New Delhi: The Central Government has given a year's extension to B K Chaturvedi as the Union Cabinet Secretary. And his re-appointment means that the Indian bureaucracy has lost another opportunity to allow a woman officer to lead the country's IAS brigade.
Chaturvedi is the surprise winner, putting in a birdie when no one was expecting him to do so. Setting at rest all speculations, Chaturvedi’s extension came at a time when he was all set to retire in the second week of June.
Also in the reckoning were, five senior Indian Administrative Services Officers interviewed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh earlier this month.
Among them was Women and Child Development Secretary Rewa Nayyar. This is the closest that a female IAS officer has come to occupy the topmost bureaucratic post in the country.
The race for the post of the Cabinet Secretary later narrowed down to three officers, Expenditure Secretary Adarsh Kishore and two Haryana cadre officers Executive Director, World Bank, Dhanendra Kumar and Rewa Nayyar.
The only thing that went against Nayyar is a seven-year break in the services due to which she missed out on some important postings.
"Field positions are very important. Women are handicapped in Indian conditions. Travelling and staying alone in rural areas is difficult," Former Chief Secretary, UP, TSR Subramanium said.
India has never had a woman cabinet secretary and with Chaturvedi getting an extension, some feel this was an opportunity lost.
The IAS has long been a male bastion with most women officers rarely holding key secretarial jobs in ministries like Home, Defence and Finance. However, the Foreign Service has done better in this regard.
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