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Union Minister of Steel Chaudhary Birender Singh says there is a need to narrow down the gap between political leadership and the steel frame of India to improve on governance in the country.

Mr. Singh claimed there was a major difference in what the political leadership dreamed of and what the bureaucracy finally delivered to the people seeking better symphony between the two. âÂÂGovernance should rest with the political leadership while administrative part should rest with the bureaucracy,â Singh said  in New Delhi  on Saturday during gfiles Governance Awards 2016 function. He also advocated the idea of encouraging more social science and arts stream graduates to take the Civil Services examination. In his opinion, doctors and engineers ought to excel in their respective fields rather than opting for civil service. 

Mr. Singh along with Ram Bilas Sharma, Haryana’s Education & Tourism Minister – honoured eminent scientist Dr. R A Mashelkar and ten other civil servants with gfiles Governance Awards 2016 for the exemplary work they have put in their respective domains.

Dr. Mashelkar, a chemical engineer and a former Director General of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), a group of 38 publicly funded industrial research and development institutions in the country, was conferred Lifetime Achievement Award while the others bagged Exceptional Contribution Awards and Excellent Contribution Awards in the glittering function attended by leaders from across the political spectrum, central and state civil servants, judges and editors.

The awardees were finalised by a high-powered four-member jury comprising former Cabinet Secretary Prabhat Kumar, former Chief Secretary of Haryana Vishnu Bhagwan, former Power Secretary Anil Razdan and former Special Secretary (Internal Security) in Home Ministry M.B. Kaushal.

Dr. Mashelkar was awarded Lifetime Achievement Award for his magnanimous contributions in innovations, science and technology.

O P Singh, IPS (Director General, Central Industrial Security Force), was given Exceptional Contribution Award for successfully leading the disaster relief operations during the unprecedented floods in Jammu & Kashmir, Nepal and Chennai, and revamping security apparatus of major airports in the country.

Saurabh Kumar, IRS (Managing Director, Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), Ministry of Power), was presented Exceptional Contribution Award for unparalleled achievements in the energy efficiency sector.

Sanjay Kumar, IFS (Deputy Inspector General, National Tiger Conservation Authority, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change), was honoured with the Exceptional Contribution award for outstanding contribution towards environment protection, wildlife conservation and sustainable livelihood.

K Balamurugan, IFS (Regional Passport Officer, Chennai), got the Exceptional Contribution Award for his outstanding contribution to public service.  

Awards for excellent contribution were given to following bureaucrats:-

Sutirtha Bhattacharya, IAS (CMD, Coal India Limited (CIL), for his outstanding contributions towards the growth of energy sector.

R S Julania, IAS of 1985 batch of Madhya Pradesh cadre, (Additional Chief Secretary, Panchayat and Rural Development Department, Madhya Pradesh), for his unmatched contribution in the field of irrigation in Madhya Pradesh.

N Prasanth, IAS (District Collector & District Magistrate, Kozhikode, Kerala), for launching Operation Sulaimani to ensure that nobody in the city on the Malabar Coast goes to bed hungry.

Amit Lodha, a Bihar cadre IPS (presently Deputy Inspector General, BSF, Jaisalmer), for successfully initiating a police-public partnership for better policing in Nalanda district during his tenure as SP there.

Mandeep Singh Randhawa, IPS (Deputy Commissioner of Police, Central District, Delhi Police),  for harnessing technology to connect with the public in his area.  

Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME) officer Vikas Arya, who is presently Director, Ministry of Family Welfare, received Excellent Contribution Award for his herculean efforts to preserve railway heritage and restoring steam locomotives.”