Announcement of BJP President likely around Ramnavmi?

Sources indicate that BJP could announce its new President around Ramnavmi or after. Sources said that names of Dharmendra Pradhan ,Mohan Lal Khattar and Vinod Tawde are doing the rounds for the hot seat.

 Bulldozer  politics in country

Union Home Minister Amit Shah  in  a TV show said that he doesn’t have bulldozer .It means Amit Shah doesn’t approve bulldozer politics of the BJP leaders.He was asked  about the bulldozer politics in some states.

IAS Navneet Mann is a 2020 batch Officer of AGMUT cadre and is currently posted as Deputy Commissioner of Lunglei District in Mizoram. Her vision for the district is to make healthcare services accessible to all while also promoting healthy lifestyle “This initiative is called the Healthy Lunglei Campaign” she said.

The first part of the campaign focuses on screening and testing people for non-communicable diseases. Under this continuous health camps have been organised across the district,and since June 2024 around 40 such camps have been conducted, reaching nearly 2,000 people. “We have tested people for conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and more,” Mann shared. “Most of those diagnosed were previously unaware of their condition.”

Given the district’s difficult terrain and remoteness, health services and coverage don’t always reach everyone, making health camps a significant contributor in early detection and timely intervention.

The second initiative under this campaign is called LEAP-Lunglei's Empowerment for Access and Equity for All Persons. This specifically focuses on persons with disabilities and further helps them in getting UDID (Unique Disability ID) cards, essential to avail government benefits, concessions, and welfare schemes.. “The purpose is to provide a healthy and better lifestyle to persons with disabilities,” Mann explained.

In this a dedicated committee was set up and a door to door survey was conducted across the district to determine people suffering with disabilities such as Blindness and others.

Under Mann’s leadership,over 1200 such individuals were identified,but only around 400 of them had UDID cards “Our next goal is to organize health camps for the remaining 800 individuals so that we can provide them with disability certificates,” she said.

Another important aspect of the campaign involves community engagement and awareness, especially around diseases that are often tabooed and under discussed such as HIV and Hepatitis C (HCV). 

Given that Christians form the majority population in the region,pastors,churches, and NGOs have been brought onboard to spread awareness “Screenings and events like friendly matches and walkathons are organised” she said 

As health is said to be true wealth,Mann has ambitious plans for the future, combining technology and diagnostics to transform healthcare for the people of lunglei “Next, we’re exploring how we can use technology to improve health diagnostics,” she said.

As per indications, the Government of India is likely to reshuffle Secretaries after the ongoing Parliament session is over. If it takes place, more than half a dozen Secretaries could be reshuffled.

As per information presently all important posts Joint Secretaries & Directors are filled in the UPSC. According to information, the Commission has two Additional Secretaries, nine Joint Secretaries, four Directors and one Advisor posts.  Officers are posted against these posts. Shashi Ranjan Kumar is the Secretary of the UPSC. He is a Tripura cadre IAS officer.

The Tripura Government has started the process to pick up the new Director General of Police (DGP) as the incumbent officer Amitabh Ranjan is retiring next month. The state Government informed the Supreme Court that incumbent DGP assumed the charge on July 28, 2022 and was supposed to demit office on May 31 this year. The Government, in a reply to the Court on Tuesday said that it is adhering to apex court verdict on DGP appointment.    A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar was hearing a PIL filed by an NGO. A state Government counsel handed over a letter in a sealed cover to the bench and said the process for the appointment of a new DGP has been initiated on March 7. He said the state Government had been following the 2006 directives of the Supreme Court aside from the judgements that followed.

Is everything smooth in Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC)? Answer to this question lies with the Government agencies.

Rajiv Kumar Jain	Arbind Kumar

Member NHRC Rajiv Kumar who is 1980 batch IPS officer of Jharkhand cadre and Vigilance Commissioner Arbind Kumar  1984 batch IPS officer of Bihar cadre have retired. Now new appointments are to be made.

There is now-a-days discussion of a new power couple in Delhi Police. Additional charge of Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) to Nupur Prasad (IPS: 2007: AGMUT) has grabbed the attention. It so happened that the incumbent Joint CP (Crime) Surender Kumar (IPS: 2007: UT) proceeded on a month-long Phase-IV training at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPA), Hyderabad and the additional charge was given to his better half. However, some senior IPS officers said, the move was just a part of a regular administrative decision by the higher authorities.

In Delhi Police, Additional charge of Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) was given to Nupur Prasad (IPS: 2007: AGMUT) after the incumbent Joint CP (Crime) Surender Kumar (IPS: 2007: UT) proceeded on a month-long training. And Nupur Prasad happens to be the wife of Surender Kumar. However, there are numerous such instances where the wives replaced the husbands at the administrative job of the state and sometimes worked holding the top job in juxtaposition. For example, in Punjab Vini Mahajan (Retd IAS: 1987: PB) was Chief Secretary while her husband Dinkar Gupta (Retd IPS: 1986: PB) served as State DGP. In a current context Sarada Muraleedharan (IAS: 1990: KL) took over as Chief Secretary of Kerala from her batchmate and husband Dr V Venu (Retd IAS: 1990: KL). In the case of Karnataka, Shalini Rajneesh (IAS: 1989: KN) is the incumbent Chief Secretary who replaced her husband Dr Rajneesh Goel (Retd IAS: 1986: KN) in July 2024. Similarly, Ms Sujata Shaunik, present Chief Secretary, Maharashtra is the wife of former Ch Secy Maharashtra, Manoj Shaunik. Manoj Shaunik is the Chairman RERA in Maharashtra presently.

Narendra Kumar Bharindwal of Bangalore  has been Appointed as President of Insurance Brokers Association of India in its Board Meeting concluded yesterday.

Madanpal Singh has been granted Non-Functional Selection Grade (NFSG) with effect from March 13, 2025. He is a 2006 batch IES officer.

As per CBIC order, George Verghese, Superintendent of Central Excise has been promoted to the grade of Assistant Commissioner of Customs and Indirect Taxes on ad-hoc basis notionally with effect from 27.10.2010. Further, the government reserves the right to terminate the ad-hoc promotion and revert him to the post from which he was promoted. Meanwhile, Veghese, whose date of birth is February 2, 1951, retired in February 2011. The CBIC issued the action taken by the Office order on April 2, 2025.

Eighteen Indian Trade Services officers have been transferred. Accordingly, Rendly Sampath Kumar has been transferred t Kolkata ZO as Joint DGFT while Vishal Sharma joins as Joint DGFT at DGTR, Amit Sharma Joint DGFT wil go to Mumbai in the same capacity, Kaladi H, Reddy will be Joint DGFT at the DGFT HQ, Dr Manjeet Bhatoya, Jt DGFT, R A Panipat, Amit Kumar will join the Ministry of Textiles as Joint DGFT, M. Backiyavelu will join Dy DGFT, Mumbai, Haroon Bilal, Dy DGFT, Pune, Tasleem Ahmad, Dy DGFT, Chennai, Ashwini Kumar Golapkar, Dy DGFT, Mumbai, Palani Phani Kiran, Dy DGFT, Vishakhapatnam, Daripelli Ramesh, Dy DGFT, Deptt of Commerce, H D Pandey, Dy DGFT, Kolkata, Ms Dhiya, Dy DGFT, Hyderabad, A K Bhushan,, Dy DGFT, CLA, New Delhi, Ms Ashima, Asstt DGFT, CLA, New Delhi, R. Kimar, Asstt DGFT, Kolkata and Ms Padmapriya, Asstt DGFT posted at Chennai.

Raj Kumar Arora has assumed the charge of the post of the Special CGDA at the HQ. He is a 1990 batch IDAS Officer.

KVR Murty has been promoted as Addl CGDA. He is a 1991 batch IDAS officer.

Ms Roop Avtar Kaur has been posted as Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (APCCF) in Delhi segment of AGMUT Joint cadre, She is a 2000 batch IFoS officer of AGMUT cadre.

Fifteen members of the State Civil Service (SCS) of Odisha have been promoted as IAS against the Select List of 2024 and awarded Odisha cadre. Those promoted include: Narahari Sethy, Jagaleshwari Dash, Madhumita Rath, Debasis Singh, Subrat Kumar Panda, Pratap Chandra Hota, Nibedita Mishra, Reba Geetarani Patnaik, Archana Das Pattanaik, Anjana Panda, Nivedita Prusty, Swayam Prava Mohanty, Indramani Nayak, Sudam Charan Mandal and Girish Chandra Singh.

Sudeesh V C, formerly Director, TT (Punctuality), Railway Board, has been granted an extension in his deputation tenure as Group General Manager/Information Technology (GGM/IT) with Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), New Delhi, for the fourth and fifth years, up to June 7, 2026. He is an Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) officer.

J Kumar, formerly Assistant Executive Engineer (AXEN), Southern Railway, has been granted an extension in his deputation tenure as Deputy General Manager (Track) with Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) for the fourth year, up to May 11, 2026. He is an Indian Railway Service of Engineers (IRSE) officer.

M Muni Kumar, presently serving as Director, Signal and Telecommunication (S&T,) CoE, Kavach, has been posted as Executive Director, TD, CoE/Kavach, in place of Saurabh Verma, who is proceeding on deputation. He is an Indian Railway Service of Signal Engineers (IRSSE) officer.

S Balachandra Iyer, on return from deputation to the Department of Telecommunications, has been posted as Principal Chief Personnel Officer (PCPO), North Central Railway (NCR). He is an Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS) officer.

For the first time, after the judgment of the Supreme Court, the Ministry of Law and Justice has suspended Pashupati Shah as Central Government Notary appointed in Siliguri in West Bengal for misconduct and violation of the Notary Act, 1952, and by notarizing in the absence of the deponent.

NMDC Steel Limited's (NSL) integrated steel plant at Nagarnar achieved a significant milestone in its stabilization journey, producing over two million tons of hot metal in the financial year 2024-2025, ending March 31, 2025. This milestone marks a 100% increase in hot metal production compared to the previous fiscal (2023-24), when the Plant produced 966,468 tons in its first seven and a half months of operation. Having attained 60% of its rated capacity in its second year, the Plant is well-positioned to reach its rated capacity of 3.3 million tons per annum (MTPA) of hot metal production in the current fiscal. Commissioned on 15th August 2023, NSL's steel plant has been steadily progressing towards its rated capacity, demonstrating a strong growth trajectory and underscoring the company's commitment to operational excellence. NSL has also made significant progress in consolidating its market presence. Despite navigating a challenging market landscape for most of the last fiscal, coupled with a twoweek production and dispatch disruption due to transporters protests at the Plant gates, NSL achieved the remarkable feat of marketing over 1.45 million tons of Hot Rolled (HR) Coils and Sheets during the last fiscal. This represents a substantial increase of over 300% in sales volume compared to the previous fiscal (2023-24), highlighting NSL's expanding customer base and strengthening market position. NSL set another record by dispatching a record 2,29,874 tons of Hot Rolled Coils (HRC) in March 2025, marking the highest monthly dispatch since commencement of production. It was the strategic engagement of 4 Liberalized Special Freight Train Operator Rakes (LSFTO Rakes) which dispatched around 40,000 tons of HR coils in March 2025 that contributed to the significant surge in dispatch capacity. The March milestone represents a 63% increase from the previous monthly best of 1,41,207 tons achieved in February 2025.  With plans to add more LSFTO Rakes, NSL is poised to further bolster HR coil dispatch capabilities, paving the way for enhanced efficiency, and thereby increased customer satisfaction. Buoyed by the team’s performance in a tough market, Amitava Mukherjee, CMD, NMDC & NSL, also affirmed his confidence in NSL, “Our steel team is gaining in strength and crossing milestones with each passing day. I am confident that with their dedicated effort and enthusiasm we will soon reach rated capacity, even as we are inching towards becoming EBIDTA positive.” It has been a year of notable achievements for NSL. Not content with obtaining 4 ISO Licenses and 7 BIS Certifications to cement its position in the domestic market, this fiscal NSL went on to obtain the prestigious “Conformite Europeenne”(CE) Certificate that opened up the European market for its’ produce. An elated Joydeep Dasgupta, Director Production, NMDC & NSL said, “Team NSL has successfully surmounted several challenges to surge forward with greater confidence. Strategic moves meant to improve Systems and sustain the momentum have yielded results. This augurs well for NSL and is a harbinger of many more achievements by NSL”. MNVS Prabhakar, Executive Director & Head of NSL Steel Plant, Nagarnar was appreciative of his team’s accomplishments; he asserted, “We are committed to producing the best quality Hot Rolled steel for our discerning customers. We are also firm in our resolve to further consolidate our position and contribute to the national goal of Atmanirbhar Bharat”.

The Supreme Court Collegium has approved the proposal for the appointment of eight Judicial Officers as Judges of the Allahabad High Court. They are: Jitendra Kumar Sinha, Abdul Shahid, Anil Kumar, Tej Pratap Tiwari, Sandeep Jain, Avnish Saxena, Madan Pal Singh, and Harvir Singh.

Eight IPS officers have been given new assignments in Tamil Nadu. Mrs Seema Agrawal has been appointed as DGP/Director, Fire & Rescue Services, while Rupesh Kumar Meena, IGP, Civil Supplies, CID, Chennai, will get additional charge of DGP, Civil Supplies, CID, Chennai. Similarly, Vijayendra S Bidari will take over as IGP/Addl Commissioner of Police, Headquarters, Greater Chennai; Kapil Kumar C Saratkar as IGP. Enforcement, Chennai; G Karthikeyan as IGP/ACP, Traffic, Greater Chennai; Santosh Kumar as IGP, Economic Offences Wing, Chennai; Mrs M Sathiya Priya as IGP, Welfare, Office of DGP/HoPF, Chennai and Dr M Durai was posted as DIGP, Headquarters, Office of DGP/HoPF.  

Baljeet Kaur has been appointed as Joint Managing Director of Aris International Limited.

Rajesh Garg has been appointed as Additional Director, designated as Executive Director - Whole-Time Director, of Transcorp International Limited.

Ms. Meenu Sharma has been appointed as an Additional Director (Independent) of LKP Finance Limited.

Balaji Nuthalapadi has been appointed as Executive Director of Equitas Small Finance Bank Limited.

Kaushik Ratanshi Bhadra has been appointed as an Additional Director (Non-Executive Non-Independent) of Inland Printers Limited.

Faisal Saad Hamadi has been appointed as an Additional Director (Non-Executive Non-Independent) of Kennametal India Limited.

Sunder Pal Singh has been appointed as a Non-Official Part-Time Director (Independent) on the Board of Andrew Yule & Company Limited.

Arjun Raghavendra Murlidharan has been reappointed as an Independent Director of Asian Hotels (North) Limited.

Paras Chand Jain has been appointed as an Additional Director (Non-Executive Independent) of Western Ministil Limited.

Ms. Harshita Singhal has resigned from the position of Independent Director of Goblin India Limited.

Mrs. Anita Rajendra Malsure has ceased to be the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Times Guaranty Limited upon completion of her term.

Any solution to help students except tutors?

It is very impressive to hear that this platform recognized subjects of great interest to citizens. Is there any solution to help the students other than tutors?

Balaji R D

Can a bigamy case be reopened during a second appeal?

The appellant sought to know from the Office of the Divisional Railway Manager, North Western Railway whether the Assistant Divisional Engineer is competent to authorize the termination of service of a Trackman and other information. Respondent prayed the CIC to grant him time to file written submission enumerating the facts of this case in detail to facilitate due assistance to the bench in disposal of this appeal. The CIC severely admonished the conduct of the Respondent as he did not bother to file written submission despite praying for the same through his representative before the bench. The CIC observed that the Appellant is agitating a matter in which he has already been given a relief by issuing a favourable order despite having indulged in bigamy. The CIC deemed it fit to refer the matter to DRM, North Western Railway to take note of the aberration in the form of lenient view being taken by subordinate officers in such a serious matter as bigamy.

Comments

It is a case where the RTI appeal has taken a spin, or rather a googly. Instead of providing any information, the case may turn into an examination of what the junior officers decided in the case of bigamy.

Citation: Ved Prakash Meena v. Office the Divisional Railway Manager, North Western Railway, CIC/NWRLY/A/2023/139716; Date of Decision : 06.03.2025

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