Inside the Secretariat: New Chief’s Race, Chairs Lose Grace, Jobs Gather Pace

Next Vigilance Chief Search Begins

The Gujarat Vigilance Commission (GVC) is set to witness a routine succession as Sangeeta Singh, a retired IAS officer from the 1986 Gujarat cadre, prepares to step down from her role as Vigilance Commissioner. She was appointed in October 2020 immediately after she left her position as Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department. Singh has served close to five years.

With her tenure coming to a close, the state government is weighing the names of several recently retired senior bureaucrats for the post. At the present, the commission comprises 29 officers, while vigilance in other state departments is often managed by Joint or Deputy Secretaries. In the past, retired IAS officers such as Haribhai Patel, H.K. Dash, Rajesh Kishore, and S.K. Nanda have had the opportunity to serve as Vigilance Commissioner. The tenure for this position is either five years or until the officer reaches the age of 65, whichever comes first. GVC’s primary responsibility is to investigate complaints of corruption and recommend disciplinary action against the guilty.

Centre Announces New Gujarat Census Director

Marking a key bureaucratic change, the Government of India has assigned Sujal Jayantibhai Mayatra, an IAS officer from the 2011 Gujarat cadre, as Director of Census Operations (DCO) and Director of Citizen Registration (DCR) for Gujarat, Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. His term extends until December 31, 2025, or as directed otherwise. The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has instructed the Gujarat Chief Secretary to relieve Mayatra from his current portfolio without delay. Theappointment focuses on strengthening the administrative framework for the upcoming Census and citizen registration processes of the Central government. Mayatra was earlier Additional Commissioner in the Commissioner of Rural Development’s office. A postgraduate in pharmacy, he hails from Visavadar, Rajkot district. This marks the ninth leadership in the Gujarat Census Directorate, after Manish Bhardwaj (currently posted at the Centre) in 2011, Pravin Solanki in 2021, and Aadra Agarwal in 2022.

15 Years In, Gandhinagar’s Police Chief Still Missing

The Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation (GMC) has completed 15 years since its inception, and despite having gone through three election cycles, the city still lacks a Police Commissioner. The Home department had made provisions for a Police Commissionerate in the 2021–22 budget, but the process of establishing the office has been prolonged. As per reports, the appointment has been held up due to disputes over the city’s jurisdictional limits. Currently, seven cities in the state—Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Vadodara, Surat, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar, and Junagadh—have Police Commissioners, while Gandhinagar remains excluded. A Home department official noted that with the city’s population and area on the rise, a Police Commissionerate is essential. The office location has already been chosen, but certain discrepancies from the government’s side still need rsolution, which has delayed the final decision. While the state government has not delivered justice to Gandhinagar for the last three years, the idea of appointing Police Commissioners to the remaining nine municipal corporations seems even more distant.

ITI Scheme Brings Rs 1.48 Lakh Cr And New Jobs

Gujarat's Industries department has announced that it has attracted an impressive investment worth Rs 1.48 lakh crore under its Incentive to Industries (ITI) scheme. This was revealed at a meeting of a special committee tasked with granting file-level eligibility certificates for large-scale projects. The meeting was attended by Industries department Principal Secretary Mamta Verma; Industries Commissioner P. Swaroop; and Labour and Employment Secretary Dr. Vinod Rao. Officials underscored that the scheme has created 1.65 lakh direct jobs and has painted a vibrant picture of the state’s industrial landscape. Senior officials added that MSMEs have also reaped benefits from the scheme. In the same meeting, 22 additional projects worth Rs 1,478 crore were cleared. The ITI scheme was implemented under the State’s Industrial Policy of 2015. The aim is to make Gujarat a leader in industrial development through new investments, and modern manufacturing technologies and innovation.

Frequent Transfers Bad News For Governance

In government administration, frequent departmental transfers of officers soon after taking charge, though nothing new, can be frustrating. Responding strongly to this practice, a senior officer said that it goes against the principles of good governance. When the government posts an officer to a department, it takes them time to understand the department’s functioning. Yet, in many cases, even before they can grasp it, a transfer order is issued. Such transfers happen within a month, six months, a year, or a year-and-a-half. There have even been instances where an officer, after going out of state to attend a seminar or conference on their department’s behalf, returned only to find they had been transferred to another department. Notably, the government’s own guidelines suggest that any officer should be given at least three years in one department to demonstrate its performance.

Crime Conference Moves To Statue Of Unity

In Gujarat, policing strategy is taking centre stage in a picturesque setting. With cybercrime on the uptick, State Police Chief Vikas Sahay scheduled the monthly crime conference for August 19 in the calm and scenic surroundings of the Statue of Unity (SoU), aiming to encourage disciplined and solution-oriented discussions on crime prevention. The conference will bring together seven range Inspectors General, commissioners from the state’s four major cities, Superintendents of Police, and other senior officials. During the event, police personnel who have demonstrated outstanding performance will be awarded with certificates of appreciation. Alongside performance reviews of police units, the conference will also supervise the implementation of central government schemes, address digital crime, assess traffic management challenges, and check the overall law-and-order situation. Last month, the meeting was held at Saputara hill station, while this time Kevadia (Ektanagar) has been chosen as the venue.

Big Ideas Need A Seat That Can Bear The Weight

Tasked with streamlining administration, the Gujarat Administrative Reforms Commission has put forth several recommendations to the government till date. And while it plans more, its latest finding draws attention to a fundamental gap in workplace conditions: employees working on broken or repaired chairs in a number of government offices. In many of them, dirt and poor hygiene prevail. Again, in many places, the environment is such that an employee cannot remain seated for an hour. While the new Secretariat shines with brand new furniture, the Old Secretariat, Udyog Bhavan, Krishi Bhavan, and some board and corporation offices rely on outdated ones. Also present are problems such as inadequate sanitation facilities, poorly maintained lighting, fans, and electrical wiring, a lack of seating for visitors or applicants, and no access to drinking water. A representative of an employee union said, “Policymakers are concerned about the efficiency of officers and staff, but with even basic seating arrangements lacking, how can an employee be expected to work effectively?”

360° Progress Cards Arrive In Primary Schools

In classrooms across Gujarat, the seeds of the Central government’s new education policy are being sown, promising a different and easier way of learning. Mukesh Kumar, Principal Secretary of the state Education department, has developed a 360-degree comprehensive evaluation framework. According to sources, this framework will be implemented in primary schools from Grade 1 to Grade 8. It will assess students’ knowledge, skills, values, behaviour, cooperation, and attitude. As per the proposed framework, a holistic progress card will be prepared with inputs from four parties—the teacher, classmates, parents, and the student. This card will not only show results but also serve as a reflection of the student’s overall progress. Teachers will also receive special training for this.

Sea Claims 537.50 km Of Gujarat Coastline

Every year during budget, the Gujarat government makes financial provisions to prevent erosion along its coastline. Yet, the problem continues to worsen. Recently, Minister of State for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh informed Parliament that more than 27 per cent (537.5 km) of the state’s coastline is facing erosion—a 19 per cent increase. This means that the state’s coastline is becoming increasingly vulnerable in terms of land area. According to the latest report by the National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR), the highest erosion—58.64 per cent—has occurred in Valsad district, where out of 63.92 km of coastline, 37.48 km have eroded. In Navsari, 17.18 km have eroded, and in Surat, 8.18 km. In Saurashtra, the erosion figures are: 50.98 km in Porbandar, 48.56 km in Jamnagar, 44.40 km in Gir Somnath, 33.86 km in Bhavnagar, and 61.88 km in Devbhumi Dwarka. In Kutch, out of 552.95 km of coastline, 158.76 km have been lost to erosion. Overall, out of 1,950.6 km of coastline in the state, 537.5 km of land across 15 districts has eroded.