https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

The New Handshake: Civil Services and Private Sector

Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa has tendered his resignation and is moving on to private sector. Many civil servants have followed this route in the past, including the former Indian Ambassador to the United States
Indian Masterminds Stories

The search for greener pastures has been a moving force for the human race. Millions of year ago, our great ancestors left the shelter of their caves and spread into the grasslands of Africa, Americas, Mid-Europe and Asia. Therefore, when the Election Commissioner Mr Ashok Lavasa decided to leave his prestigious job of a senior civil servant for the private sector (Phillipines based Asia Development BankADB) three weeks ago, he was probably lured by the call of his ancient genes.

There is nothing wrong with Mr Lavasa’s decision, actually. One of the biggest features of Indian democracy is that it allows everyone to follow his dreams and aspirations.

Ashok Lavasa with family, at Amarnath Yatra

But Mr Lavasa’s decision is also a manifestation of another truth: Indian civil services, powerful, prestigious and awe-inspiring it may be, cannot be the last port of call for the overtly ambitious. On the contrary, it can be – and has been- an effective launch pad for the risk takers.

The Trend Setters

Hardly two decades ago, Mr Rajeev Talwar, senior IAS officer of UT cadre happened to be the favourite “media boy’’ of print and television channels. Always jovial, always helpful. And then one morning, he shocked everyone by announcing his decision to quit the IAS- right in the midst of a promising career.

Rajeev Talwar

Why he did so became clear in the next few days, with an official announcement from DLF, one of the biggest realty players of North India.Mr Talwar was absorbed by the DLF at a fairly senior position. Today, he is the CEO of DLF.

And then there is the case of Ms Meera Shankar, the high-profile IFS officer of 1973 batch who also served as India’s ambassador to the United States. 

Ms Meera Shankar With the then US President Barack Obama, during her tenure as the Indian Ambassador to the United States

Ms Meera too hopped on to the private sector. As of now, she is on the board of directors of ITC and Adani Transmission.

Ms Meera Shankar

Coming back to Mr Ashok Lavasa, the latest entry in the list of civil services to private sectors movers, his premature exit from the Election Commissioner is the second time in India’s history that a commissioner has left before the completion of his term. Earlier, Election Commissioner Nagendra Singh had also departed from the EC, to become a judge in the International Court of Justice, The Hague.

In an official statement, ADB has announced that Mr Lavasa will succeed Mr Diwakar Gupta, whose tenure ends on August 31, 2020.

A 1980-batch IAS officer of Haryana cadre, Mr Lavasa served in multiple positions in the Government of India as well as the Haryana Government. He has been Principal Secretary and Finance Commissioner (Renewable Energy Sources and Power) as well as District Magistrate in Jind and Gurgaon districts of Haryana.

Ashok Lavasa is also a wildlife buff, and her wife an accomplished photographer

 Mr Lavasa’s foray in the Centre began in 2014, when he was appointed the Civil Aviation Secretary. Subsequently, be became the Environment, Forests and Climate Change Secretary in the Union Environment Ministry. His last posting before joining the Election Commission was the Finance Secretary of India.

Well Established Trail

In fact, Mr Lavasa is walking on the trail prepared and lit by other civil servants before him. The illustrious list includes:

  • Vinod Rai, the 1972 batch Kerala cadre AIS officer who served as the powerful Comptroller and Audit General of India (CAG). At present, he is on the boards of director of Apollo Tyres and IDFC.
  • GK Pillai, a 1972 batch Kerala cadre IAS officer who served as the Home Secretary and Commerce Secretary in the Union Government and was also the chief negotiator for India at WTO. Mr Pilla is now in the board of directors of Zuari Agro Chemicals and Berger Paints. He is also the independent and non-executive Director of Adani Ports.
Former Union Home Secretary G K Pillai
  • S Narayan, former Economic Adviser to the Prime Minister is now on the board of director of Dabur India, Apollo Tyres, and Godrej Properties.
  • Ravi Kant, who served as an IAS officer (of West Bengal cadre) for 12 years before joining the corporate sector as the managing director of Ramkya Enviro Engineers Limited. He is now the director of infrastructure consultancy firm Voyants Solution Private Limited.
  • Vigilance Commissioner K V Chowhary, who joined Reliance Industry as an independent director within four months of his retirement.
  • M. Damodaran, 1971 batch IAS officer from Tripura who served as the chairman of SEBI, IDBI and in the finance ministry is now on the boards of Larsen & Toubro, Hero MotoCorp, Tech Mahindra, CRISIL, Biocon and Experian India. He is also the current Non-Executive Independent Director and Chairman of the Board of Indigo.

It’s an ever expanding list and Mr Lavasa will certainly not be the last of the civil servants to move over to the lucrative private sector. Or look at it this way. The emerging private sector in a fast developing India is a beacon which will not be easy to resist- even for the magisterial civil servants.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Mazagaon Dock
Strategic Expansion: Mazagon Dock to Acquire 51% Stake in Sri Lanka’s Colombo Dockyard with $53 Million Investment
Sujata Saunik
Race Heats Up for Maharashtra Chief Secretary Post as Sujata Saunik Nears Retirement — Who Will Succeed Her? Top Contenders Revealed
Indian Bureaucracy News Latest
IRSEE Joyanta Chakraborty Repatriated for Promotion; Dr Deepak Bagla Appointed Mission Director of Atal Innovation Mission
SBI_resized
SBI Strengthens Co-Lending Partnership with Paisalo to Reach More Small Businesses in Tier 2, 3 and Rural India
Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri
Rudrasagar Blowout Contained: Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri Commends ONGC & International Experts for Swift, Safe Resolution
RCB Parade Stampede
RCB Victory Stampede: Suspended IPS Dayananda Deposes, Inquiry Report Expected Soon; Public Urged to Submit Evidence
ONGC_resized
ONGC Successfully Caps Rudrasagar Gas Well Blowout After 15 Days of Intensive Effort, Global Experts End Crisis
406951-supreme-court-of-india-sc
Limited Manpower: SC Stays MP High Court Order Mandating SP-Led Supervision of Serious Crime Probes, Asks State to Submit SOP
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-25 at 5.07
Why Has the DGCA Fined Air India Rs 5 Crore Since Privatisation?
Former Diplomat Ashok Sajjanhar
Iran Is Weakest Now, Needs a Face-Saver
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-23 at 12.39
Retired Officers Lead 7-Day Mission to Revive Betwa River with 55 Check Dams | Video Interview
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Sanish Kumar Singh
“If you want it badly enough, you’ll find a way,” Sanish Kumar Singh AIR 8, UPSC IFS 2024 
The real interview, he says, was much more humane. “The board was conversational. The chairman opened...
Raju Wagh
When the Battlefield Became a Study Room and a Dream Took Flight
Amid IED blasts and anti-Maoist operations in Bastar, CRPF Commando Raju Wagh taught village kids, studied...
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-18 at 10.31
"I Just Wanted to Breathe Again": The Man Who Fought Death and Made It to UPSC
Struck by COVID at the peak of his UPSC prep, Devanand Telgote spent months on ECMO, unsure he'd live,...
Social Media
Shailaja Chandra
“Nanis & Dadis Have a Brain”: Former IAS Officer Shailaja Chandra Weighs in on 1970s vs 2025 Life Debate - “This Generation Has It Better”
Responding to Viral Post on Middle-Class Struggles, Ex-Bureaucrat Offers Candid Reflection on Then and...
Tigress Arrowhead
The End of an Era: A Queen Falls - Ranthambore’s Iconic Tigress Arrowhead (T-84) Passes Away at 14, Hours After Daughter’s Relocation
Ranthambore mourns the loss of one of its fiercest and most beloved tigers, Arrowhead, the granddaughter...
Screenshot 2025-06-13 194001
Wild Elephant Disrupts Riverside Picnic, Sparks Debate on Human Encroachment; IFS Parveen Kumar Shares the Video - Watch Here!
Mr. Kaswan used the viral video, which has garnered over 1.5 lakh views, to highlight the risks of human...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Mazagaon Dock
Strategic Expansion: Mazagon Dock to Acquire 51% Stake in Sri Lanka’s Colombo Dockyard with $53 Million Investment
Sanjeev chopra book review
Where Do Gorkha’s Sit In India’s Relations With Nepal and Myanmar | Dr Sanjeev Chopra Book Review
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-25 at 5.07
Former Diplomat Ashok Sajjanhar
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-23 at 12.39
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT