Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Pallavi Darade, a 1997-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, has just bagged another two-year extension for her deputation with the state administration.Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Pallavi Darade, a 1997-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, has just bagged another two-year extension for her deputation with the state administration. While her original deputation was for a three-year period, she has now received three extensions, having already served a total of seven years with the state administration. While the Centre’s Department of Personnel and Training had communicated its unwillingness to grant her any more extensions in February this year asking her to rejoin her parent Income-Tax department, it has now okayed another two-year extension. Darade’s husband, Pravin Darade (1997 batch, IAS), is seen as the chief Minister’s blue-eyed boy in the administration.
The Other Grandson
Even as the Pawar family eagerly awaits the outcome of Parth Pawar’s electoral debut, another Sharad Pawar grandnephew, Rohit, too has declared his electoral ambitions. Rohit, who was actively involved in the Nationalist Congress Party’s election campaign, has himself made his intention of contesting the upcoming state polls clear.
Overexcited Fans
Poll results are a good three weeks away, but die-hard supporters of some of the candidates just can’t hold back their excitement. NCP’s Shirur candidate Amol Kolhe and BJP’s Ahmednagar candidate Sujay Vikhe-Patil were in for some embarassment this past week, when their supporters distributed wedding invitation cards, identifying them as new MPs from their respective regions. The two candidates will only hope that their supporters are proven right.
New Fiscal Doctor
Senior bureaucrats Sitaram Kunte and Debashish Chakravarty are being seen as the top contenders for the finance secretary’s post. The post has gone without a full-time secretary for over a month, after UPS Madan was elevated to the chief secretary’s post. At present, Madan continues to hold the post in additional capacity. With the state’s full budget for 2019-20 to be placed before the state legislature during the monsoon session, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is expected to soon nominate a full-time secretary, confirmed sources.
Major Rejig Post Polls?
According to sources, promotions of senior IPS officers in Maharashtra, which are long overdue, are set to be fast-tracked. If the sources are to be believed, once the model code of conduct is lifted, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will carry out a major rejig among IPS officers.
Compiled by Sandeep Ashar
