Zakir Naik NGO case: Senior bureaucrat G K Dwivedi gets new posting

Senior bureaucrat G K Dwivedi, whose suspension over renewal of license of an NGO run by controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik was revoked recently, has been appointed as Joint Secretary in Department of Land Resources as part of a major mid-level bureaucratic reshuffle effected by the Centre.

Besides him, 17 other officers have been appointed as Joint Secretaries in various central government departments.

The Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) has approved appointment of Dwivedi to the post till September next year, when he completes five year of central deputation period, an order by Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said.

Dwivedi, a 1993-batch IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre and earlier posted as Joint Secretary in Foreigners Division of the Home Ministry, was suspended along with three others on September 1, after it came to light that the licence of Islamic Research Foundation, headed by Naik, had been renewed in August this year.

His suspension was revoked last month by the Centre, following representation from senior IAS officers, and Dwivedi was placed on compulsory wait in the DoPT.

It was alleged that due diligence was not carried out before facilitating renewal of the licence given under Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) to the NGO of Naik, who has been accused of brain washing youths into joining terror groups. However, his organisation has denied all these charges.

In the reshuffle, officers appointed to various ministries include six from Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and those from other services like Indian Police Service (IPS) and Central Secretariat Service (CSS). The appointments are significant as there have been demands from other non-IAS services seeking equal opportunities in empanelment and central deputation as enjoyed by those in IAS.

The ACC has approved appointment of four Joint Secretaries in Home Ministry. They are Praveen Kumar Srivastava, C K Khetan, Saheli G Roy and Sanjeev K Jindal.

While IAS officer Srivastava, CSS officers Roy and Jindal have been appointed in the Home Ministry for five years,Khetan will have tenure as Additional Registrar General (JS level), in the office of Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India under the Home Ministry, till March 14, 2017.

Forest Service officers Alka Bhargava and Sisir Kumar Ratho have been appointed as Joint Secretaries in Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers’ Welfare, and National Commission of Schedule Tribes respectively.

Rakesh Kumar Singh will be Additional Secretary (JS level) in Central Information Commission. Maninder Kaur Dwivedi has been appointed Adviser in Niti Aayog.

IPS officer Mukesh Jain will be Joint Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, National Trust for Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities.