The Maharashtra Government has transferred eight IAS officers. The names of those transferred are as follows:

• Sham Lal Goyal, an IAS officer of 1985 batch, has been posted as Principal Secretary and Chief Enquiry Officer, General Administration Department, Mantralaya.
• Sanjay Khandare, a 1996 batch IAS officer, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation, has been posted as Additional Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA.
• Ranjit Singh Deol, an IAS officer of 1998 batch, and Commissioner, Social Welfare, Pune, has been posted as Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation.
• V M Patil, a 1996 batch IAS officer, and MD, Maharashtra State Fisheries Corporation, has been appointed as Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Maharashtra Airport Development Company.
• S M Lokhande, a 2004 batch IAS officer and Chief Executive Officer, Zilla Parishad, Sangli, has been appointed as Municipal Commissioner, Vasai- Virar Municipal Corporation.
• A P Vidhale, Additional Collector, Chief Surveyor, Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation, has been posted as Chief Executive Officer, Zilla Parishad, Sangli.
• A E Rayte, Additional Collector, Joint Chief Executive Officer, Maharashtra Industries Development Corporation, has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer, Zilla Parishad, Osmanabad.
• M G Ardad, Additional Collector, has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer, Zilla Parishad, Hingoli.

Oinam Nabakishore Singh, a 1984 batch IAS officer of Manipur-Tripura cadre, has been appointed as the new Chief Secretary of Manipur. His appointment has been made following the retirement of P C Lawmkunga, who is a 1979 batch IAS officer of the same cadre.

Earlier, Singh had held the charge of Additional Chief Secretary and was the Chief Executive Officer, Election, of the State Government. He belongs to Ningthoukhong in Bishnupur district. He topped the state matric examination in 1975 and was among the toppers in MSc (Physics) while studying in Delhi University in the year 1982.

Prime Minister’s Facebook profile picture in tricolour

Contributed by: Akanki Sharma

“I changed my profile picture to support Digital India, the Indian Government’s effort to connect rural communities to the Internet and give people access to more services online.” These were the lines written by Facebook Founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, who changed his profile picture in the tricolour to support the Digital India initiative undertaken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Thanks Mark Zuckerberg for the support. I (also) changed my DP (display picture) in support of the efforts towards a Digital India,” replied PM Modi after changing his profile picture in a similar fashion.

The above conversation happened after PM Modi’s recent visit to the United States, which attracted huge media attention.

A link appeared on Zuckerberg’s Facebook profile — fb.com/supportdigitalindia, clicking on which people could change their profile picture and thus express their support for a futuristic India that would be digital and technology led, so to say. And, what followed was only expected in a social media-conscious times — a large number of people Modi-fied their DPs by adorning profiles with the tricolour. Indeed, an innovative way to back a national cause.

However, was it as genuine an expression of support as it looked, or it was more about a herd mentality or an artificial exhibition of nationalism? Well, much would depend on how you choose to look at it. To me, it looks both: a natural sense of nationalism that any normal human being would have, and a nationalism that is put on to catch attention. It’s that very natural emotion of nationalism that makes you cry out with joy when India wins a match, and it’s that very put-on nationalism to cry out just because others are, so that you are not left behind the rest.

And, what about those, who didn’t change their picture? Were they an ignorant lot, or any less national, or the idea of India going digital didn’t excite them? I believe they simply chose not to be part of the herd and stayed away from the aping act. In reality, they were also as Indian as others, without losing even an iota of Indian-ness in them.

Afterwards, giving a new twist to the tale were some reports that claimed the link used to create those tricolour pictures was actually meant to garner support for Internet.org — another Zuckerberg initiative. The website nextbigwhat.com wrote, “If people are changing their profile picture to look cool and show support towards Digital India, Facebook is counting it as a support for Internet.org.” However, a spokesperson from Facebook trashed the claim, “There is absolutely no connection between updating your profile picture for Digital India and Internet.org.”

Amid all such claims and counter-claims, what remains beyond debate is that we, the Indians, have a huge fancy for technology. Whether the idea DP change came naturally or was put on, the fact remains that a huge number of people did it. So, going by that, we can safely say that India has the potential to go digital and the zeal to embrace the concept of ‘Digital India’, in its totality.

(The views expressed in the write-up are author’s own, and they do not represent the views of the organisation she works for.)

The Telangana Government is planning to digitise the data of all departments so as to expedite the process of transformation of the State into a technology-enabled one, according to IT Minister K T Rama Rao.

Addressing the media at a Smart City Start-Up conclave, ‘Accelerate India – Technology for Growth’, in Hyderabad recently, the minister said that the Government has joined hands with Microsoft India to acquire smart solutions to achieve the goal.

The Government of Telangana has undertaken several initiatives to leverage on technology. While the Transport Department is working on a pilot project to facilitate e-registration certificates of vehicles, the Health Department is also planning to digitise the health records of citizens.

Rao said, “The pilot project of e-registration certificates and e-driving licences is being carried out in Cyberabad for last three months. We will also ensure that transport department and traffic police accept electronic version on mobile phone or digital wallet.”

In addition, he said, “We are committed to the welfare of our citizens by expanding the opportunities for eGovernance, citizen services and economic growth in the State. We are modernising all the government departments, including Transport, Traffic police, Law and Order, Energy, Water Board, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation and Health.”

As of today, technologies benefit people in a huge manner and with this focus, the State Government has partnered with Microsoft India to leverage its technology offerings and expertise to help transform Telangana into a sustainable and competitive State that cares for its citizens. Meanwhile, the Government is also looking forward to work with Start-ups in its digitisation drive.

The Minister feels that implementing eGovernance is not a big challenge for the governments, but to get people adopt technology is a herculean task. Not only the citizens but sometimes the government officials are also found reluctant. It is either due to lack of awareness or inadequate infrastructure.

“We are planning to create an official email address for the State Government employees who generally rely on private mail services,” added the Minister.

Ajit Balaji Joshi, a 2003 batch IAS officer of Haryana cadre, has been appointed as Deputy Commissioner of Chandigarh for a period of three years. The Central Government has approved his inter-cadre deputation from Haryana to Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre as Deputy Commissioner of Chandigarh. Currently, he is posted as Deputy Commissioner in Jind.

The Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) has appointed Vinay Mohan Kwatra as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). He is a 1988 batch Indian Foreign Services (IFS) officer and is currently posted in MEA HQ (AMS division) and deals with North and South America.

In his new stint, Kwatra will succeed Jawed Ashraf in the PMO who deals with the matters related to external affairs, space, atomic energy, overseas Indian affairs, defence, monitoring of PM’s visit abroad, among others.

Executive Vice President and Head of Strategic Operations at Infosys M D Ranganath has been appointed as the new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the company. He has been serving the company for the past 15 years.

The decision was made after Rajiv Bansal, who also held the position of Vice President of the tech giant, resigned from the post. He had taken over as the Infosys CFO in October 2012, replacing V Balakrishnan.

Vishal Sikka, CEO, Infosys, said, “Rajiv is a brilliant CFO and we will miss him even as we respect his decision and wish him continued success in his future endeavours.”

Bansal said, “I am proud of what we have achieved as a team and I am sure that Infosys, under the leadership of Vishal, will scale new heights in the times ahead.”

“Rajiv Bansal will continue as an advisor to the CEO and the Board till December 31, 2015 in order to provide a smooth transition”, Infosys stated.

Ranganath is a post graduate (PGDM) from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad and holds a master’s degree in technology from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras.

Alkesh Sharma, a 1990 batch IAS officer of Kerala cadre, has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMICDC). His appointment has been made for a period of three years.

At present, Sharma is working in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways as Joint Secretary.

Currently, Shatrughna Singh, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce, has been holding the additional charge of CEO & MD, DMICDC.

The Delhi-Mumbai Corridor aims to develop new industrial cities as ‘smart cities’ and converging next-generation technologies across infrastructure sectors.

The Haryana Government has transferred five IPS officers. Those transferred are as folows:

• Bharti Arora, a 1998 batch IPS officer and Joint Commissioner of Police, Gurgaon, has been appointed as Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Welfare and Training, at Police Headquarters in Panchkula.
• Y Puran Kumar, a 2001 batch IPS officer, has been posted as DIG, Law and Order, at Headquarters in Panchkula.
• Hemant Kalson, a 2001 batch IPS officer, has been appointed as DIG, State Vigilance Bureau.
• Rakesh Kumar Arya, a 2003 batch IPS officer, who is currently SP, Railways, has been given an additional charge of SP, Telecom.

• Ram Kumar , a 2012 batch IPS officer has been posted as Commandant, 3^rd battalion, Haryana Armed Police at Hisar.

The National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM), along with Zinnov, launched the second edition of the startup report titled “Startup India – Momentous Rise of the Indian Startup Ecosystem” on the sidelines of NASSCOM Product Conclave 2015 in Bengaluru. The report was launched by R Chandrashekhar, President, NASSCOM; Mr. Ravi Gururaj, Chairman, NASSCOM Product Council and Rajat Tandon, Vice President, NASSCOM 10 K startup programme.

According to the report, the Indian technology startups landscape has seen a tremendous growth in the emergence of innovative startups and creative entrepreneurs. In terms of providing a conducive ecosystem for the startups to thrive, India has moved up to third position and has emerged the fastest growing base of startups worldwide. India is one amongst the first five largest startup communities in the world with the number of startups crossing 4,200, a growth of 40 per cent, by the end of 2015.

Sharing his views, R. Chandrashekhar said, “The maturing Indian startup ecosystem is now contributing to the Indian economy in many ways. Apart from positively impacting the lifestyle of citizens involved, startups are now creating innovative technology solutions that are addressing the key social problems India is facing and creating significant growth opportunities for every stakeholder. To enable the next stage of growth for these startups, NASSCOM will work closely with the government to ensure ease of doing business, by simplifying procedures and create a conducive environment for these startups to grow.”

With 100 per cent growth in number of private equity, venture capitalists, angel investors, along with a 125 per cent growth in funding over last year, Indian startup ecosystem has risen to the next level. The total funding in the India-based startups is estimated to be nearly USD 5 billion by 2015. Various Central and state government startup initiatives are further supporting this progressive phase of startups in India.

The report also highlights certain ways and means to make startingup further easy in India. NASSCOM has recommended easing the rules and regulations for registration of a business in India, funding, and simplifying compliance procedures by minimising licenses / permits / approvals / tax for start-ups. Removal of angel tax, simplifying norms for capital raising, enabling easier exit for entrepreneurs and requisite changes in the credit guarantee for loans to start-ups are few recommendations that will further enhance a smoother functioning of the startups in India.

Stakeholders across the ecosystem must also come together to create market access by way of guidance in regulatory requirements for project participations and specialised training for startups working in innovative areas. Steps must be taken to create an even more conducive environment by facilitating incubation, IPR, and innovation norms and also encourage academia-industry tie-up and collaborate to develop the right kind of talent and capabilities that will propel the growth further. Another important aspect will be to encourage and recognise these startups for the innovation and rapid growth by sharing their success stories on a national level and awarding at relevant Indian and global platforms to help India build a reputation of a startup-friendly nation.

Ravi Gururaj, Chairman, NASSCOM Product Council, said, “India is the youngest startup nation in the world, where 72 per cent of the founders are less than 35 years old, and 50 per cent rise in share of female entrepreneurs in 2015 over 2014. We are thankful to the Government for the policies and initiatives that are aimed towards improving the overall startup ecosystem. NASSCOM has been partnering with the governments for startup warehouses to create a micro-ecosystem where startups and entrepreneurs can work together, share their learnings and best practices with each other. This is fostering an entrepreneurial culture contributing to the increased knowledge, employment and societal wealth.”

Rapid growth of Indian startups has created significant growth opportunities for every stakeholder within the ecosystem. Further, startups are providing an exciting work culture, along with attractive financial benefits to attract new and retain existing talent. This maturing startup ecosystem is contributing to the Indian economy in multiple ways. There is a need to regularly nurture the startup ecosystem through regulations, branding, collaboration, mentorship and funding to stay ahead of disruptive growth.

The report identifies the current scale and size of the startup landscape, factors that are impacting the growth of the overall ecosystem and steps that need to be taken to make the environment more conducive for startups. It analyses the existing scenario and evolving trends across the various dimensions that define the Indian startup ecosystem, and measure India’s position as a global startup hub that is becoming attractive for investors, startups, & corporate.

Tapan Ray, a 1982 batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre, has been given an additional charge of Secretary in the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, with effect from October 14, 2015. He will be holding the charge till October 27, 2015, as Sunil Arora, who is Secretary, I&B, will be on leave during the period.

At present, Ray is serving as Secretary in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

Jyoti Narayan, a 1996 batch IPS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, has been posted as Additional Commissioner of Security, Civil Aviation, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security. Currently, he is serving as Deputy Inspector General of Police, National Investigation Agency.

Earlier, he was also posted as ASP, Faizabad and Lucknow. In the year 2005-2006, he was part of United Nations Mission in Kosovo. In addition, he has received UN peace medal too.

(L-R) Hary Harinder of Green Award, Jan Fransen, its Executive Director, and Atulya Misra, Chairman of Chennai Port Trust

Contributed by: J.A.A.J. (Jan) Fransen, Executive Director of Green Award Foundation

It is widely believed that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is much needed in the corporate world. The complex yet large scale impact of ports and maritime industry is yet to widely participate and promote CSR in its mandate to go beyond the business agenda. The time has come to imbibe CSR principles as ‘business as usual’. Even as some initiatives make their contribution to the society, there are miles to go for the maritime industry to strengthen its CSR and make a difference.

CSR in Maritime

The Hong Kong Convention on ship recycling, type and quality of fuel used for propulsion, innovations on energy conservation, labour employed on board ships, cargo operations and navigational routes are just a few examples to be considered when developing CSR policies in shipping sector.

Some are in line with international regulations, although not at a desirable pace. Therefore, from an ethical point of view, shipping companies, shippers and charterers could decide to go the extra mile in early implementation of upcoming regulations or to maintain high-standard policies on issues that are not regulated.

On the other hand, for ports, the implementation of CSR policies becomes more complex, since they deal with both the “wet” and “dry” sides of the industry, along with their direct relationship to society. It is a real “juggling” act, concerning the demands from the local industries, society and shipping companies, with the ports sitting right in the centre of the maritime supply chain. For this reason, the impact the ports can make on the social aspects of the maritime industry is immense, regardless of the complexity of their implementation.

Green Award as a CSR Platform

There are various ways to promote the best practices: providing guidelines and recommendations, promoting newest technology, regulating air emissions, educating and training for awareness, etc. The certification / incentive scheme of Green Award Foundation is one of the tools to motivate the shipping industry to go the extra mile in addressing the aforementioned topics in a holistic manner.

One of the main objectives of Green Award is creating a network of incentive providers (ports and non-ports), who reward the ships certified by the Foundation either financially or operationally. From ports, pilot organisations, ship routing companies, training organisations, manufacturers, to banks; there are diverse forms of organisations granting incentives. These organisations altogether support the shipping industry to remain sustainable, in terms of hardware quality, safe operations and protection of environment. These, in return, act as risk reduction factors in the port area and the ports’ contribution to true CSR policies on a global scale.

Green Award has been continuously developed by partners in the maritime industry, with over 125 entities involved in the Green Award programme and 750 ships certified.

The 39 port incentive providers represent 12 different countries around the world. The Netherlands being the initiator and early adopters, the latest additions are Hamburg Port Authority from Germany and Port of Kitakyushu from Japan, the first port in Far East Asia.

Contribution from India

India, as a growing economy, growing maritime nation, and having large number of ports and seafarers, it is most natural for Indian stakeholders to work together with Green Award to share, contribute and influence the shipping / maritime industry and its future. KARCO from Mumbai, a company developing comprehensive safety videos for ships, became the first Indian company to partner with Green Award.

In early 2015, a delegation from India visited the Green Award Foundation. The visitors included Joint Secretary of Ministry of Shipping, Gujarat Maritime Board, Central Pollution Control Board, DG Shipping, Chennai Port Trust, Adani Ports, Essar Ports, and L&T Kattupalli Port. Based on the solid talks the delegates had with these heart-warm welcoming organisations, Green Award would like to continue talks with various stakeholders in India.

Accenture has appointed Marc Carrel-Billiard as Managing Director of Global Technology Research & Development within Accenture Technology. In this role, Mr. Carrel-Billiard will oversee the Accenture Technology Labs, Accenture’s global technology R&D organisation which explores new and emerging technologies, with locations in Silicon Valley, California; Sophia Antipolis, France; Arlington, Virginia; Beijing, China and Bangalore, India.

Additionally, Carrel-Billiard will direct Accenture Open Innovation, the group that works with startups, venture capitalists, leading academic organisations and corporate R&D groups. He will also lead Accenture’s annual Technology Vision research, which looks at the future of enterprise IT and makes recommendations for how organisations can take advantage of technology to improve their competitiveness and business results.

“I’m thrilled to take on this incredible opportunity to lead Accenture’s Technology R&D group which continues to stretch the boundaries of traditional enterprise technology and help clients reimagine the future,” said Carrel-Billiard. “I look forward to working with an incredible global team of top minds, researchers and scientists, to take the latest technology innovations from vision to value for our clients,” he added.

“Marc is a visionary technologist who is highly respected in our industry and exceptionally qualified to lead this area of our company,” said Sanjay Podder, Accenture Managing Director, Bangalore Technology Labs and Software Engineering R&D. “He has extensive experience in developing and delivering emerging technologies, including key areas of IT such as cognitive computing and robotics. Throughout his career, Marc has distinguished himself as a thought leader and evangelist for new and innovative technologies, and has also had great success as an Accenture leader delivering business results to clients.”

Accenture’s five Technology Labs are comprised of R&D professionals who research and explore key technology areas to uncover new methods of disruption, identifying and scaling innovative solutions to ultimately bring new opportunities to life for clients. Through the work of the Technology Labs under Accenture Technology R&D organisation, Accenture is incubating new ideas that are changing how businesses operate and compete in the market. Accenture’s Open Innovation network and work has been hailed as pioneering by independent analyst firm Horses for Sources .

• Nikhilesh Jha, an IAS officer of 1984 batch, Manipur cadre, has been appointed as MD, National Water Mission.
• J R Krishna Rao, a 1985 batch IAS officer of Bihar cadre, has been appointed in the Department of Ex Serviceman Welfare, Ministry of Defence. Currently, he is posted as Joint Secretary, Defence Production.
• Arun Kumar, a 1983 batch IAS officer of Assam cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Social Justice and Employment, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. At present, he is Joint Secretary, Mines.
• Usha Sharma, a 1985 batch IAS officer of Rajasthan cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances. Currently, he is ADG, Tourism.
• Surina Ranjan, another 1985 batch IAS officer of Haryana cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Defence Production. Currently, she is Joint Secretary, Defence.
• Sunil Kumar Singh, a 1983 batch IAS officer of Bihar cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor.
• Yogendra Tripathy, a 1985 batch IAS officer of Karnataka cadre, has been appointed as Chairman and Managing Director, Food Corporation of India. Currently, he is Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Human Resource and Development.
• Bhagwati P Pandey, a 1983 batch IAS officer of Uttarakhand cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Power.
• S K Krishna, a 1985 batch IAS officer of Assam cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
• Dr M M Kutty, a 1985 batch IAS officer of Union Territory cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change. Currently, he is Joint Secretary in the same Ministry.
• Deepak Kumar, a 1984 batch IAS officer of Bihar cadre, has been appointed as Director General, Employees State Insurance Dispensary.
• H L Samariya, a 1985 batch IAS officer of Telangana cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment.
• Sailesh, another 1985 batch IAS officer of Assam cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs. Currently, he is Joint Secretary there.
• Sanjeev Ranjan, another IAS officer of 1985 batch, Tripura cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Currently, he is Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Defence.
• J K Dadoo, a 1983 batch IAS officer of Union Territory cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce. Currently, he is Joint Secretary in the same Ministry.
• Sameer Sharma, a 1985 batch IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Urban Development. At present, he is Joint Secretary in the same Ministry.
• Arun Goel, another 1985 batch IAS officer of Punjab cadre, has been appointed as Vice Chairman, Delhi Development Authority.
• Arvind Mehta, a 1984 batch IAS officer of Himachal Pradesh cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce. Currently, he is Joint Secretary in the same Ministry.
• P Subramanyam, a 1985 batch IAS officer of Telangana cadre, has been appointed as Development Commissioner (Handicrafts). Currently, he is posted as Joint Secretary, Textiles.
• Ajay Kumar, an IAS officer of Kerala cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, DeitY.
• Kavita Gupta, a 1985 batch IAS officer of Maharashtra cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy. Currently, he is ADG, Directorate General of Foreign Trade, Mumbai.
• Alka Panda, a 1983 batch IAS officer of Odisha cadre, has been appointed as Director General, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). Currently, she is ADG, BIS.
• S N Tripathi, a 1985 batch IAS officer of Odisha cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. Currently, he is Joint Secretary in the same Ministry.
• C Chandramauli, another 1985 batch IAS officer of TamilNadu cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, RGCCI.
• B N Sharma, a 1985 batch IAS officer of Haryana cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Power. Prior to it, he was Joint Secretary in the same Ministry.
• K B Agarwal, another 1985 batch IAS officer of J&K cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. At present, he is Joint Secretary in the same Ministry.
• G C Murmu, a 1985 batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Expenditure. Currently, he is Joint Secretary, Expenditure.
• Madhukar Gupta, another 1985 batch IAS officer of Rajasthan cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Public Enterprises (DPE). At present, he is posted as Joint Secretary, DPE.
• Kiran Soni, another 1985 batch IAS officer of Rajasthan cadre, has been appointed as Textile Commissioner (post Upgraded to AS).
• Anup Wadhawan, an IAS officer of Uttarakhand cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Financial Services. Currently, he is Joint Secretary in the same department.
• Sudhir Tripathi, a 1985 batch IAS officer of Jharkhand cadre, has been appointed as Deputy Election Commissioner (post upgraded to Additional Secretary). Currently, he is Deputy Election Commissioner (CEC).
• R Subramanyam, an IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource and Development. Currently, he is posted as Joint Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development.
• Upendra Singh, a 1985 batch IAS officer of Odisha cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. At present, he is posted as Joint Secretary in the same Ministry.

National Capital Territory Government Transport Secretary Parimal Rai, a 1985 batch IAS officer of Union Territory cadre, will take charge as Home Secretary of the Government of Delhi. He has been given the charge until Sanjeev Nandan Sahai, a 1986 batch IAS officer of the Union Territory cadre, returns in the month of November.

The post had been lying vacant, as no full-time appointment has been made to the post for long.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has transferred four IAS officers. Those transferred are as follows:

• Vijay Kumar, a 1992 batch IAS officer of Union Territory cadre, has been transferred to Lakshadweep. Currently, he is serving as VAT Commissioner of Delhi.
• Padma Jaiswal, a 2003 batch IAS oficer of the same cadre, has been transferred to Goa. She is currently Deputy Commissioner, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (North).
• B R Singh, Special Commissioner of Food and Supplies, has also been transferred to Goa.
• Kunal, a 2005 batch IAS officer of Union Territory cadre, and Deputy Commissioner, East District, has been transferred to Goa as well.

Contributed by- Mehul Lanvers Shah, MD, Hannover Milano Fairs India

Nowadays, technology is fast transforming the way government departments function, adding efficiency, flexibility and transparency to the process. It is also enabling governments to respond faster to issues and improve government services to public, along with reducing operating costs.

According to Gartner, the Indian Government spent approximately USD 6.6bn in 2014 and it will increase its IT spend by five per cent in 2015. India’s ambition of 100 Smart Cities guarantees that the government investments in the IT sector will rise even further, with USD 1.2bn already promised for the project from government funds and private investors also betting big on the initiative.

Smart Cities ensure that every public utility—from electricity or water supply to sanitation and transport—are dependent on technology, as these are the basic elements for any city. Here’s a look at the top five technologies that India’s future cities are likely to be built upon.

Machine-to-Machine Technologies (M2M): Without M2M technology, it would be impossible for Smart Cities to exist. Broadly, M2M technologies enable devices to communicate with each other over wired or wireless ICT systems. Without this, the sensors, smart grids, monitors and other technologies in use in these cities would not be able to function. M2M functions in a manner that connects the information received from sensors through the network and converts it through a software into meaningful content that can be read, analysed and routed to personal computers for consumption. Therefore, no technology involving Internet of Things (IoT) can be made possible without M2M communications.

M2M becomes even more significant and important in the context of Smart Cities considering the burgeoning urban population and their strain on natural resources such as water, electricity, fuel, etc. According to a report by Booz and Company, every minute, 20 Indians move into cities. India’s urban population will increase by 140 million in 10 years and 700 million in four decades, straining natural resources and increasing the need for more environment-friendly technologies like smart meters, sensors and recycling plants, all enabled by M2M technology.

Data Security: IoT is the backbone of Smart Cities. However, without a robust security and privacy infrastructure, there can be no practical and safe application of IoT within a Smart City. Access and control standards for ICT networks within the Smart City are imperative for both data and human security, the lack of which can cause serious threats and vulnerabilities to all who live and operate in such cities. For instance, an Air Traffic Control (ATC) system in a Smart City is a completely automated system that manages air traffic at major international and domestic airports and controls the transport of thousands of lives and belongings on a daily basis. Imagine this sophisticated network of sensors, monitors and other IT systems in the ATC being attacked by cyber criminals, who hack and manipulate the system to perpetuate a terrorist attack resulting in large-scale loss of life.

India is now waking up to the importance of IT and cyber security, although it would be a critical success factor in the management and future of our Smart Cities. Building a more conducive security environment will have to be two-fold, with more stringent government regulations for data protection and security, on one hand, and a developed security services industry with the ability to manage advanced targeted cyber security threats and attacks, on the other.

New Storage Technologies: As Smart Cities grow, the amount of information gathered and stored for analysis and record will grow tremendously. Moreover, the data gathered will be required for analysis and leveraging big data analytics and for the enhancement and better administration of the Smart City through improved decision-making. New storage technologies, such as flash, high-capacity drives, software-defined storage and Cloud infrastructures, etc., will only grow to serve IoT deployments needed in Smart Cities. Prompted by the requirement of high availability of data and reliability of storage and datacentre systems, these advanced storage technologies will be expected to greatly enhance the productivity and efficiency of Smart Cities and to help manage growth in data volume without large spends. Software-defined storage solutions can increase automation in smart plants and factories and reduce management time and costs.

Technologies for Renewable Energy: Solar, wind, electric mobility, biogas and other alternatives will greatly shape the success of India’s Smart City infrastructure. Smart cities require large amounts of energy supply that can only be achieved through recycling, effective management and new sources of energy. According to the India Renewable Energy Status Report 2014, India achieves only 12.95 per cent of its renewable energy potential: the total renewable energy potential from various sources in India is 2,49,188 MW, while the overall untapped renewable energy is 2,16,918.39 MW. With this much potential, India can achieve environmental sustainability despite rapid industrialisation, urban population growth and increased use of resources without raising concerns over rising energy imports.

Disaster Management Technologies: A city cannot be considered smart unless it is capable of defending itself against natural and man-made catastrophes. Information and Communication technologies can greatly help in predicting, preventing and managing these disasters, ensuring that economic loss and loss of life is avoided or minimised. Economic losses in such disasters can be significant, the Japan earthquake and tsunami in 2011 cost the nation an estimated USD 210bn.

Improved surveillance, better weather forecast and monitoring networks, sensors and monitors can ensure timely information, early detection and warning of potential hazards by integrating ICT tools to streamline communication and link the authorities and public during disasters and emergency situations.

The Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has launched a pilot project of a station-based e-catering service, which allows passengers to order meals as per their choice and will be delivered at stations from popular private caterers.

In the first phase of the project, trains passing through 45 specified railway stations, comprising nine in the east zone, namely Guwahati, Howrah, Kharagpur, Mughalsarai, New Jalpaiguri, Sealdah and Vishakhapatnam have been named.

The other stations under this project include Ahmedabad, Anand Vihar, Allahabad, New Delhi, Kanpur Central, Lucknow, Varanasi, Chennai Central, Mumbai Central, Delhi, Bangalore city, Madurai, Amritsar, Thiruvananthapuram Central, Chandigarh, Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Jaipur, Bilaspur, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Ludhiana, Secunderabad, Tirupati, Vijayawada, Chennai Egmore, Ernakulam, Kozhikode, Thrisur, Yasvantpur, Nagpur, Pune, Agra Cantt, Gwalior, Jhansi, Bhopal, Surat and Vadodara.

Debashis Chandra, IRCTC Group General Manager (East Zone), said, “ Station-based e-catering will be only for stations and not on moving trains. The service will allow passengers to either order meals online at www.ecatering.irctc.co.in or by calling 0120-2383892-99/1800-1034-139 (toll free) or by sending SMS Meal to 139 with details of PNR and seat number and the meals will be delivered at their berth.”

Various fast food units like KFC, McDonald’s, Switz Foods, Only Alibaba, Domino’s, Haldiram, Bikanerwala, Nirula’s, Sagar Ratna, Pizza Hut have entered into a tie-up with IRCTC to serve the passengers passing through these stations.

Chandra also said, “On receiving the meals, passengers have an option of making payment online or through cash on delivery mode. The delivery of food would be made through authorised persons.”

“We have a dedicated call centre for this entire facility functioning from 10 am to 6 pm,” he added.

Regarding the cancellation of orders, Chandra said, “The passengers will also have an option to cancel their order two hours before reaching the station where the meals are scheduled to be delivered to them. In case passengers have made online payment for their order, the amount will be refunded after deducting a cancellation charge.

Alok Rawat, Former Water Resources Secretary, has been appointed as the first male member of the National Commission for Women (NCW), filling the fourth seat in the five-member panel.

Rawat, after the posting, said, “I feel that the presence of a male would provide a better understanding to the women’s issues.”

Rawat is a 1977 batch Sikkim cadre IAS officer and has served as Director/Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways; Secretary (UPSC); Secretary (Coordination and Public Grievances) in the Cabinet Secretariat and Secretary in the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.