New Delhi, Nov 1: The sudden shake-up of secretaries to the Government of India, including the finance secretary has sent shock waves among senior bureaucrats and claimed its first victim within 24 hours with economic affairs secretary Dr EAS Sarma opting for premature retirement. Dr Sarma, a 1965 batch IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre, was shifted as coal secretary in Tuesday's reshuffle. He is due to retire only in September 2001.Expressing annoyance at Dr Sarma's unceremonious removal from the finance ministry, a senior North Block bureaucrat said: "It is officers like Sarma who have restored faith in the Indian civil service. But instead of rewarding him, the establishment has punished him." Dr Sarma will be handing over charge to the new finance and economic affairs secretary Mr Ajit Kumar. A 1964 batch IAS officer of the Punjab cadre, Mr Kumar had only a brief stint with the finance ministry.
Curiously, Mr Kumar, who is currently secretary, department of industrial policy and promotion, is swapping post with finance secretary PG Mankad, who has already worked in the ministry in a similar capacity. Mr Mankad is expected to move to the Asian Development Bank, Manila, early next year.
Unable to fathom the reasons for the sudden reshuffle, most senior bureaucrats in the finance ministry chose to stay away from work for the greater part of the day. Mr Mankad and Dr Sarma routinely attended the finance ministry's parliamentary consultative committee meeting and returned home.
The reshuffle has touched other key economic ministries like IT and petroleum ministry. IT secretary Mr PV Jayakrishnan was brought to the ministry hardly six months ago and will now go to the ministry of environment and forests.
It is a similar story in the case of petroleum secretary Mr S Narayan. Mr Narayan was moved to the petroleum ministry barely six months ago. Now he has been sent to the revenue department of the finance ministry.
Shipping secretary Mr R Vasudevan of the Maharashtra cadre has been curiously repatriated to his cadre state, apparently against his wishes.
While Mr Vishwanathan Anand (UP, 65) goes from environment and forests to SSI and rural industries, Mr VN Kaul (MP, 65), coal secretary, moves to department of chemicals and petro-chemicals. Mr P Shankar (Tamil Nadu, 66), currently secretary food and public distribution becomes secretary, petroleum and natural gas. Mr RD Kapur of the UT cadre (66) who was just moved to Parliamentary Affairs Ministry hardly two months ago goes to food and public distribution department.
Mr MP Pinto, Maharashtra (66), currently chairman of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust becomes secretary, shipping, while Mr Vinay Kohli, Assam (66), at present secretary, national commission for minorities, goes to IT ministry.
Copyright © 2000 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.