Mystifying ‘Pradhanji’
Two power centres functioning in parallel in the state bureaucracy, thanks to the state government’s decision to humour the outgoing chief secretary Rakesh Sharma with the hurriedly conjured post of chief principal secretary, the wily Babus are making it a point to reverently pay a courtesy visit to Sharma while they meet the chief secretary Shatrughan Singh. However, what is adding to the jest of things in the bustling secretariat is the sobriquet given to CPS Sharma-Pradhanji. Whether the newly coined ‘Pradhanji’ would be palatable to the new CS or not, the affectionate or mocking nickname for the new CPS is likely to persist. One of the Babus said while chuckling mischievously that it reminded him of the village pradahan while another, with ears and eyes seemingly more tuned to the ground, said that ‘Pradhanji’ stands for the present state of things prevailing in the bureaucracy. “Everybody knows who is ruling the roost here,” he said, eyes reflecting seriousness.
Wild Goose Chase
The state information department seems to be doing a wild goose chase to locate the particular department that is supposed to be implementing the much-publicized Hito Pahad scheme that the Chief Minister Harish Rawat launched around a year ago. Spurred by a RTI query, the information department has made several futile rounds, but now, they have all but thrown up their hands in despair having failed to find the department. They are all set to admit in the reply that the department has remained elusive. Things are interesting. The scheme is meant to inspire the people now residing outside to invest in their native villages or towns. Under the scheme, if they construct buildings the state government would take them on rent to house schools, health facilities and other offices. The contracts to be signed would be generous to the investors and the rents would be more than what currently prevail in the markets. Media wrote several stories, extolling the scheme while saying that the scheme being implemented would not just help the non-resident Utarakhandis to reinvent their roots but would go a long way in stalling the trend of migration. But several months after the pompous launching, things are such that the department concerned remains hidden behind the penumbra of majestic non-existence.