Officials in Haryana close to retirement have been directed not to issue any fresh order pertaining to promotions, transfers and tenders etc. They have been instructed to take prior approval from the state Chief Secretary Vijai Vardhan while issuing such orders or face disciplinary action.
Sources say that the Manohar Lal Khattar government took this step after receiving complaints of the misuse of official position by senior bureaucrats prior to their retirement. Subsequently, the Chief Secretary issued the order.
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The order states that such actions in the past have invited complaints of financial irregularities and loss to the state exchequer. It further adds that “the cases for which prior approval has to be sought include processing of tenders for allotment of work or release of payments or purchases, cases of appointment, fresh recruitments, promotions and transfers of official of all categories and disciplinary actions were charges stand proved”.
The state government is hoping that the fear of “disciplinary action” close to their retirement might help bring these babus in line.
Maharashtra babus seek Central deputation
The fierce face-off between the ruling Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government and the opposition BJP has led to many “blue-eyed” officers seen as close to former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis seeking the “cooler climes” of a Central deputation. Sources say that several IAS and IPS officers who wielded clout in the tenure of Fadnavis are on deputation to the Centre.
Sources say that GST Commissioner Sanjeev Kumar, a 1993-batch IAS officer, has taken over as chairman of the Airports Authority of India, while BEST general manager SK Bagde has been appointed an additional secretary in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development. While Bagde had completed his tenure, Sanjeev Kumar was GST Commissioner for only a year and four months. Similarly, former DGP SK Jaiswal has taken over as DG of CISF, while former state intelligence commissioner Rashmi Shukla has now gone to the CRPF. Another senior IPS officer, Manoj Kumar Sharma, who was in the Maharashtra State Security Corporation, has taken up a Central deputation.
While it would be erroneous to see political colour in what should be seen as routine assignments, few observers are willing to buy this line.
Tailpiece
A significant recent non-babu event was Dr Karan Singh’s 90th birthday, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a unique edition of the Bhagavad Gita, in 11 volumes with 20 commentaries on each verse in facsimile.
The function held at the Prime Minister’s residence was attended mainly by family members and a few bureaucrats involved in evolving the Kashmir policy. Dr Karan Singh opened the proceedings with a talk on the Bhagavad Gita and steered away from current political matters. The Prime Minister, too, spoke as expected, on the Bhagavad Gita, and closed his speech by paying high compliments to Dr Karan Singh, the elder statesman of the Kashmir region. What the babus were left wondering was how the tea leaves of this event needed to be read.
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