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I don’t know even ABCD of my ministry, officials keep me in dark: Uttarakhand minister
A senior minister in Trivendra Singh Rawat cabinet said that he doesn’t know “even the ABCD of his ministry” as bureaucrats keep him in dark about the goings on
A senior minister in Trivendra Singh Rawat cabinet said that he doesn’t know “even the ABCD of his ministry” as bureaucrats keep him in dark about the goings on.
Uttarakhand skill development minister Harak Singh Rawat also hinted that non-cooperation from officials may have something to do with irregularities in training schemes being carried out by his department.
“I am pained to state that ever since my ministry was formed some five months ago, officials have kept me in the dark about its affairs…I am not aware of even the ABCD of the ministry I am heading,” Harak Singh said.
The minister said he has received reports about irregularities in schemes his ministry runs offering skills training to the unemployed youth.
“I will cross-check the reports about the irregularities and will have them cross-checked with the related official data. If reports are validated, I will order a thorough inquiry into all skill training programmes that have been carried out with the help of non-government organisations so far,” he warned.
Rawat said he has received a preliminary report about skill training programmes carried out in the state, from additional chief secretary (ACS), skill development, Om Prakash. “I got the report after I wrote to him stating that all the irregularities — from the selection of the institutions engaged in skills training to the related programmes organised in the state — will come to light, if a thorough probe is conducted,” he said referring to a letter he wrote on June 21.
He also hinted at irregularities in utilising crores of rupees being released to the state by the Centre under its skills development programme, a pet scheme of Prime Minister Narednra Modi. “Those funds are being released with an objective to generate employment for the unemployed youth…How can you take such a crucial programme lightly?” Rawat asked.
In the letter to the additional chief secretary, Harak Singh said that officials of his ministry did not provide him the details of the skills training programmes and that of the institutions that organised them. “It’s been over a month since I sought those details but I am yet to receive them,” Rawat said apparently referring to an earlier letter he shot off to officials on May 30.
The minister, however, was quick to add that additional chief secretary Om Prakash was not “as much responsible for keeping him in the dark about the affairs of his ministry as secretary (in-charge), skill development, Pankaj Pandey” was.
“Prakash is not that much responsible as he has various other responsibilities to look after apart from being the additional chief secretary to the chief minister,” Harak Singh said. Pandey, he added, “is directly responsible for the affairs of the ministry as he is its secretary in-charge and also holds the dual responsibilities of chief executive officer (skill development) and director (skill training).”
Prakash couldn’t be reached for his comments despite several attempts.
Reacting to the Harak Singh’s allegations, Pandey said the minister “is a competent authority” to order an inquiry into the allegations of irregularities pertaining to his ministry and related departments. “There is no problem if he decides to order an inquiry and initiates action subsequently,” the official said.
The minister in his letter to the additional chief secretary also alleged that no senior official accompanied him to the skill development ministers’ meeting held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on April 18. “All secretary and principal secretary rank officials of the state level skill development departments (of all the other states) were present at the meeting. From Uttarakhand, a very junior level official, who had no knowledge about skill development activities, was sent along with me,” Harak Singh claimed. The minister claimed that he “somehow managed the show,” but in the absence of senior officials “we couldn’t project our activities properly,” which dented the state’s image.
Pandey said he couldn’t attend the programme as he was on leave. “I had no option but to depute a junior level officer as there is a shortage of senior level officials in our ministry,” he added.
