:: Dilip Cherian

PM loves his technocrats

By Dilip Cherian

Sep 27 : It is well known by now that in United Progressive Alliance-2, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has shown a preference for technocrats over babus. Senior babus are not sure any more of landing plum postings after retiring from the civil service, which allows them to continue enjoying the perks they’ve got used to while in service.

Dr Singh’s appointment of chief economic adviser (finance ministry) Arvind Virmani as India’s executive director to the International Monetary Fund to replace Adarsh Kishore, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, is an example of a job that would otherwise have gone to an ex-babu. The government had earlier made similar changes at the Asian Development Bank, where an IAS officer was also replaced by a most suitable technocrat, Ashok Lahiri. Rumour has it that Pulok Chatterjee too is being brought back from his World Bank job in Washington for apprenticeship before he takes over an even bigger job. Insiders say that another technocrat could be taking Mr Chatterjee’s place, too. So the drought situation seems to have forced even babus to be on an austerity drive. The Prime Minister’s love for technocrats has clearly threatened some post-retirement options.

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Delhi syndrome

Could be that Gujarat and West Bengal represent two opposite ends of the political spectrum, but babu-watchers have noted an interesting trend in the two states. While in West Bengal babus are leaving in a steady stream for the greener pastures of Delhi, in Gujarat some babus, who are currently on Central deputation, are trying their best to stay on in the capital, even at the cost of a promotion.

As reported earlier in this column, the exodus of babus from West Bengal picked up after the Left lost the last elections, with some heading for Delhi on deputation and a few others crossing the fence into the corporate world. But in the case of Narendra Modi’s Gujarat, at least three senior babus of the 1983 batch are showing great reluctance to return to their home state. Ashim Khurana, O. Ravi and J.N. Singh are joint secretaries in the home ministry and textiles ministry and eligible for promotion to principal secretary, if only they were to return to Gandhinagar.

However, the reluctance of these three babus to go back home may actually benefit the 1984 batch officers who are due next for promotion. Anyway, the list of new principal secretaries in Gujarat is likely to be announced shortly, with or without the names of these Delhi-struck babus!