Abrupt Secretary Reshuffle Was Not Really "Abrupt" It was Calculative.
Last night, the center had made two big chances at Secretary level. One shifting the Secretary Urban Development, Manoj Joshi and putting his charge in adhoc arrangement by placing his batchmate Anurag Jain in additional charge. The later part of development of appointing Nidhi Khare as Secretary Consumer Affairs is seens as normal administrative rejig. The question is with the former part of the development of shifting Manoj Joshi. Joshi in the power corridors is not an ordinary bureucrat or secretary, he has been sterring well all the important urban development projects out of which the most closest and ambitious was Central Vista. An efficient bureucract who keeps the scope of error almost neglible rules out the possiblities of affairs going wrong on the part of Joshi. Top source said that "Joshi is a sincere and saggacious bureucract and it is less likely that anyting adverse would have happened" and keeping these consideration in mind, there cannot be abruptness though,timings could be said to be abrupt.
All the veteran bureucracts and even serving in the power corridors at the top level who are well versed with the Prime Minister's working style and administration at whole have preferred to call this development "calculative" rather than "abrupt". There are three reasons to call this rejig as calculative. First- Three year factor, Joshi had done considerable amount of work in the role of Secretary Urban Development and already given shape to many projects. Second- Joshi's efficiency in handling herculian tasks and managing crises, considering this Joshi was called in to revamp other verticles of infrastructure and development which is becoming Government's new focus, interim budget 2024 evidences this fact. Third- The J&K factor, two weeks back Union Ministry of Rural development sanctioned PMGSY package for upgradation of roads in J&K, as J&K gears up for election scheduled in September this year, the rural factor in J&K needs urgent attention and requires full swing development also considering Joshi's visit to J&K in November last year to review smart city transformation is suggestive towards this possibility.
Top source said "Government seems to be utilizing Joshi at techincal and effective areas now". The Prime Minister's know how to set priorities and utlize the best men for it. "It does not matter how compentent and mighty bureucrat you are, you need to work as per the changing priorties of the government regardless what you deserve" a top source added. The Modi Administration is highly skilled in utlizing bureucract's potentional and it does not let potential to easily go in vain, Joshi's case is also somwhat similar, the government wanted him to get a new role because of changing priorties and pressing needs. A top secretary level officer said- "Joshi almost had it job done in his long three year tenure, government perhaps wanted to utlize and test him in other roles as well". The famous phrase in power corridors "parachute landings" is relective of this practice if we look beyond the phenomena of "installing center man in states". Insofar Anurag Jain getting additional charge of Urban Affairs is concerned it is just another practice of "bureucrat testing" where government will closely observe Jain in new role and take decision on regularization of the charge. "Anurag inspires confidence of the government and giving him additional charge is not only indicative of testing but also investing the trust of the government, top source said.
Therefore, reading between in lines always need not to be critical it also needs to be calculative sometimes, as government preps to return for third term, the practice of reading between lines may change.
