NEW DELHI: The 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.
Political Strokes
Congress crowdfunds Haryana campaign
The Congress has asked ticket seekers for the upcoming assembly elections in Haryana to make a cash deposit to register themselves as an aspirant. The general category aspirants have been asked to make a demand draft of Rs 20,000 and those belonging to the OBC or SC category are required to pay Rs 5,000 each.
According to sources, over 3000 candidates have deposited DDs for the 90 assembly seats in the state. The party’s screening committee headed by AICC Treasurer Ajay Maken will now meet all the 3000 applicants and make a shortlist for the party’s Central Election Committee, which will take a final call on ticket allotment.
The party had announced July 31 as the last date for the ticket aspirants to deposit DDs and register themselves. However, the overwhelming response forced it to extend the date to August 10. The Congress fortune has been on the upswing in Haryana. The party had lost all 10 Lok Sabha seats in the state in the 2019 elections but managed to win five seats in 2024.
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