Babus, mantris & buzz: Will Tejasvi Surya be new General Secretary, BJP?
· Free Press Journal
Will Tejasvi Surya be new General Secretary, BJP?
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Tejasvi Surya, BJP Yuva Morcha, All India President, is expected to be appointed new General Secretary in Nitin Nabin’s team.
Bhupen Borah likely to get BJP ticket
Bhupn Borah, former Assam Congress Chief, is likely to seek the Assembly election as a BJP candidate this time. His three four supporters, who may leave Congress, are also likely to be accommodated. Sources said the Congress may find it difficult to find a candidate for all 134 assembly seats.
BUREAUCRACY
IAS K. B. Thakkar strengthening village-level governance in Jamnagar, Gujarat
Stepping beyond administrative offices into villages, IAS K. B. Thakkar, a 2014-batch officer currently posted as the Collector of Jamnagar, a prominent district in Gujarat, has been directly engaging with villagers to understand their issues and review them first-hand. Over the past year, Thakkar has visited more than 100 villages across the district, focusing on extensive village outreach. “I believe governance has to be visible at the grassroots level,” Thakkar says. “Unless we physically visit villages, we cannot understand the real problems people are facing.” Believing that administration must reach the last mile, Thakkar has prioritised direct engagement with rural communities. His visits are multidimensional, ranging from identifying and addressing pressing concerns such as sanitation gaps, land maintenance disputes, road connectivity, healthcare access, and drinking water shortages. By being physically present in villages, he aims to ensure quicker grievance redressal and improved coordination among departments. School inspections form another important part of these tours, where he reviews the quality of education, facilities, and the standard of mid-day meals being served. “Children’s education and nutrition cannot be compromised. Field inspection gives a clearer picture than reports alone,” he notes. Recognising that many eligible beneficiaries remain excluded due to lack of awareness, he is also focused on the saturation of welfare schemes. “While flagship initiatives such as Ayushman Bharat and Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana are available, some eligible families remain uncovered simply because they are unaware of the process,” he shared. To address this, the district machinery has been directed to identify such cases, assist with documentation, and ensure wider coverage. “Our job is to identify them, help with documentation, and ensure saturation of schemes,” he added. Through regular village outreach, IAS K. B. Thakkar is bridging the gap between policy and delivery at the rural grassroots level.
22 IAS officers retiring in February
As many as 22 IAS officers of various cadres and batches are retiring in February 2026. They are: Chou Nakacham Longphai of AGMUT cadre; Md Nayyer Iqubal and Rakesh Kumar of Bihar cadre; M K Dave of Gujarat cadre; Rajesh Sharma of HP; Krishna Kumar Singh of Jharkhand; Urmila Surendra Shukla of MP; Vivek Bhimanwar of Maharashtra; Ms Shakuntala Bindhani of Odisha; Arun Sekhri and Arvind Pal Singh Sandhu of Punjab; Dr Pratibha Singh of Rajasthan; Dr K Gopal of Tamil Nadu; Tarun Kanti Debnath of Tripura; Dr Devesh Chaturvedi, Subhash Chand Sharma, Chandra Bhushan Singh and Atal Kumar Rai of UP; Deependra Kumar Chaudhary of Uttarakhand and Vivek Kumar, Parthapratim Manna and Arup Sengupta of West Bengal cadre.
India's negotiation team led by Rajesh Agrawal to not travel to US, until further notice due to ambiguity on Tariffs?
Indian officials have quietly hit the pause button on the next round of trade talks with Washington. According to my information, the Indian negotiation team has postponed its planned visit to the US and no fresh dates have been communicated so far. This comes right after the US Supreme Court struck down a big chunk of President Trump’s earlier global tariff framework, throwing fresh uncertainty over the legal basis and durability of any new tariff concessions. New Delhi’s worry is simple. India had just negotiated a path to bring punitive US tariffs on select Indian exports down to 18 percent in return for a big multi‑year purchase commitment of US goods, including energy and aircraft. With the court now saying Trump exceeded his authority on the previous tariff regime, it is unclear what exactly replaces it, how long a new structure will survive, and whether already agreed cuts can stick without Congress stepping in. Until there is clarity on how the US retools its tariff laws after the verdict and what that means for refunds, collections and future hikes, India has decided to sit tight and wait rather than lock itself into an agreement that might need rewriting within months.
Centenarian Icon: Jagjit Singh Bawa Turns 100, Punjab Police Salutes a Legend
Retired IPS officer Jagjit Singh Bawa, a towering figure of the 1951-batch Punjab cadre, marked his 100th birthday on Saturday with quiet grace and thunderous official acclaim. The Punjab Police, under Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav, led the celebrations, honouring a man who laid the bedrock of professional, fearless policing in the state and beyond.
Bawa served with distinction as SSP Ferozepur, IGP Punjab, and later as Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation. During one of the CBI’s most vulnerable moments, he personally persuaded Prime Minister Indira Gandhi not to disband the premier investigative agency — an intervention that preserved an institution vital to India’s justice system.
Even at 100, Bawa remains remarkably active. He plays bridge five times a week and regularly meets friends at Chandigarh’s Golf Club. The centenarian credits his longevity to a simple diet, daily exercise, and an unwavering commitment to honesty and positivity.
On Saturday, a high-level delegation including Special DGP SS Srivastava and DIG Personnel Amneet Kondal visited Bawa’s Chandigarh residence to present the force’s greetings. In a heartfelt message, DGP Yadav described him as “a generation of officers who laid the strongest foundations of professional, principled, and fearless policing,” adding that Bawa’s life continues to inspire serving officers across the country.
For Punjab Police, the milestone is more than a birthday — it is a living testament to institutional memory, integrity, and service that spans a full century.
Maharashtra bureaucracy under pressure due to Delhi-Mumbai Expressway delays?
Maharashtra's state bureaucracy faces mounting pressure from the top to operationalize key sections of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway by end-2027, despite cascading delays plaguing the flagship infrastructure project. Originally slated for full completion in October 2025, the 1,386-km corridor spanning six states now eyes partial openings like Delhi-Vadodara by mid-2026, with Gujarat bottlenecks pushing the Vadodara-Mumbai stretch, including Maharashtra segments, to FY28. In Maharashtra, land acquisition hurdles, utility shifting lags, and contractor defaults have slowed progress on spurs to economic hubs like Navi Mumbai's JNPA port, where a 21-km link remains critical. High command directives demand accelerated reviews, accountability enforcement, and stakeholder coordination to meet the revised 2027 target, amid Union Minister Nitin Gadkari's repeated interventions. This push underscores tensions between ambitious deadlines and on-ground execution realities in India's highway revolution.
PESB yet to hold interviews for CMD, IRCON
The Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) is yet to hold interviews for the post of Chairman & Managing Director, IRCON International Limited. The PESB had sought applications before October 30, 2025.
Tenure of Sanjiv Kumar Singh as CMD, HCL ending in June
The tenure of Sanjiv Kumar Singh as Chairman-cum-Managing Director, Hindustan Copper Limited is coming to an end on June 30, 2026. The Government of India has started searching for a successor to him.
Shailesh Vagerwal selected as CMD, BDL
Shailesh Vagerwal, CGM, Munitions India Limited, has been selected for the post Chairman-cum-Managing Director, Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) at a Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) meeting held on February 21, 2026. As many as nine persons were interviewed for the same.
Who will be MD & CEO of Canara Bank?
Who will be appointed new MD and CEO of the Canara Bank? The clearance of the new MD &CEO by the PMO is still awaited.
Fixation of seniority for Tamil Nadu IAS
The Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) issued a notification on “Fixation of Seniority/Year of Allotment to officers (Non-SCS) inducted to Tamil Nadu Cadre of IAS from the Select List 2024.” This is a routine cadre-management exercise confirming inter-se seniority for promotee officers already inducted.
Sanjiv Shankar returns to parent cadre
Sanjiv Shankar, Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, has been given premature repatriation to his parent cadre in order to avail the benefit of promotion. He is a 1993 batch IRS-IT officer.
Retired IAS Dinesh Kumar to head one-man Committee on TTD Scam
The Andhra Pradesh Government issued an order appointing retired IAS officer Dinesh Kumar (RR-1983 batch) to head a one-man committee. The panel will probe administrative and governance lapses in the supply of adulterated/substandard ghee to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), following a Supreme Court-monitored CBI SIT chargesheet (filed Jan 23, 2026) and a self-contained note highlighting tender enforcement failures. The committee must submit a recommendatory report within 45 days; it can call records, seek explanations, and obtain expert assistance (with govt approval). TTD will provide secretarial support. The review is limited to administrative aspects and will not interfere with ongoing court proceedings.
H U Khan to be Forests head in MP
In all probability H U Khan will be new Forests Head in Madhya Pradesh. He is 1989 batch IoFS officer.
R Kuppan empanelled for appointment as IEM
R Kuppan has been empanelled for appointment as IEM. He is from Bihar Gramin Bank (DBG Bank).
R P Singh & A K Poddar empanelled for appointments as IEMs
Rajesh Pratap Singh and Ashok Kumar Poddar have been empanelled for appointments as IEMs. Bothare from Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC).
D K Pathak empanelled for appointment as IEM
Devendra Kumar Pathak has been empanelled for appointment as IEM. He is a 1979 batch IPS officer and retired as Special Director General, Border Security Force.
D V Sonpipare empanelled for appointment as IEM
Dilip Vithoba Sonpipare has been empanelled for appointment as IEM. He is a 1983 batch IOFS officer and retired as Addl DGOF & Member.
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