Data shows that until October 2024, of the AIS officers working at Centre as secy, additional secy & joint secy, only 7 were from Maharashtra & 12 from UP—2 of the largest cadres of AIS.
From the officers’ viewpoint, the best part is that the cadre controlling authority is the Ministry of Home Affairs, while in all other cadres, it is the state government.
Sanjeev Khirwar & Rinku Dhugga were transferred to Ladakh and Arunachal in May after a media report said a sports stadium in Delhi was closed early to athletes so couple could walk their dog.
‘Punishment’ postings are not new. If you want to punish an IAS officer through transfer, which has been the practice in several states and now Centre, there is no need to search for ‘hard areas.’
J&K cadre was merged with AGMUT last year. Now, UT of J&K has been allotted 70 IPS posts and Ladakh 10. Fewer positions likely to fall vacant with J&K categorised as ‘hard area’.
Areas under AGMUT cadre are divided into 'Regular' & 'Hard', based on topography & sensitivity. Officers posted there get incentives. Arunachal & Mizoram are other 'Hard Areas'.
Contrary to naysayers, the RSS practices what it preaches. It is closer to the Gandhian teaching of improving the individual morally and spiritually to change the external environment.
CM Yogi Adityanath claims that from being called a ‘bimaru’ state, UP is now among the top-3 economies in India. The 2026 Budget session of the UP assembly is currently underway.
This is the game every nation is now learning to play. Some are finding new allies or seeing value among nations where they’d seen marginal interest. The starkest example is India & Europe.
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