By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 25 Aug: Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) Chief Karan Mahra today alleged that there were huge irregularities in recruitment held for Assembly Secretariat in the year 2019. In all 129 such irregular appointments were made in the Assembly Secretariat, he further alleged.
In a statement issued today, Mahra alleged that during the tenure of Cabinet Minister Prem Chand Aggarwal, as the then Speaker, 129 recruitments were made in the assembly and they had been made not keeping to the norms and procedures.
Mahra said that it has been 22 years since the formation of the state, but the concept with which the state of Uttarakhand was formed was being tarnished at every level under the BJP rule. Jobs have been handed over to the favourites of big leaders in the state in total violation of the rules. It seems that there is total anarchy in the state and governance has failed.
Karan Mehra claimed that Uttar Pradesh is the largest state of the country, but there are only 543 officials working in the assembly Secretariat, but Uttarakhand, a small state with just 70 assembly constituency has overtaken Uttar Pradesh in terms of number of those employed at the Secretariat. Mahra claimed further that the number of employees in the state assembly of Uttarakhand, which is in debt of over Rs 85000 crores, has crossed 560.
Mahra further said that question were also being raised on the background of those who have secured jobs. Mahara said that the manner in which the leaders had recommended and played a direct role in securing jobs for their near and dear ones, was not only discrimination against the youth of Uttarakhand but also amounted to putting their future at stake. The Congress leader added that unemployment has taken a formidable form in Uttarakhand today, but not for the close relatives of certain leaders.
Mahra even said that opportunities ought to be equal for all and any recruitment ought to be made solely on the basis of merit. The Congress state president mentioned that the speculation was that jobs were being given in return for cash benefits which was very unfortunate and fatal for the state. Karan Mahra, claimed that out of the 129 people who have been appointed in the assembly secretariat, have obvious closeness to leaders and influential persons and that this was well known. Mahra further alleged that PROs of former cabinet minister and former BJP state president Madan Kaushik, cabinet minister Rekha Arya and Organisation General secretary of BJP, Ajaey Kumar have been given appointment in addition to the wives of two OSDs of the CM.
The Congress president condemned such development and claimed that this practice was very fatal for the state and was leading to anger and depression amongst the youth of the state against the government and the administration, and that it was not a good sign for the future of a small state like Uttarakhand.
