He invites readers into his world chronicling the experiences that shaped him from growing years as a student to his years of rigorous training as a civil servant and finally managing crisis, both man-made and otherwise. Lessons were learned from the mistakes of the previous government. Not Just A Civil Servant drafts the journey of Anil Swarup, a civil servant who survived despite being politically incorrect. How true it was! Yes, we were told very clearly that PMO should not be mentioned in any decision the Ministry/Department takes. “In a subsequent meeting at the PMO, when the issue came up for discussion again, and I referred to the note that I had sent, I was given a dressing down that the PMO does not take decisions. Ultimately, he had to send a note to the Principal Secretary raising certain issues and questioning why coal should be supplied at a notified price to such entities granting undue favour or preferential treatment to them when there is no legal or contractual obligation. He writes how in almost every meeting convened by the PMO, whether relating to coal or otherwise, he was asked if he had provided linkages to some ‘privileged’ industrialists. He complained that the PMO was not kept informed.”Īnd as coal production substantially increased, so did the pressure to accommodate some industrialists. “When the call from Shri Mishra came, I had expected a few words of praise from him as well. The transparency he ensured in the coal block auctions and its success found prominence in newsrooms and news reels, but when the call came from the PMO, it was not on expected lines.
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