As one walks down the Hill along the Rajpath, now renamed Kartavya Path, come other edifices — Rail Bhavan, Krishi Bhavan, Shashtri Bhavan, and Kartavya 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".

Punjab To Get Regular DGP Soon

The Punjab government has apparently sent a panel of 14 Indian Police Service (IPS) officers to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for shortlisting three candidates for the post of regular Director General of Police (DGP) in the state.

According to officials, the list included the names of Gaurav Yadav (IPS, 1992 batch), Sharad Satya Chauhan (IPS, 1992), Kuldeep Singh (IPS, 1992), Harpreet Singh Sidhu (IPS, 1992), Gurpreet Kaur Deo (IPS, 1993), Jitendra Kumar Jain (IPS, 1993), Shashi Prabha Dwivedi (IPS, 1993), Sudhanshi Shekhar Srivastava (IPS, 1994), P.K. Sinha (IPS, 1994), Amardeep Singh Rai (IPS, 1994), and V. Neeraja (IPS, 1994).

In February, the Supreme Court of India had pulled up some states, including Punjab, for having acting DGPs. The Punjab government had passed the Punjab Police (Amendment) Bill in 2023, which empowers the state to appoint the DGP through a separate state-level committee. However, this bill is pending with the President of India for a final assent.

The state government had appointed Gaurav Yadav as officiating DGP in July 2022, after his predecessor V.K. Bhawra (Retd. IPS) was sent on leave.

Is Arif Mohammad Khan India’s Next Envoy To Bangladesh?

Ever since New Delhi informed the Bangladeshi government that a political person, not a career diplomat, would be assigned the role of India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh, the corridors of power have been rife with speculation. Sources say former Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan would likely be considered by the government. 

When the Centre removed Khan from the Lok Bhawan in Patna, it had surprised many, as in the BJP circles it was largely believed that he played a key role in convincing Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to move out of Bihar.

If Khan is officially posted in Dhaka, he will be replacing Pranay Kumar Verma, a career diplomat belonging to the 1994-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS).

Elections, The Gen-Z Way

In an innovative voter awareness initiative for the 2026 Kerala Legislative Assembly elections, senior administrative officers of Keralam appeared in a Gen-Z-themed music video sponsored by the Election Commission (EC) of India. The music video was aimed at encouraging young electors to participate in the democratic process.

The campaign features Rathan U. Kelkar, Chief Electoral Officer of Kerala, and Anu Kumari, District Collector of Thiruvananthapuram, alongside other officials, in a youth-oriented music video built around the message: “We Vote, We Decide.”

The polling for the 2026 Kerala Legislative Assembly election took place in a single phase on April 9, while counting of votes is scheduled for May 4, as the tenure of the current Assembly ends on May 23.

JKAS Officers Likely To Be Inducted Into IAS Cadre

The Union Territory administration of Jammu & Kashmir has sent a list of 23 J&K Administrative Service (JKAS) officers to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for consideration for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) cadre.

Official sources said that all procedural formalities have now been completed, and the final meeting of the selection committee is expected to be held by the end of April in Jammu.

The inductions are being processed against vacancies for the years 2019 and 2020, marking the first major movement in nearly four years after the previous induction exercise, as no fresh intake has taken place since August 2022.

The last major induction took place on August 4, 2022, when 16 JKAS officers were inducted into the IAS, after a prolonged delay. Sources said that certain legal issues linked to service matters are still pending, but they are unlikely to halt the current induction.

According to the official sources, the UPSC has nominated one of its members as Chairman of the Selection Committee for Jammu and Kashmir. The committee will include three senior officers from the Union Territory administration, including the Chief Secretary, the Additional Chief Secretary, and the Administrative Secretary of the General Administration Department (GAD).