Inside Raisina Hill: 'Bureaucratic Inertia', Austerity Measures, And BSNL Tie-Up

As one walks down the Hill along the Rajpath, now renamed Kartavya Path, come other edifices — Rail Bhavan, Krishi Bhavan, and Shashtri Bhavan on one side and Sena Bhavan, Udyog Bhavan, and Vanijya Bhavan on the other. The bureaucrats who adorn the offices in these buildings decide on India's economic, social, and industrial policies. There are many tales to be told from the corridors of these grandiose buildings. We let you in on some of them here in this week's edition of "Inside Raisina Hill".

“Bureaucratic Inertia” And Science 

The Science Department seems to have gotten the cold shoulder from senior bureaucrats. Recently, Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances, and Pensions Jitendra Singh lamented that the bureaucracy is stifling the country’s innovation ecosystem, as senior bureaucrats in most states across the country have shown a nonchalant attitude towards the Science Department.  

The Union Minister pointed to the “bureaucratic inertia” and “a lack of enthusiasm”. He made the remarks during the release of NITI Aayog’s latest report, ‘Pathways to Progress: Analysis and Insights into India’s Innovation Story’, earlier this week.

“Out of 28 states in India, you will find that in 24 states the posts of the Secretary of Science are held by reluctant officers. No senior IAS officer wants to be a Science Secretary,” he said.

Tacitly, it could also mean that top officials prefer Revenue, Urban Development, and Home Affairs to Science Department, forcing the country’s growing technology ecosystem to scramble for seasoned leaders.

“The innovation ecosystem faces a major challenge: the mindset problem of the bureaucracy, industry, and start-ups. This mindset needs to change,” the Minister said.

Austerity On Festival Occasion 

Festive fervour is running high, and in the grip of it, the Central government has tightened the noose around public spending on gifts for any festival. 

The Union Ministry of Finance has issued an Office Memorandum directing all Central government ministries, departments, and associated organisations not to spend public money on gifts during Diwali or any other festival. 

These austerity measures follow the government's sustained efforts to enforce fiscal discipline and restrict non-essential spending. As per a directive by the Department of Expenditure, this comes with immediate effect. 

Earlier, too, such restrictions were imposed to ensure "prudent utilisation" of public funds. 

The recent order was approved by the Secretary (Expenditure) and signed by P.K. Singh, the Joint Secretary to the Government of India.

Telecommunication Meets Postal Service

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Department of Posts to widen the availability of its mobile services across the country. 

Manisha Bansal Badal, General Manager (Citizen Centric Services & RB), Department of Posts; and Deepak Garg, Principal General Manager (Sales and Marketing-Consumer Mobility), BSNL, signed the memorandum.  

The agreement enables more than 1.65 lakh post offices in the country to function as points of sale for BSNL SIM cards and mobile recharge services. With India Post’s reach in almost every town and village, the initiative is expected to improve last-mile connectivity, particularly in rural and remote regions, officials said.

A pilot project was carried out in Assam, wherein it yielded positive results, officials said. Post offices will handle customer onboarding, SIM sales, and recharge facilitation, while BSNL will supply SIM stocks and train postal staff, they said.

ONGC CMD Arun Kumar Singh Likely To Get An Extension

Chairman-cum-Managing Director of Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Arun Kumar Singh is likely to get an extension of his tenure by a year or two.

Singh’s current three-year tenure in the ONGC is set to conclude on December 6, 2025. According to official sources, the government has received a proposal from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas regarding a tenure extension for Singh.

They said that a final decision in this regard would be taken by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  

Incidentally, the development follows an earlier move by the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB), which had floated a vacancy for the post on March 3, 2025.

Arun Kumar Singh, who is also the former CMD of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL), took over as the Chairman of ONGC from the reins of Shashi Shanker, who superannuated on March 31, 2021.