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".

Ex-Servicemen Status

With an aim to ensure parity within the armed forces, the government has granted "ex-servicemen" status to officers of the Military Nursing Service (MNS). The move ends a longstanding disparity that denied MNS officers access to post-retirement benefits, which are available to their counterparts in the Army, Navy, and Air Force.

The Ministry of Personnel has issued a formal notification amending the Ex-Servicemen (Re-employment in Central Civil Services & Posts) Rules, expanding the definition of ex-servicemen to include officers of the MNS, so that they are treated on par with other armed forces personnel in terms of re-employment, reservation, and welfare schemes. Despite serving in operational areas, frontline military hospitals, high-altitude postings and naval platforms, the MNS officers were not eligible to avail certain privileges given to personnel of the Armed forces.

The new changes entitle the MNS officers to get reservation in Central government jobs (10% reservation in Group ‘C’ posts and 20% reservation in Group ‘D’ posts), age relaxation for competitive examinations, and access to welfare and resettlement schemes administered by the Kendriya Sainik Board.

Project Approval Limit

In an administrative move aimed at expediting development works, the Delhi government will increase the financial approval power of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) Commissioner from ₹5 crore to ₹50 crore.

The Chief Minister's Office stated that the move is expected to significantly reduce delays in project execution and improve civic service delivery across the national capital region. It also noted that the decision reflects the government’s priority of empowering local bodies for development.

Earlier, the MCD Commissioner required approval from the Standing Committee and final clearance from the House of the Corporation for projects worth over ₹5 crore. This multi-level approval mechanism often caused avoidable delays.

Transfer Policy For Poll-Bound States

As a preparatory administrative measure ahead of the Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and the Union Territory of Puducherry, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued an advisory to the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) and the Chief Secretaries on the transfer and posting of officials engaged in the election process.

In the advisory, the ECI reiterated its long-standing policy that officers directly connected with the conduct of elections should not be posted in their home districts or in districts where they have served for an extended period of three years or beyond. "This condition will also apply to officers who are set to complete three years in the district on or before May 31 in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal, and on or before June 30 in Puducherry," the ECI said. 

As per the ECI's advisory, "No District Election Officer (DEO), Returning Officer (RO), Assistant Returning Officer (ARO), or police personnel of the rank of inspector or above should be posted back to, or allowed to continue in, the Assembly constituency or the district where they were deployed during the last Assembly election or any subsequent bye-election."

In cases where compliance with these instructions poses difficulties, the matter may be referred to the Commission through the CEO, along with detailed reasons, for possible exemption, the ECI stated.

Advisor To USISPF Board Of Directors

The US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) has appointed Rohit Kumar Singh, a 1989-batch IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre and former Union Secretary, as the Chair of the Global Value Chains Committee and the Advisor to the USISPF Board of Directors.

In his new role, Singh will collaborate with USISPF’s global members and government stakeholders to streamline the supply chains, besides giving focus to regulatory alignment, infrastructure readiness, and public-private cooperation.

Singh will also spearhead initiatives to diversify trade and investment flows and integrate India more deeply into global value networks.

He brings decades of experience across economic governance, consumer markets, infrastructure, digital governance, public health, and public-private partnerships. He served as the Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India, where he pioneered India’s first AI-enabled grievance redressal system. He also digitised consumer courts nationwide, enabling e-filing, case tracking, and multilingual video hearings.