Longer innings

Rajinder Khanna, the chief of Research and Analysis Wing is the first head of India’s external intelligence agency who was truly directly recruited into this crucial role. Now, if the Union Cabinet ratifies the proposal of the Cabinet Secretariat forwarded last year through the department of personnel and training, he may well become the first chief spook to enjoy a five-year tenure instead of the current two years. Which, given his skills, is perhaps a critical thing.

The original two-year fixed tenure for R&AW chiefs came into effect in 2005 after a major restructuring of the agency, but national security adviser Ajit Doval, whose writ runs large in the Modi dispensation, believes that India’s national interests will be better served by actually extending the effective tenure of the R&AW chief, officially called secretary, research, who reports directly to Mr Doval. And since Mr Doval is pushing for this change, it is likely that he will have his way. The director of the domestic intelligence agency, Intelligence Bureau, currently enjoys a two-year term, as do the secretaries for home, defence and external affairs — which are not about to be changed, thankfully.

Mentor babus

Bihar’s new deputy chief minister Tejaswi Yadav is a political greenhorn as is his brother Tej Pratap, who is the health minister in Nitish Kumar’s new Cabinet. Dad Lalu Prasad Yadav who is chief of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has therefore summoned two trusted babus from the time when he was chief minister of the state to assist and help them handle their jobs.

Senior Indian Administrative Service officer Sudhir Kumar was officer on special duty to Mr Lalu Yadav when he was railway minister in the first United Progressive Alliance government. He has been promoted to the rank of chief secretary and will work as principal secretary to Mr Tejaswi Yadav, who handles the road construction portfolio. Simila-rly, another IAS officer R.K. Mahajan who also enjoys

Mr Lalu Yadav’s confidence has been requisitioned to assist Mr Tej Pratap as principal secretary of the state health department.

After the Bihar elections, the new equations are more challenging for Mr Kumar, who has now to accommodate his alliance partner Mr Lalu Yadav’s nominees in his administration. Mr Lalu Yadav too is keen to distance himself from the “jungle raj” of yore and his sons, he hopes, will play a key role in refurbishing his image. The two trusted babu mentors will hopefully teach them the ropes of governance. Divided opinions

The recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission have drawn different reactions from different groups. While babus are happy with the salary hike and other recommendations, those on the outside are not, including corporates. Rating agencies have expressed fear that the proposed 23.55 per cent salary hike could hurt the nation’s finances. Non-IAS babus are also hopeful at the prospect of the IAS losing their monopoly over posts of joint secretary and above.

But the expenditure involved has raised a red flag with the Reserve Bank of India. RBI governor Raghuram Rajan, in his bi-monthly monetary policy review says that the commission’s recommendations will not upset the fiscal math, but many are concerned that the government may not have sufficient resources to meet the estimated additional burden of more than '1.02 lakh crores on the exchequer. The government, however, is maintaining that it will work on the numbers. Dr Rajan’s confidence notwithstanding, the wait is now for the Union Budget, and how the finance minister Arun Jaitley factors in the consequences of these recommendations.