anticipated vacancies. Details for the post of Joint Registrar can be availed from https://nhrc.nic.in/.

Post of Senior Accounts Officer for Internal Audit Wing, Delhi has been advertised for Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoH&FW). Retired officers can apply latest by October 17, 2025.

 

Applications for Consultant-Newborn for Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoH&FW) on contractual basis have been advertised. Applications must reach latest by October 28, 2025.

Rajesh Kumar, formerly serving as Additional Divisional Railway Manager (ADRM), Infrastructure, Northern Railway (NR), has been selected for deputation as General Manager (GM), CEP, at Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS), New Delhi, for a period of five years. He is an Indian Railway Service of Engineers (IRSE) officer.

O P Yadav, who is presently serving as Director/Carriage, Research Design & Standards Organisation (RDSO), has been selected for deputation as Deputy Commissioner of Railway Safety (Technical – Mechanical) in the Office of the Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety, New Delhi, for a period of five years. He is an Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME) officer.

Ramendra Kumar Tewari, Additional Member (Railway Electrification), Railway Board, has been entrusted with the additional charge of General Manager, Central Organisation for Railway Electrification (CORE), Prayagraj, in addition to his own duties, for a period of three months. He is an Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers (IRSEE) officer.

R Mukund, who is presently posted in Southern Railway (SR), has been transferred to South Western Railway (SWR) and posted as Principal Chief Mechanical Engineer (PCME). He is an Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME) officer.

PK Tiwari, who is presently posted in South Western Railway (SWR), has been posted as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) on the Railway itself. He is an Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME) officer.

Dharmendra Seervi, who is presently posted in South Western Railway (SWR), has been posted to the Indian Railway Institute of Disaster Management (IRIDM), Bengaluru. He is an Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME) officer.

Prabhat Ranjan Shukla, who is presently posted in Indian Railway Institute of Disaster Management (IRIDM), has been posted to South Western Railway (SWR) in the cadre. He is an Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME) officer.

Kamlalzom, who is returning from deputation to Assam Rifles, has been transferred to Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) and posted in the cadre. He is an Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS) officer.

Atul Priyadarshi, who is presently working as Principal Chief Mechanical Engineer (PCME) in East Central Railway (ECR), has been assigned to look after the duties of Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Workshop Projects Organisation (WPO), in addition to his own. He is an Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME) officer.

Atul Priyadarshi, who is presently working as Principal Chief Mechanical Engineer (PCME) in East Central Railway (ECR), has been assigned to look after the duties of Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Workshop Projects Organisation (WPO), in addition to his own. He is an Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME) officer.

Shailendra Prasad, who is presently working as Chief Bridge Engineer (CBE) in South East Central Railway (SECR), has been transferred to East Central Railway (ECR), and posted as Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) (C) (RSP). He is an Indian Railway Service of Engineers (IRSE) officer.

Sanjay Khare, who is presently working as Chief Track Engineer (CTE) in Western Railway (WR), has been transferred to North Central Railway (NCR) and posted as Chief Administrative Officer (Construction). He is an Indian Railway Service of Engineers (IRSE) officer.

Five IAS officers have been given new assignments in Karnataka. Nitesh Patil has been posted as Regional Commissioner, Mysuru Division, relieving Venkat Raja of the concurrent charge, while Randeep D was assigned the charge of Secretary, Social Welfare Department, relieving Major Manivannan P from concurrent charge. Similarly, M S Diwakar takes over as Director, Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre, with additional charge of Director, Atal Jan Snehi Kendra, Bengaluru; Ramachandra R is appointed as Executive Director, Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust, Bengaluru and Dr Satish B C is now Director, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Department of Commerce and Industry.

Ms Justice J Nisha Banu, Judge of the Madras High Court, has been transferred as Judge of the Kerala High Court.

Justice Subhendu Samanta, Judge of the Calcutta High Court, has been transferred as Judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court.

Justice Sanjay Kumar Singh, Judge of the Allahabad High Court, has been transferred as Judge of the Patna High Court.

Justice Sandeep Natvarlal Bhatt, Judge of the Gujarat High Court, has been transferred as Judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.

Justice Donadi Ramesh, Judge of the Allahabad High Court, has been transferred as Judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court.

Justice Dinesh Mehta, Judge of the Rajasthan High Court, has been transferred as Judge of the Delhi High Court.

Justice Cheekati Manavendranath Roy, Judge of the Gujarat High Court, has been transferred as Judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court.

Ms. Justice Chandrasekharan Sudha, Judge of the Kerala High Court, has been transferred as Judge of the Delhi High Court.

Justice Arun Monga, Judge of the Delhi High Court, has been transferred as Judge of the Rajasthan High Court.

Ms Justice Tara Vitasta Ganju, Judge of the Delhi High Court, has been transferred as Judge of the Karnataka High Court.

Justice Avneesh Jhingan, Judge of the Rajasthan High Court, has been transferred as Judge of the Delhi High Court.

GST Network (GSTN) clarified no changes to ITC auto-population from GSTR-2B to GSTR-3B, but from October 2025, recipients can manually adjust Credit Notes (pending acceptance reduces ITC availed earlier). This aids PSUs/PSBs in compliance, trending for easing MSME burdens.

Kumarraju Rudraraju has been appointed as Managing Director of Titan Intech Limited.

Sanjeev Sharma has been appointed as Additional Director (Independent) of Titan Intech Limited.

 

Narsimharao Venkata Laxmi Venuturupalle has been appointed as Whole-Time Director of Titan Intech Limited.

Nikhil Putta has been appointed as Additional Director (Independent) of Titan Intech Limited.

Raj Nagesh Kosaraju has been appointed as Additional Director (Independent) of Titan Intech Limited.

Sunil Ghanathe has been re-designated from Whole-Time Director to Director of Titan Intech Limited.

 

Bhavani Prasad Kale  has been re-designated from Whole-Time Director to Director of Titan Intech Limited.

 

Mrs. Meenu Jain has been appointed as Additional Non-Executive Independent Director of SRU Steels Limited.

 

Nikhil D. Sadarangani has been appointed as Additional Director of Organic Coatings Limited.

 

Parth M Patel has been appointed as Additional Director of Organic Coatings Limited.

Francesco L'Abbate has retired from the position of Non-Executive Director of De Nora India Limited.

Zameer Ahammed Kottala has resigned from the position of Executive Director of Titan Intech Limited.

10+2 technical entry as officers in the Armed Forces

Presently each service-Army,Navy and Air Force are conducting this selection separately. When officer cadets for all the srevices are selected through a common NDA selection, the same process can be adopted for selection for technical entry also. This will provide great relief to the candidates who don't have to appear for three different selections and also to the agencies involved in the selection. I hope some authority concerned will read this and take it forward.

R. Subramanian

Copy of statement recorded by the Police

The Appellant contended during telephonic hearing before CIC that he had sought the statements dated 13.09.2023 collected by the Delhi Police, but the same had been denied to him by the Police authorities under the pretext that it had been submitted before the Court. But the statements were not available even in the Court records. The Respondent agreed to search the said statements in their records and make the same available for the Appellant. The CIC directed the PIO, O/o ACP Kalyanpuri to grant inspection of the relevant records pertaining to the queries raised by the Appellant, specifically the statements recorded by the Delhi Police on 13.09.2023, on a mutually convenient date and time. The CIC directed that copies of documents identified by the Appellant shall be provided to him upon payment of fees as stipulated under the Act. The Respondent were given the liberty to deny records containing any information which is expressly barred under Section 8 or 9 of the RTI Act and also apply provisions of Section 10 of the RTI Act to redact any third party information if deemed necessary while disclosing the records as sought by the Appellant.

Comments

While replying to an application, the veracity of facts must be verified by the PIO. A vigilant PIO would have exercised due caution before informing the RTI applicant that the documents have been submitted to the Court which was subsequently found to be factually incorrect, saving an embarassment.

Citation: Shri Vikrant v. Delhi Police, Second Appeal No.  CIC/DEPOL/A/2024/643049; Date of Decision: 21.08.2025

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