The Uttar Pradesh government is notoriously thin-skinned when it comes to criticism from any quarter. A retired IAS officer Surya Pratap Singh has discovered that his tweet accusing the government of low testing to “hide true Covid figure” has landed him in trouble. He has been booked under the Disaster Management Act and the Epidemic Act for allegedly spreading rumours about the pandemic.
Singh is an IAS officer of the 1982 batch and known to be a whistleblower during his career. In his 25-year career as a babu, he was transferred 54 times! Sources say that Singh was vocal against any government that was in power in the state and had raised questions about alleged corruption in the government during the Samajwadi Party government under Akhilesh Yadav. At that time, however, BJP leaders praised him. However, now that the BJP is in the saddle, it is uncomfortable with the forthright retired officer airing his opinions on social media platforms. Those who know Singh say it is unlikely that the government’s action will deter him, but it also sends a signal to others who may be inspired by Singh to ask uncomfortable questions.
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MBBS babus to fight COVID-19
The Centre is contemplating using the services of IAS, IPS and IRS officers who have a degree in medicine in the battle against the deadly coronavirus epidemic raging through the country. The idea is to use their combined administrative skills and training in medicine and deploy them in hospitals treating COVID-19 patients, especially in the worst-affected states.
According to sources, the Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh had asked his staff a month ago to prepare a list of such babus whose services can be utilized by the Centre and state governments if needed. However, work on it has begun only now.
In Mumbai, sources say, four IAS officers were recently given charge of monitoring state-run hospitals in the city for effective management of the epidemic. Such a list would certainly help states like Maharashtra and Gujarat which have the highest mortality rates in the country from the coronavirus.
Most babus have reportedly welcomed this step. It is also aligned with the Modi sarkar’s efforts to bring in more domain expertise in the government. However, while such officers will be needed to fight the pandemic, the question in many minds is: who will look after the administration and law and order?
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