Trekking Trainees

Recent reports that the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration is considering extending the ‘village stay’ component for its trainees to three weeks from the current one week is not the only change in the curriculum of inductees to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). In keeping with the reform objectives outlined in Mission Karmayogi, the academy is focusing on Himalayan treks and interactions with self-help groups in hill states and the Northeast. This is a welcome change aimed at making training more experiential and putting would-be administrators in touch with grassroot realities. Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu was recently at the academy and training has also been organised for state civil service personnel. The changes in selecting Padma awardees have seen many lesser-known people working to change lives for the better receive national recognition. Some of them have been invited to the academy to share their experiences, another step to put trainees in touch with real-world issues. In an interesting exercise called ‘atma saakshaatkar’ (deconstruction) at the beginning of the training, recruits discuss their interaction with public services like health, education and employment applications. The new initiatives have been largely welcomed although they do involve a lot more physical exertion than was the case before. In the more remote parts of the hills near Mussoorie and elsewhere in Uttarakhand, it is not uncommon to see groups of IAS trainees trekking along the pathways. Not all look too happy as a love of the outdoors and its rigors is not universal. But it does seem new recruits will need to get hold of a good pair of walking shoes!

Reshuffle Rumours

Nothing animates Delhi’s political grapevine like talk of a reshuffle of the Union council of ministers. Possibilities are discussed over several rounds of tea and coffee, and even stronger stuff, as promotions and exits are considered. It is a time of trepidation for many incumbents who might feel they are on a dicey wicket and requests to the media to carry articles authored by ministers explaining how they have delivered rise exponentially. This time, the supposed hour of trial being spoken of is around Makar Sankranti or Uttarayan, marking the transition of the sun, which falls on January 14. Given that the date is speculative, tensions will remain unabated till the start of the Budget session at the end of January. Official and party functionaries remain non-committal about such an exercise, merely noting that they would come to know about it when everyone else did. Last time a reshuffle happened it saw the exit of several BJP veterans and the induction of a younger crop of leaders, many with professional qualifications. Key changes included Union minister for railways, communications and electronics and IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, whose Rajya Sabha candidacy was jointly supported by BJP and BJD. This time round, a shuffle, as and when it happens, will be an assessment of those who were made ministers and a final prep for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Eye On PFI

The recent ban on the Popular Front of India (PFI) as an “unlawful organisation” under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, or UAPA, has been much discussed in the light of the organisation having successfully set up a home base in Kerala while evading an outright ban for years. At a seminar in Delhi, a senior state police official outlined intensive counter-radicalisation measures undertaken by the force to prevent the spread of jihadist thought. It would seem the state government is considering urgent steps to prevent a recurrence of PFI activities which had developed national and transnational linkages.

China In the Cold

Reflecting the chill in ties, there has been no party-level visit between BJP and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for some time now. Previously, a fairly senior party delegation had visited China and there were ministerial delegations too. All that is a thing of the past and it has become quite evident that even the semblance of normalcy may prove elusive until there is tangible progress in stabilising the border. Influential voices have called for the restoration of a political dialogue, noting that meetings between military commanders and foreign ministry officials are not enough. Thus, they have advocated a political initiative. Yet, given speculation that China’s border adventurism may continue, and that India’s national election is approaching, a thaw does not seem on the cards right now. China’s problems with zero-Covid have presented its leaders with a fresh set of internal and international problems and a PR breakthrough with India is unlikely to happen without real progress in normalising the borders.

Call Before You Dig

The Centre, along with the states, has launched a new app called “Call Before You Dig (CBuD)” that will allow various government agencies to coordinate before digging up roads and footpaths that can result in cuts in optical fibre cables that the government estimates result in estimated losses of `3,000 crore annually. While the application is being rolled out by the Department of Telecom, the concept is a further development of the PM Gati Shakti programme that has seen more than a dozen Central departments, and now several states as well, sharing information relating to physical assets and geological features that helps accelerate planning and implementation of projects. The new app uses similar principles to create a GIS (Geographic Information System) backbone that allows hundreds of ‘layers’ of information to become available for users, such as municipalities, water and power utilities, as well as state Public
Works Departments.

Faceless But Fair

Some time ago, a senior Union finance ministry official received an unusual delegation from the Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust, representing the Samadhi temple of the popular saint in Maharashtra. The trust had received communication from the tax department that it could no longer be regarded as a religious endowment. The reason: the shrine did not have a specific religious denomination to qualify in the category and so would lose the exemption it was previously entitled to. The order left the trustees flummoxed as the shrine has attracted devotees and followers from all sects and communities, a feature that marks the saint’s syncretic appeal. The official advised the trust to file an appeal which, under the ‘faceless’ norms, would go to an unidentified officer. Wait and see what happens to your appeal, the official said, adding that in the event of another adverse verdict, other means of redress could be considered. Although not very convinced, the trust officials filed the appeal. As it turned out, the order was reversed on appeal and the trust got back its benefits that enable it to carry out several welfare activities apart from running kitchens and providing accommodation at the shrine complex. The trust was overjoyed and the official felt vindicated that the faceless system was indeed providing the fair and timely hearing of cases it is meant to.

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