Inside Raisina Hill: Sovereign AI, UPSC Meet, And Next Ambassador To Belgium, The EU

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".

IFS Officer Pranay Verma is the Next Ambassador to Belgium, the EU

India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Pranay Kumar Verma, who is a career diplomat and an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of the 1994 batch, has been named as the next Ambassador to Belgium and the European Union (EU).

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) made this announcement in an official statement this week, amid speculations that New Delhi will be appointing a political figure as India's next envoy to Dhaka.

The decision comes at a crucial time, when India and the EU are moving towards strengthening economic and strategic ties.

PMO Orders Probe into Allegations against Chhattisgarh RERA Chief

Taking cognisance of the allegations against Chairman of Chhattisgarh Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) Sanjay Shukla, an ex-India Forest Service (IFoS) officer of the 1987 batch, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has issued a direction, ordering a multi-layered probe into the matter.

The matter has been referred to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs for a detailed examination. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has asked the Urban Administration Department of the Chhattisgarh government to conduct a thorough investigation and take appropriate action. The order mandates that the case be comprehensively investigated, necessary action be taken based on findings, and the complainant be informed of the outcome of the probe.

Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan Stresses Sovereign AI

Amid a rapidly evolving global security landscape, Union Cabinet Secretary T.V. Somanathan, a 1987-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre, has stressed the urgent need for the country to focus on its key strategic priorities, including the development of sovereign Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities and resilient supply chains to strengthen national preparedness. He made these remarks while addressing the senior leadership of the Indian Army during the ongoing Army Commanders’ Conference in the National Capital.

Highlighting the growing importance of emerging technologies in modern warfare and governance, the top bureaucrat laid emphasis on developing sovereign AI capabilities, pointing out that indigenous AI systems were critical to ensuring strategic autonomy and safeguarding national interests in an increasingly technology-driven global order.

Somanathan also drew attention to the importance of resilient supply chains, stating that recent geopolitical disruptions have reinforced the need for secure and reliable logistics and production networks. He further noted that strengthening supply chains would be vital not only for economic stability, but also for maintaining operational readiness in times of crisis.

UPSC’s DPC Meeting on April 28

The Haryana’s state police service officers are keeping their eyes with eagerness, as the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is going to meet on April 28 finalise the list of 22 HPS officers, who will be inducted into the Indian Police Service (IPS) cadre.

The move is coming soon after the decision taken by UPSC’s DPC to induct a set of Haryana Civil Service (HCS) officers getting elevated to the IAS cadre.

The upcoming DPC meeting is expected to take up pending cases of promotion from HPS to IPS, which have been delayed for several years, sources said, adding that the proposal has already received clearance for the consideration of 18 officers against existing vacancies.

Incidentally, the vacancy distribution spans multiple years, including five posts from 2020, four posts each from 2021 and 2022, one post from 2023 and three posts from 2024, it is learnt from the sources that the state government has pushed for the inclusion of four more vacancies that arose in 2025, potentially expanding the scope of promotions.

The long-awaited process is set to gain momentum as the UPSC has scheduled a crucial Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) meeting on April 28 in Chandigarh, raising fresh hopes among officers awaiting career advancement.

IAS Sanjay Singh likely to be appointed as Bihar CM’s Secretary

At a time when several of the senior IAS officers of Bihar cadre are eying central deputation following the change of guard at the political level, Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary’s blue-eyed boy among the state bureaucracy, Sanjay Kumar Singh, a 2007-batch officer, is likely to be roped in the CMO as Secretary.

Currently, Singh is serving as the Secretary of the Commercial Tax Department of the Government of Bihar. Notably, when Chaudhary became the state’s Home Minister during Nitish Kumar’s tenure, Singh was assigned the additional charge of Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Home Department of the Bihar government.