Asset Scan

By Dilip Cherian

With the huge `280 crore assets scandal in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) having just come to the fore, it looks like 2011 may be the year when babus are finally forced to disclose their assets. The man at the vanguard of the campaign is Bihar’s reformist chief minister Nitish Kumar. Though by no means the only political leader keen to bring babus’ assets into the public domain, Mr Kumar is clearly the most successful so far.

He has apparently ordered IAS babus in Bihar to declare their assets by month-end. Considering that he has kept his word on punishing corrupt babus by confiscating their personal property, the nation now waits to see whether fear of Mr Kumar can make Bihar’s babus fall in line.
Last year, the governments in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh also took steps in this direction. But at present all eyes are on Mr Kumar. Because if it works in Bihar, it must work elsewhere, say the jungle drums.

Upward Ho!

For most state civil service babus, getting into the coveted IAS remains a dream. In Karnataka, for example, there are only five vacancies every year within the state IAS cadre for Karnataka State Administrative Service officials. This year, however, state babus have reason to be hopeful since the B.S. Yeddyurappa government has to fill 26 vacancies. According to chief secretary S.V. Ranganath, promotions of state babus were held up for two years because of a legal fracas, even as 10 state babus retired.

Clearly, there is a sense of urgency to the issue because of the inadequate number of administrative officers in Karnataka.
Apparently, due to staff shortage, the Karnataka government was forced to poach officers from the Indian Forest Service and place them in civil administration positions.
(Source: The Deccan Chronicle; January 23rd, 2011)