Maharashtra Cancels Irregular Appointments In Ministers’ Offices
The CMO, meanwhile, has a sanctioned strength of 172 personnel but currently has around 250 officials and employees working there, officials said.
Mumbai: As many as 625 officials and employees working in Maharashtra ministerial offices have been repatriated to their parent departments after their appointments were found to have been made without following the prescribed procedure. Those affected include private secretaries (PS), officers on special duty (OSD), personal assistants (PA), clerks and peons working in ministers’ offices.
The action follows an order issued by Maharashtra Chief Secretary Rajesh Aggarwal a fortnight ago directing the immediate cancellation of appointments made in ministerial offices and state departments through deputation, loan arrangements or oral orders without following due procedure.
Under the order, such appointments were to be cancelled by September 10. Accordingly, the personnel have been sent back to their respective parent departments.
According to a senior official, the sanctioned strength of ministerial offices is around 668, while 625 additional personnel were found to be working beyond the approved staffing pattern. They have now been repatriated to their parent departments.
If a minister wants to retain any of the officials or employees, a fresh proposal will have to be submitted to the Ministerial Establishment Unit of the General Administration Department (GAD).
“We will seek an integrity certificate, character certificate, confidential report and enquiry report of the concerned official before appointing him to a minister’s office, as the work there is very sensitive. The proposal will subsequently be forwarded to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) for approval,” the senior official said.
Under the existing staffing norms, a Cabinet minister can have 16 staff members, including an OSD, PS and PA, while a minister of state is entitled to 14 staff members.
The CMO, meanwhile, has a sanctioned strength of 172 personnel but currently has around 250 officials and employees working there, officials said.
A senior bureaucrat said the respective departments would decide whether any action should be initiated against officials’ appointed without the requisite permission. “If there is a genuine requirement for additional manpower in a minister’s office, human resources will be provided by revising the sanctioned staffing pattern,” the bureaucrat said.
The government is also considering revising the staffing pattern of ministers’ offices to address manpower requirements while ensuring that all appointments are made strictly through the prescribed procedure.