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

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".

Tariff Fatigue? Take A Weekend Break!

With the threat of Trump tariffs looming large during the past few weeks, there was nervous energy that was driving the round-the-clock activities at the Commerce Ministry headquarters in Vanijya Bhawan.

However, once the moment of truth came and tariffs were announced by the White House, in a whiff of surprise the atmosphere in Vanijya Bhawan turned almost serene.

The officials, till then overworked and stressed, suddenly started showing a certain peaceful look on their faces. Of course, no words were spoken, but the faces were saying, “Que Sera, Sera! Whatever was supposed to happen has happened. What’s the point worrying about what’s coming next? We’ll deal with it when it arrives.”

There’s always a point beyond the tipping point of exhaustion, when people can't worry any more. Vanijya Bhawan officials seem to have crossed that threshold.

Even the peons seem to be in no hurry, as if they also paused to take a deep breath.

With a casual tone, an official even joked, “Our hard work couldn’t change the outcome drastically. We were negotiating till the last moments, but what happened? The US just did what it wanted to anyway.” It was almost resigned humour, accepting the inevitable but waiting for improvement in the next chapter.

The ‘fatigue factor’ had been gradually setting in over the past two months. Midnight oil burned till late April 2, but now the mood has shifted. The weekend is here. The upper echelons of the government will also have to pause and take a relook. So, it is a couple of days’ breather.

The Raisina Hill babus have indeed earned a brief but well-deserved rest, after months of negotiating rollercoasters.

Happy weekend to them…

Opportunities In The Time Of Trade War For Bureaucrats?

President Trump’s tariff salvo hit all major economies. India was no exception. On top of an across-the-board 10 per cent tariff on any product exported to the US, Indian exporters now must confront a 26 per cent tariff wall before selling their wares to American bazaars.

The process of negotiating a bilateral trade deal between these two countries has been on for some time. But with the April 9 midnight deadline nearing, officials are a worried lot. Hard negotiation lies ahead.

The USA is India’s largest export destination. Indian textiles, engineering goods, diamonds, gems and jewellery sales abroad are crucially dependent on the American market.

However, at the end of every tunnel there are also opportunities. Bureaucrats say they have already found it. "The time has come for Indian exporters to find new export markets for their products," a top Commerce Ministry official quipped, as he looked at the world map on his wall.

The Indian bureaucracy needs to spearhead the hunt for new export markets, he reasoned and added, "That's hard work in new markets where we need to handhold our traders and business houses."

Almost like Christopher Columbus, some of them must touch new shores — this time probably in Latin America. Some may have to do the same in the East and West of the African continent, like Vasco da Gama.

Even the bureaucrats working in state governments will be a part of this exercise. Gujarat government, with its annual marquee event Vibrant Gujarat to attract investment, is likely to lead the way for other states.

Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh — other investment powerhouse states — will also accelerate their efforts to export more by attracting investments from domestic and foreign sources.

It’s likely that the next financial year will see these bureaucrats’ delegations crisscross the entire globe. Though the end result is uncertain, one thing is certain: Indian bureaucrats in central and state governments will have plenty of travel opportunities in the next year.

Hopefully, those voyages will help the Indian economy steer clear of future risks.

Strict Action Against IAS Officers Not Submitting Property Returns Suggested

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Training & Public Grievances is concerned about non-compliance in filing ‘Immovable Property Returns’ (IPRs) by several Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers. Altogether, 91 IAS officers failed to file their IPRs in 2024, and 73 in 2023.

The committee, in its latest report, has recommended taking stricter actions against such erring officials and suggested initiating corrective measures.

It has also shown displeasure over the staggering shortfall in the number of IAS officers. According to the latest data, currently there is a shortfall of 1,316 IAS officers in the government.

Another set of data showed that vigilance clearance, which is required for holding critical positions in the government, was denied to 15 IAS officers in 2023, 12 in 2022 and 14 in 2021, due to the non-filing of IPR returns.

The committee strongly recommended building a centralised compliance monitoring mechanism with a committed DoPT (Department of Personnel and Training) task force to monitor the filing status of all the officers.

The report further suggested the imposition of penalties for officers who ignore the deadline for filing the IPR.

On the shortfall of the IAS officers, the panel noted that this poses a serious challenge to governance and administrative efficiency.

Out of the total authorised cadre strength of 6,858 IAS officers, the number of direct recruits is 4,781 and state services promoted officers 2,077, on paper. However, only 5,542 officers (3,987 direct recruits and 1,555 promoted) are presently working in various capacities in the government.

In a bid to overcome the shortfall, the panel also recommended that the DoPT sets up an online tracking and submission platform. That would help state governments in efficiently determining IAS vacancies in the promotion quota.

Notably, here also the panel suggested a penalty provision against states withholding promotion consideration.

Bihar's Women Lead As Entrepreneurs, Thanks To MUDRA Loans

It seems that women in Bihar have benefitted the most from the Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY), a flagship programme of the NDA government.

The Mudra loans, as popularly known, have helped 4.2 crore women in Bihar become entrepreneurs, according to a State Bank of India study.

Clearly, socio-economic development in rural Bihar is being driven by the state’s women. Sources said that this could gain relevance in the upcoming state election. 

While 4 crore women in Tamil Nadu availed of Mudra loans, 3.7 crore women benefited in West Bengal. Karnataka is in fourth place, Maharashtra at fifth, and UP at sixth.  

The findings of the study have come as a surprise for many. Why?

“It was least expected that Bihar would top the list when it came to the number of women beneficiaries... What was expected is that the southern states would be on top of the chart,” said an insider, on condition of anonymity.

The Mudra loans, along with other forms of credit to women, could further increase, driven by government pressure.

A World Bank blog noted that by 2024, 372 women-run solar marts had sold 50,000 improved cookstoves across 15 of the 38 districts in the state. And their numbers keep growing. Traditionally considered a “Bimaru” state, the Bihar government is promoting food processing, dairy, textiles and leather sectors.

At a time when the Narendra Modi government is aggressively pushing for women-led development with enhanced women's participation in the workforce, the findings of the report will bring cheer for policymakers.  

“The government is actively pushing for inclusivity and working to reduce the gender gap,” the insider said, adding that banks have been directed to make credit more accessible for women.

As women come to the fore of the economic dynamics, a Niti Aayog study revealed that about 60 per cent of women borrowers availing credit are from semi-urban or rural areas. 

With Nidhi Tiwari As New PS to PM, Incumbent Vivek Kumar May Shift To India’s Mission In London

With the appointment of Nidhi Tiwari, a 2014-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, as the Private Secretary (PS) to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, incumbent PS Vivek Kumar, a 2004-batch IFS officer, is all set to move out of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

Sources in the power corridor said Kumar is likely to bag an overseas assignment. If grapevines are to be believed, he might be posted as Deputy High Commissioner at the Indian Mission in London.   

Notably, when Tiwari joined the service as an IFS in 2014, Kumar was already in the PMO as Deputy Secretary. While being there, he was empanelled to the level of Joint Secretary and subsequently was appointed as the PS to the Prime Minister in May 2022.

Kumar had replaced Sanjeev Kumar Singla, who was later moved out of the PMO to become India’s Ambassador to Israel.

Kumar has a BTech degree in chemical engineering from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay. He earlier served at India’s missions in Russia and Australia.

Better Half Of Odisha’s Former IAS Power Couple Gets VRS Approval

When Naveen Patnaik was in charge as Chief Minister of Odisha, Sujata Karthikeyan was considered to be one half of the state's most important power couple. Her bureaucrat-turned-politician husband V K Pandian had already taken voluntary retirement in October 2023.

Sujata was the driving force and the face of the ‘Millet Shakti’ scheme, a joint programme under the Odisha Millets Mission, and ‘Mission Shakti’ to empower women entrepreneurs. Under the scheme, the state government promoted millet consumption through women's self-help groups (SHGs).

Government sources reveal that the Odisha cadre IAS officer had applied for VRS from government service nearly two weeks ago. Now, it’s been accepted, and the Chief Secretary of Odisha has been informed accordingly.

Looks like the turmoil in the bureaucrat's career began before last year’s Assembly polls. The Election Commission of India (ECI) ordered her transfer in May from her current position as the commissioner-cum-secretary of the Mission Shakti programme under the Women and Child Development Department.

After the new government took charge, she worked as a special secretary in the Finance Department. She went on six months’ childcare leave. After that, she applied for an extension of the leave, which was denied by the state government. She rejoined in November 2024.  

Speculations are rife in the corridors of power: After voluntary retirement, Karthikeyan might take up an overseas assignment with an international organisation. Whispers are also doing the rounds that her husband may take up an assignment with a global agency.

Contributed by Pawan Kumar, Mahua Sengupta Venkatesh & Jayanta Roy Chowdhury; anchored by Abhijit Mukhopadhyay