Whistleblower Indian Forest Service officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi recently donated Rs 25,000 to the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund. He got this sum as compensation from the Centre in compliance with the Uttarakhand high court order settling a dispute over adverse entries made in his appraisal report.
Mr Chaturvedi has reportedly written to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) stating that following the harassment he was meted out by various authorities during his career, a fund should be created to help honest officials who have been victims of vindictive action. In his letter, he quoted Sardar Patel’s remarks in the Constituent Assembly where he said, “You will not have a united India if you don’t have a good All India Service which has the independence to speak out its mind”.
Mr Chaturvedi, who also won the 2012 Ramon Magsaysay award, is currently posted in Haldwani of Uttarakhand as a conservator of forests (Research).
