New Delhi: Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar was on Saturday unanimously chosen the next Chief Vigilance Commissioner, four months after the Supreme Court had quashed the appointment of PJ Thomas to the post.
Though no official announcement has been made yet, sources said Kumar, who retires as Defence Secretary on July 31, was chosen by consensus by a panel comprising Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Home Minister P Chidambaram and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj.
Kumar, who will be 60 this month, is a Haryana cadre IAS officer of the 1972 batch. He was Secretary, Defence Production, before becoming the Defence Secretary. He will have a five year term as he will have to demit office on attaining age of 65 under the CVC Act.
Swaraj, who had opposed in writing the appointment of Thomas as CVC, had no objection to Kumar’s candidature.
“The name has been finalised… I have not raised any objection,” Swaraj told reporters after the 20-minute meeting at the Prime Minister’s official residence but she did not disclose the name.
Sources had said that a list of probable candidates were prepared by the Department of Personnel and Training which placed it before the selection panel. Those whose names figured in the initial list included Pradeep Kumar, former Home Secretary GK Pillai, former Chemicals and Fertilisers Secretary Bijoy Chatterjee, former Secretary, Legislative Affairs VK Bhasin, former Urban Development Secretary M Ramachandran and Personnel Secretary Alka Sirohi. Pillai and Sirohi are said to have opted out of the race. (PTI)
Plan panel meet in Guwahati today
New Delhi: The Plan panel’s regional consultation meet with north-eastern states is scheduled to begin on Sunday at Guwahati for preparing the ‘Approach’ paper to the 12th Plan (2012-17) that seeks to raise India’s economic growth to 9-9.5 per cent. “The concluding and fifth regional consultations meet on Approach to 12th Plan with the Northeastern states is scheduled to start tomorrow,” an official said. Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia will chair the meeting. The Approach paper provides a broad framework of the government policy to be pursued in the five-year period to achieve the desired growth rate. (PTI)
Kalmadi probe
New Delhi: Tihar Prison authorities on Saturday ordered an inquiry into reports claiming that sacked CWG organising committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi is getting special treatment inside the jail premises. (PTI)