The Hindu : National : Chaturvedi's term may be extended

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, May 30, 2006

National

National

Chaturvedi's term may be extended

Special Correspondent

Rules to be amended to enable him to continue as Cabinet Secretary

NEW DELHI: Union Cabinet Secretary B.K. Chaturvedi is likely to get a one-year extension.

The United Progressive Alliance Government is learnt to have decided to grant the extension to Mr. Chaturvedi whose two-year tenure is coming to an end in June.

Senior government sources said on Monday that the necessary amendment to the rules would be made to enable Mr. Chaturvedi to continue in the top bureaucratic post for another year. The move is said to have the blessings of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

At least five senior IAS officers from the 1968 and 1969 batches were in the race for the Cabinet Secretary's post. They included Reva Nayyar, Secretary Women and Child Development, Dhanendra Kumar, Executive Director World Bank, both from the 1968 batch; and P.K. Hota, Secretary Health, Adarsh Kishore, Secretary Finance, and Prathyush Sinha, Secretary Personnel, all from the 1969 batch.

It is learnt that the Government has decided to make an exception for Mr. Chaturvedi in favour of his vast administrative experience and keeping in mind the continuity factor.

During the National Democratic Alliance regime, the Government had amended the rules to give a two-year tenure to the Cabinet Secretary. At that time the beneficiary was T.R. Prasad but the UPA Government in 2004 cut short the two-year term of the then Cabinet Secretary Kamal Pandey, abruptly removing him just two months before his term ended and appointing Mr. Chaturvedi in his place.

The fixed two-year term has also been given to the Chiefs of Intelligence Bureau, RAW, and the Home Secretary by the UPA Government. The Government will have to decide on another vacancy as Chief Election Commissioner B.B. Tandon has to demit office on June 17.

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