Concerned over a number of "senior civil servants" jumping into the poll fray, the Election Commission had earlier this year asked the government to bring in a "cooling off period" clause between leaving the government job and joining a political party by these officials which include those from the IAS, IPS and other Class 'A' services.
It revised an order, issued on January 14 setting up a separate mechanism to deal with such complaints on the ground that 'frivolous or vague complaints were also given importance' and that hence it was better to get them scrutinised by a group of secretaries headed by the Cabinet Secretary.
A shameful incident saw some of the four Indian women's hockey team players made to sit on the floor of the train while returning back home from Rio Olympics.
'Whoever thought that building toilets and providing free rations to the poorest of poor Indians would give Modi a halo other political leaders would envy?' asks Sheela Bhatt.
Former bureaucrats are pushing politicians from key posts, feel party loyalists.
'Today, political formations seem to adopt an 'us' versus 'them' approach which shows up even in their attitude towards civil servants.'
'This creates an added layer of fear.'
Indian Administrative Service and Indian Police Service officers will now need to take prior permission from the Union government
The Union home ministry termed the suspension as null and void.
Officers of the elite Indian Administrative Service (IAS) want their pay scales to be determined on the basis of prevailing market rates. However, they are not ready to give up the substantial perks they enjoy, like palatial bungalows in city centres, number of attendants, guards, drivers and other assorted facilities.
Reema Sen lights up the screen in Gangs Of Wasseypur.
Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Friday that half the government officials in the state administration would go behind bars if the "scams committed during the former Congress-led government" were to be investigated.
'Forget stones & eggs, they can't cow me down even if they use bullet,' Panda tweeted.
Army chief General V K Singh's aggressive stance over various issues in the last few months is likely to go against the interest of the army.
The Trinamool Congress MP said he is unable to bear various incidents that are happening in West Bengal.
Babus from Bihar are ready to give up on their own state for a posting in New Delhi. Bihar today is facing a shortage of Indian Administrative Service officers, which is now affecting the ongoing development work, has badly hit Chief Minster Nitish Kumar's claims of susashan (good governance).
The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has decided to amend the All India Services (discipline and appeal) Rules, 1969, applicable to IAS, IPS and IFS officers, in this regard.
Babus in Madhya Pradesh will have to pull up their socks or pay a fine every time they delay an application.
The licence permit raj has morphed into a system which is just as crippling.
Here's what could be ahead for India: A $10-trillion economy by 2030-32, a Sensex at 1,00,000 by 2025, monthly GST revenues at Rs 2 trillion by 2024-25, 100 new unicorns by 2025, and poverty below 5 per cent by 2030, predicts R Jagannathan.
If you spot a politician or civil servant seen to be violating the austerity guidelines, why don't you shoot a photograph and/or video and send it to us? We shall post the best images and videos on rediff.com
Expecting brickbats from Babus for recommending only about 40 per cent hike in pay, the Sixth Pay Commission chairman Justice B N Srikrishna on Monday said his recommendations would displease everbody.
Union minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi asked officials in her Lok Sabha constituency of Pilibhit to follow the example of Sonia in order to check corruption in the education department.
'Who decides what is jingoistic?' 'What is patriotic?' 'Who decides Lagaan is patriotic and Gadar is jingoistic?'
Bicycles, car pools and fans are making a comeback into the lives of Japanese people battling soaring oil prices and global warming.
'If you want Aatma Nirbhar, your policies should favour self-reliance, but your policies do not help the idea.' 'How are we going to be self-reliant if you make things difficult for us?'
Biplab Kumar Deb is accused of 'punching above his weight' and being 'ignorant' of Tripura's ground realities.
The corridors of the Vidhan Soudha now wear a deserted look and its corridors have fallen silent, thanks to the ongoing political crisis in the state.
Madhya Pradesh and Uttaranchal earned the distinction of being the most accessible providing 87 and 76 per cent of the required information, respectively.
'Bureaucrats have transformed a project meant to empower the poorest Indians into one that empowers only babus and disempowers everyone else,' says Mihir S Sharma.
The future can only get better if we continue to break silos and work as integrated teams focussed on promoting national interests, recommends Sanjeev Nayyar.
It is clear Modi wants to establish a direct hotline with the bureaucracy, bypassing the ministers, just like in Gujarat where the bureaucracy ran the show and the babus were given a free hand to take decisions.
'There were tears in my eyes when I parted with my medals. I thought was it for this moment did I become a soldier?' In 2008, Captain H Balakrishnan (retd) of the Indian Navy returned all his medals to the President of India to protest the government's failure to implement the One Rank One Pension scheme.
Does IAS officers' work go unappreciated, asks Ajit Balakrishnan.
