Commentary/Rajiv Shukla

Decision time

Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral will soon have to make up his mind about the appointment of certain top-rung bureaucrats. The terms of the Cabinet secretary, home secretary, foreign secretary, CBI director, IB director and UPSC chairman are running out.

As far as the post of Cabinet secretary goes, a change of guard is imminent. T S R Subramaniam is already on extension and is not at all keen on another one. He ought to be rehabilitated in a manner that would enable the government to utilise his experience.

The names that are doing the rounds as successor to Subramaniam include Animal Husbandry Secretary Yogesh Chandra, Water Resources Secretary Mata Prasad, Textiles Secretary Prabhat Kumar, Industries Secretary T R Prasad and Expenditure Secretary C Ramachandran. Subramaniam is due to retire in December and the new Cabinet secretary is required to work as officer-on-special duty in the secretariat for a month before taking charge.

Home Secretary K Padmanabhaiah is due for retirement on October 31. Hectic lobbying is on for the post. At the moment, Revenue Secretary N K Singh, Culture Secretary B P Singh, Personnel Secretary Arvind Verma, Mata Prasad and Manish Gupta are the front-runners.

Union Home Minister Indrajit Gupta has made it clear that no further extension will be granted to the home secretary. Padmanbhaiah could well be in line for a gubernatorial posting or could become the Prasar Bharti CEO.

Manish Gupta of the West Bengal cadre is said to be the home minister's choice. But neither is Gupta empanelled for the secretary's job in the Government of India, nor is he in West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu's best books. So, if Indrajit Gupta is really serious about appointing Manish Gupta, he must have the latter empanelled in the GOI as a special case.

Though N K Singh's efficiency and experience cannot be questioned, it is unlikely that Finance Minister P Chidambaram will let his trusted revenue secretary go, especially when the crucial VDIS scheme is midway.

Mata Prasad's name is being floated for both the slots -- home and Cabinet. The fact that he had earlier worked closely with Sitaram Kesri in the ministry of welfare could work to his advantage. But his term as water resources secretary does not end before January.

Both Arvind Verma and B P Singh have been in the home ministry and are known for their efficiency. But they are low-profile bureaucrats with no political clout.

As far as the top job in the UPSC goes, a retired IAS official is expected to take over.

Another important slot that will soon fall vacant in the home ministry is that of Special Secretary V S Mathur.

In the foreign office, the prime minister is keen to give an extension to Secretary K Raghunath. Gujral also wants to send former foreign secretary Salman Haider to London as high commissioner.

The final decision regarding all these bureaucratic matters will have to be taken in a hurry.

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