Show cause to IAS officer over decision to discontinue Yoga program

Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, through the notice, has asked training and technical education (TTE) secretary R Alice Vaz to explain the reason behind the decision within 24 hours and to answer why the decision was taken without consulting the minister in-charge.

Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday issued a show cause notice to training and technical education (TTE) secretary R Alice Vaz for reportedly deciding to discontinue the ‘Dilli Ki Yogshala’ programme which aims to promote meditation and make yoga instructors available to the people free of cost.

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia. (PTI file)

An official said a notice to all concerned officials was served by the TTE, stating that the programme will discontinue from November 1. The reason behind the decision is not yet known.

Sisodia, through the notice, has asked Vaz to explain the reason behind the decision within 24 hours and to answer why the decision was taken without consulting the minister in-charge.

HT reached out to Vaz for her response but no reaction was available.

Bureaucrats working with the Delhi government report to the Centre-appointed lieutenant governor as services come under the preview of the LG, not the elected government.

The ‘Dilli Ki Yogshala’ programme was announced by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on December 13, 2021 to provide free yoga instructors to the citizens of Delhi. Currently, 590 yoga classes with more than 17,000 beneficiaries are conducted on a daily basis across the Capital.

In his notice, Sisodia underlined that the programme promoted the adoption of yoga and added that even Prime Minister Narendra Modi promotes the same. “Despite knowing this, secretary TTE is wrongly and forcibly trying to discontinue the Dilli ki Yogshala program and sabotage the efforts of the Delhi government to provide yoga classes for the benefits of thousands of Delhiites,” he stated in the notice.

“I have been told that in the 28th meeting of the board of governors September 30, upon the insistence of the secretary TTE, it was decided to discontinue the program. I have also been informed that while many members of the board of governors wanted to continue the current program, the secretary TTE took a strong stand against the program and said that this program could not be continued,” the notice states.

“Secretary TTE is a representative of the Delhi government in the board of governors. As a representative it is the role and responsibility of the secretary to represent the viewpoint of the government. The government wants to continue the program and in fact increase the scale of the program. Why was the decision to discontinue the program was taken without any discussion with the minister in-charge?” the notice says.