The credibility of staffers of the 10 new ministers is not something Devendra Fadnavis is leaving to fate; he has ordered various government agencies to scrutinise the recommended officers
CM Devendra Fadnavis has become fastidious in his attempt to ward off any future controversy. File pic
To steer clear of even a possibility of controversy, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has ordered a thorough screening and background check of the supporting staff for the newly inducted ministers in his cabinet.
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CM Devendra Fadnavis has become fastidious in his attempt to ward off any future controversy. File pic
Learning a lesson from the past, when there have been instances of personal staff landing ministers in trouble and thereby doing irreparable damage to the government's image, the CM has decided to give a go-ahead to only those with impeccable credentials. There is already a rule in place that bars current ministers from working with employees who had served during the Congress-NCP regime.
The CM has now become even more fastidious, and he only wants employees with clean official and personal record in the ministers' offices. The officers who are recommended by the ministers will not just be scrutinised by the CM's own machinery, but also the State Intelligence Depart-ment and other government agencies.
Sources in Mantralaya said the 10 new ministers were flooded with requests from officers who wanted to be part of their personal staff. The ministers are assigned staff as per their rank. The set-up comprises a personal secretary (of the deputy collector rank and above), officers on special duty, personal assistants and other employees to run the office. Some posts can be held by non-government officials as well.
Learning from history
In the past, former revenue minister Eknath Khadse was mired in controversy when his alleged aide, Gajanan Patil, was arrested for seeking a bribe. Patil blamed Khadse for demanding bribes and the ACB then found that the accused had been making calls from the minister's official residence. However, Khadse denied that Patil was part of his personal staff.
Another minister's personal staff member brought embarrassment to the government when it was alleged that he was booked in a sexual harassment case. One more such official courted controversy when his name cropped up in an alleged food scam. A minister was also accused of using the services of a senior Mantralaya officer not attached to his office. The officer was with this politician when he was in the Opposition.
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