Inside Raisina Hill: Weekly Wrap From The Power Corridor-IX

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".

Toshakhana: The Central Government’s Alladin’s Cave

Did you know that the Government of India maintains an 'Aladdin's cave' called the Toshakhana? Yes, you’ve heard right — a treasure trove where gifts received by officers and ministers, beyond a certain value, are required to be deposited.

The word ‘Toshakhana’ originates from Persian, and it means "treasure house". The government Toshakhana, at any given time, is chock-a-block with items like jewellery, costly watches, gold coins, Persian carpets, Dhaka's muslin sarees, Japanese Samurai swords, and French wine.

Among the more costly items at the Toshakahana, situated in the basement of South Bloc, are a Rolex watch worth nearly Rs 1 crore, a silver Buddha worth nearly half-a-crore of rupees, and a silver, gold, and enamel tea service set from Russia, worth over Rs 12 lakh.

Those who have been inside the Toshakhana say the place looks like a "Royal Khazana".

Items from this government treasurehouse are sometimes sent to museums. A few are auctioned off to connoisseurs. Items in next month’s auction include a gold and silver-handcrafted chess set with a starting price of Rs 5.5 lakh, a set of four French perfumes at Rs 2.7 lakh, and a Rs 1.12 lakh silver replica of a ship.

The fortunate few who have seen the “Aladdin’s cave” with their own eyes, claim that among items in the depths of this repository, are paintings and memorabilia gifted to Lord Curzon, the Viceroy of British-ruled India from 1899 to 1905.

A Crystal Ball Move In Haryana: The ‘Department Of Future’

On May 1, when the rest of the country celebrated Labour Day, Haryana’s state government dropped a bureaucratic bombshell. There was an official announcement creating a brand-new and rather mysterious “Department of Future”!

Dear reader, you heard that right — a separate department dedicated to “the future”.

It was a swift and surprise notification, and the state government appointed two top IAS officers in charge of this futuristic venture.

Two Haryana cadre bureaucrats will steer this ship in the days ahead. Amneet P Kumar, a 2001-batch IAS, has been named the Commissioner and Secretary of the new department. Another IAS from the same batch, Aditya Dahiya, steps in as Director.

However, the catch is that both will hold their responsibilities in the new department in addition to their existing portfolios.

While Kumar is currently overseeing the departments of Fisheries and Archives, Dahiya juggles between Personnel & Training, and Parliamentary Affairs. On top of these, they will now have to do whatever has to be done in this new department, which sounds like a sci-fi governance experiment.

Meanwhile, the ‘sarkari babus’ are sending WhatsApp messages to each other in the state secretariat, trying to figure out what exactly the “Department of Future” is supposed to do.

Will it be an AI-driven cell? A new-age policy lab? Or just a fancy new think-tank? Nobody’s sure, but one thing’s certain — this is a mind-boggling government move that’s got all eyes glued to the next move.

Finance Commission Report Submission On Schedule

In an earlier edition of this column, The Secretariat had reported about the stepping down of Ajay Narayan Jha, a member of the 16th Finance Commission, and how there have been whispers of discord within.

Officially, he left due to his health. Unofficially, Jha, a man with strong views, reportedly pushed back against hiring consultants. He didn’t like the idea of employing too many external hands with less accountability.

Questions propped up after his exit. Is all well within the Commission? Will there be a replacement for Jha? Or, will the Commission complete its term with one seat vacant? Above all, will the Finance Commission be able to deliver its recommendations on time?

Insiders assured us that the draft recommendations will arrive on schedule.

Ajay Narayan Jha, a retired 1982-batch IAS officer from the Manipur cadre, had earlier served as India’s Expenditure Secretary. He brought decades of experience to the Commission.

Incidentally, he was also a member of the 15th Finance Commission.

Govt Firm On Protecting Country’s Agriculture In Indo-US Talks

The negotiations for the Indo-US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) are in full swing. A few policymakers have shown a keen interest in being "less protective" over politically sensitive sectors such as agriculture and dairy farming.

However, sources said that in the overall scheme of negotiations, “there is pressure from the top” to remain firm on these key sectors and “not give in to US arm-twisting.”

There is widespread fear among stakeholders that the Indian side, to conclude the trade pact, may bow to the US side. Though, they also admit that there is an urgent need to bring in reforms in the farm sector.

It is understood that the government is in no mood to get into any political scuffle within India at this juncture.

The Swadeshi Jagaran Manch, an affiliate of the RSS, has maintained that it will not allow any compromise on protection for the agriculture, and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) sectors.

“We will hold our ground on a few sectors such as agriculture,” Ashwani Mahajan, national co-convener of the SJM, said.

Agriculture is a highly sensitive subject in India. Even earlier, when several governments had tried to push reforms in the farm sector, there had been little headway.

New Delhi, keen to increase exports of farm products, is looking to almost double it to touch US$ 100 billion in agricultural exports by 2030.

India is already the largest exporter of rice. The US buys 5 per cent of India's total basmati rice exports.

Jharkhand DGP Anurag Gupta In The Eye Of An MHA Storm

A letter from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to the Jharkhand state government suggested that incumbent Director General of Police (DGP), Anurag Gupta, cannot continue in the office beyond the date of his superannuation, which is April 30, 2025.   

The MHA’s letter came after a January notification issued by the Jharkhand government related to the continuation of Gupta as DGP. The starting date of new appointment was on February 2, 2025, with a fixed tenure of two years.

The MHA opined that Gupta’s appointment is not aligned with existing national rules, based on a relevant Supreme Court judgment.

The MHA, taking a firm stance, asked the Jharkhand government to adhere strictly to the established rules for the selection and appointment of the DGP in line with the Supreme Court’s directives in the Prakash Singh case.

The letter was sent earlier this week to the Chief Secretary of Jharkhand, Sanjeev Kumar. It says, “Government of Jharkhand is directed to retire Shri Anurag Gupta, IPS, on 30.04.2025 from the post of the DGP (HoPF) Jharkhand.”

The letter emphasises that continuing Gupta’s service beyond the age of superannuation violates Rule 16(1) of the All India Services (Death-cum-Retirement Benefit) Rules, 1958, which mandates retirement at the age of 60 for IPS officers.

Any extension of service post-retirement, according to the MHA, must be granted either by the Central Government or under a two-year fixed tenure as per the process outlined by the Supreme Court in its ruling in a police reforms case filed by retired IPS Prakash Singh.

The MHA also cited the Supreme Court’s July 3, 2018, ruling, which clearly states that any state or central legislation contravening the court’s directive would be held in abeyance.

However, the state government is highly inclined to retain him for the remainder of his two-year term and has argued that Jharkhand was not the only state that formulated its own DGP selection rules. Several other states have done the same.

Now, the fate of DGP Gupta will be decided in the Supreme Court, which is scheduled to hear a case filed by Jharkhand BJP president Babulal Marandi challenging Gupta’s appointment to the post.

It is not the first time that DGP Gupta has courted controversy. In October last year, during state elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) had removed him from the post of Acting DGP and asked him to hand over charge to the next senior-most DGP-level officer.

Race For Next Telangana DGP Is On

The race for the next regular DGP of Telangana has heated up, with the state government initiating the selection process. The new officer will replace the incumbent police chief, Jitender.

Jitender was appointed to the position in July 2024, replacing Ravi Gupta, who was then appointed as Special Chief Secretary to the Home Department of the state.

The names of senior IPS officers of Telangana cadre that have been sent to the UPSC include C V Anand, B Shivadhar Reddy, Soumya Mishra, K Sreenivasa Reddy, and Shikha Goel.

The grapevines in the UPSC suggest that C V Anand, B Shivadhar Reddy and Soumya Mishra have emerged as front-runners. If selected, Soumya Mishra can make history as the first woman DGP of Telangana.

The UPSC is in the process of evaluating the officers’ qualifications and recommending three names to the state government, which will then make the final selection. It is expected to send its recommendations in the next few days.

C V Anand is scheduled to retire in June 2028, B Shivadhar Reddy in April 2026, and Soumya Mishra in December 2027.

(Contributed by Pawan Kumar, Mahua Sengupta Venkatesh & Jayanta Roy Chowdhury; curated by Abhijit Mukhopadhyay)