Mumbai: A month after their being sworn in, stringent norms prescribed by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis have left his cabinet colleagues on tenterhooks while they wait for clearance for their staff to be appointed. So far only 23 out of 41 (excluding the CM) have managed to get approval for 38 staffers.
A minister is entitled to appoint 16 people in the office – one private secretary (PS), three officers on special duty (OSDs) and an equal number of personal assistants (PAs), two typists cum clerks, a driver and six office assistants.
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis Asks Ministers To Submit Names
The CM has asked the ministers to submit names of the staff they plan to recruit to the General Administration Department (GAD), which he heads, and after a scrutiny clearance would be given. While a cabinet minister can appoint 16 people to his office, a minister of state can appoint 14, and barring two personal assistants (PAs) and one office assistant and driver rest are to be taken on deputation from the state government services or the state corporations.
On Friday, 23 cabinet members – including two deputy chief ministers, 17 ministers and four ministers of the state, were given approvals to appoint 38 staffers.The list of approvals contains just one name each in the offices of the deputy chief ministers – Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar and four in the office of the revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule. Sixteen cabinet ministers and two ministers of the state are yet to receive clearance for any of their staffers.
Sources say Fadnavis does not want tainted staffers to be appointed in the offices of his cabinet colleagues. The guidelines prescribed say that each name recommended by the ministers will be scrutinized by one of the officers on special duty (OSD) in the Chief Ministers Office (CMO). Confidential reports (CRs), efficiency, and track record for the last 10 years along with their character certificates will be verified before giving a go-ahead for the final orders. This has resulted in delaying the clearance for the appointments.
One Minister has written a letter to the department secretary for calling a review meeting last week. The chief ministers office (CMO) has 164 staffers and it is 72 for the offices of the deputy chief minister. The highest number comprising three IAS rank officers as secretaries, 4 PS, 10 OSDs, 5 joint/deputy secretaries, 5 under secretaries, 5 administrative officers, 4 executive officers, 9 desk officers, 7 assistant desk officers, 6 staffers in the accounts section, 15 clerks cum typists attached to the secretaries, 30 clerks, 4 officers in the public relations section besides a number of office assistants.
The office of the deputy CMs’ have two IAS rank officers, two joint/deputy secretaries, seven OSDs, three PS, two desk officers, two public relations officers, six PAs and the rest junior staffers that includes clerks, drivers, office assistants etc.
