Top OfficersTight race for Home Secy; CAPF shakeup likelyThe Union government has started the process of filling up the vacancies in top bureaucracy. Last week, it appointed T V Somanathan as the Cabinet Secretary, Devesh Chaturvedi as Secretary, Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and Sandeep Pondrik as Secretary in the Steel Ministry. Around a dozen more secretaries would be appointed soon. According to sources, the government has short-listed over half a dozen names as a possible replacement for Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, whose extended term ends this month. Among the frontrunners for the post are Vivek Joshi, Secretary, Department of Financial Services, Culture Secretary Govind Mohan and Health and Family Welfare Secretary Apurva Chandra. Mohan has served in the Union home ministry as an additional secretary, where he earned the goodwill of Home Minister Amit Shah. Joshi, too, has done a stint in the Union home ministry where he looked after border management, among other things. His experience with border issues and stellar reputation have brought him into contention. Chandra’s deft handling of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting as a Secretary is said to have caught the government’s attention. Sources said that the government is planning a big shakeup at the top level of most of the Central Armed Police Force, namely the BSF, CRPF, CISF, SSB, NSG and ITBP. Heads of some of these organisations may be removed and new officers are likely to be brought in to head them. Among the officers tipped to head one of the CAPFs is Assam Director General of Police G P Singh. Sources said that the volatility at the India-Bangladesh border has made G P Singh a good choice to head one of the CAPFs to handle the sensitive eastern border with his knowledge of the area and experience in handling security issues.
Source link
