Thursday, February 05, 2015

Know Your Babu: New home secretary and 1979 batch IAS LC Goyal

LC Goyal
THE Centre on Wednesday curtailed the tenure of union home secretary and Jammu and Kashmir cadre IAS Anil Goswami for reportedly influencing the CBI not to arrest former Congress minister Matang Sinh, an accused in multi-crore Saradha scam, and appointed 1979 batch Kerala cadre IAS and rural development secretary LC Goyal as India’s new home secretary for two years from the date of taking over his new charge. Here are 10 things you may like to know about Goyal:

1. Goyal was joint secretary in the ministry of home affairs for seven years, from September 2002 to December 2007. That means, he also worked under LK Advani who was union home minister during the Vajpayee-led NDA government.
2. In the home ministry, he handled among others the key subject of internal security.
3. During the UPA-II, Goyal was first additional secretary in the health ministry between 2010 and 2012.
4. In 2012-13, he was with the cabinet secretariat, first as additional secretary and then special secretary.
5. Goyal was appointed as rural development secretary in October, 2013, and has been handling that ministry so far.
6. He will turn 60 in May this year, and hence he would have retired from the service had he not been appointed as home secretary and given a two-year tenure posting.
7. In Kerala, he served as principal secretary, finance, among many other postings.
8. This Kerala cadre IAS originally hails from the state of Haryana.
9. Graduated in commerce stream, Goyal did law before entering into IAS.
10. He can speak English, Hindi, Punjabi and Malayalam.


  1. First thing first, I really feel sorry for Anil Goswami individual. No one will like his career to end with such ignominy. Now coming to larger picture I must put it on record that I revel at thought of frustration and anxiety removal of a fellow senior babu must have caused among all of IAS. I am happy that they are being humiliated and punished. While very few of them are honest, majority of IAS, I reiterate, majority of IAS are corrupt today. When majority of them are corrupt than they should introspect and reform themselves from within rather than belittling other. Those who know IAS bit closely would appreciate that IAS have strange world view. According to an average IAS none of other institutions or civil services is good or clean.In spite of being an equally corrupt service, an average IAS will always run other services and professions down. IAS have exaggerated-sense-of-self-importance, much like Pakistan Army in its nation. Anil Goswami is not an isolated aberration, this is what most of IAS do and that is precisely why IAS hates idea of an independent CBI. The flurry of articles by IAS officer rejecting idea of free-CBI using it as an alibi when Ranjit Sinha was caught hobnobbing with accused persons in 2G and other scams shows how convoluted and self serving their approach towards our institutions is and how well oiled their lobbying is ! IAS hates police reform. IAS want to control CAG when we have career Audit-Service. In no other country in world Money-Laundering act is administered by a generalist; while India has an IAS ED. Successive reform commissions and parliamentary committiees have recommended for abolition of post of revenue Secretary which IAS perpetuates and such suggestions are brushed under the carpet. IAS have virtually enjoyed impunity. The order of the day is an IAS is not hauled up unless he does something very very wrong, for other services mere perception of wrong doing is enough to be ruined. IAS hates to be questioned. That is why there is latent hatred towards CBI which tried to go after corrupt IAS of AP or Parakh. The IAS wants to control virtually all such agency precisely for that reason that its Anil Goswamis thrive and go unpunished.The corruption and wealth accumulated by some of them is virtually legend in govt. circles. The IAS controls food, fertiliser, land and minerals,power and energy to animal husbandry and what not? They control all institutions citing false reasons and distorted facts. They paint others black so as to outshine themselves. If you know any IPS or Forest service officer or PCS officer or any politician, ask them to name honest IAS. Nowhere in India will such list go past 5-10 names and IAS is about 4500 strong contingent. The truth is IAS have caused more harm to institutions than doing any good. Modi Govt. has been elected with promise of reform, he must begin by cleaning our system. Thanks

  2. you are right. The IAS being THE service is a colonial legacy and hangover. It is time to make the IAS just one of the services. Further, due importance should also be given to others like military men and scientists. in fact, I think the top posts of secretay/DM etc should be held by men of proved comeptence. whether from a service or from any walk of life. It is time to show the IAS its true position.

  3. Coupled with all the above is the fear factor THE IAS generates amongst others, even not to air ones views freely, the ready proof of it is the fact that u guys write your comments as anonymus, inclding of course me....

  4. Instead of blaming the IAS why don't people themselves join the IAS and reform the system. It just perpetuates your inferiority complex and nothing else.There is huge corruption in the military also,the police force has more casualties than the combined armed forces.You were just not good enough to make it that's why you envy the IAS.If you think you are so smart then give a sensible and viable alternative to the IAS.Why don't we overhaul the political setup and put professionals in place of politicians or go one step ahead and bring in military rule since they are so professional and disciplined.It is a known fact that the lower bureaucracy is the more corrupt component in the system,politicians are the pillars of corruption .The bureaucracy needs to be empowered to stop corruption and these notions of overhauling institutions and setups of the government needs to be stopped.The country is run by civil servants on the other hand negativity and cynicism never helped in running the country.

  5. Being non-service outside professional having interacted with IAS IPS IRTS and IRS, WITHOUT EXCEPTION BY AND LARGE MOST OF THEM ARE CORRUPT AND VIRTUALLY ONE COULD COUNT THE HONEST ON FINGER TIPS. ONE CAN SEE IAS OFFICERS VIRTUALLY TREATING THEMSELVES TO BE CREME-DE-LE-CREAM AMONG PEOPLE. THEY DONT MIX FREELY WITH OTHER PROFESSIONALS UNLESS THEY ARE APPREHENSIVE THAT SUCH PEOPLE ARE CLOSE TO EARS OF POLITICAL TOP BIG WIGS. THEY DONT EVEN BOTHER FOR ORDINARY POLITICIANS. NOW THE TREND WILL CHANGE IT APPEARS. THERE IS NO REASON WHY A REVENUE SECRETARY SHOULD BE IAS WHY CANT IRS? Thanks to British legacy only IRTS cadre is shielded with their cadre officers at the highest echelons, like CHAIRMAN Railway Board is from Internal Railway Service and there is no IAS in any where in Rail Ministry right up to Chairman who is equivalent to Cabinet Secretary. It is high time all the AIS should be made a unified cadre with different postings in different Government Department and recruit specialist officers separately like Police Forest etc.

  6. ANNONYMOUS AT 12:05
    "Instead of blaming the IAS why don't people themselves join the IAS and reform the system. It just perpetuates your inferiority complex and nothing else.There is huge corruption in the military also,the police force has more casualties than the combined armed forces.".........
    YOU GUYS HIDE YOUR NAMES becos you are shit scared.
    who has brought & multiplied the corruption ....these babus .....only way forward is assessing these Babus every 5 Years & tell them to go home if they have corruption tag. Mind you all youngsters whether IAS/IPS/ IRS....or Military are honest but with age & service they become Goswamis/joshis.....

  7. Hi all, This is amazing site with news, insight in to our Bureaucracy in India, which we hardly get to know.

  8. How can an honest impartial bureaucrat survive here when the whole system is corrupt.And who make the system corrupt?Of course we.Unless we change to better citizens with better civic sense and morale we can't blame anyone for the anarchy we are facing today.