Aiming high? Stop at Karnataka Bhavan

Monday, June 16 1997

Aiming high? Stop at Karnataka Bhavan

B S Nagaraj

NEW DELHI, June 15: Is a stint as resident commissioner at the Karnataka Bhavan, here, a stepping stone to a cushy job with the Central Government?

It appears to be so, going by the instances of State cadre IAS officers proceeding on Central deputation over the past few years.

Continuing the tradition, Gautam Basu relinquished charge as resident commissioner on Friday to join the Union Health Ministry as a joint secretary. His job at the Bhavan lasted only four months.

There have been seven such instances since September 1, 1993, not counting the two IAS officers who took up the assignment in the specially created post of additional resident commissioner.

These frequent changes, State Government sources say, is a drain on the ex-chequer. Each time an IAS officer is shifted out of Karnataka to take up the resident commissioner's post, the State shells out a huge amount, up to Rs 1 lakh, as transfer-related expenses. While Basu lasted just four months, his predecessor stayed even less, 11 days. Brahm Dutt served probably the longest term in recent years, 16 months, before joining the Ministry of Industries as a joint secretary.

The next IAS officer to travel to Delhi from Karnataka was Sudhakar Rao. After a brief one-and-a-half month stay at Karnataka Bhavan, Rao joined the Power Ministry. In February this year, Rao left the Ministry to serve as a minister looking after economic affairs in the Indian Embassy in Washington.

Dhirendra Singh fared marginally better by staying for a month more before moving over to the Cabinet Secretariat as a joint secretary. The next in line, Subir Hari Singh, served as resident commissioner for a year and then went over to the Department of Electronics. Anup Pujari took over from him on December 26, 1996, before relinquishing charge on January 6, 1997, to join Union Law Minister Ramakant Khalap as personal secretary.

There have been two instances of two IAS officers occupying the specially created post of additional resident commissioner in the Bhavan.

While IAS officers from the State are making a beeline to the Capital, there are no takers for the post of deputy director of information, lying vacant for a year now.