The AAP Government has decided to rope in ‘professionals’ to ensure a stronger push to its governance. And for this, it has approved a proposal for creation of 81 additional ‘co terminus’ posts for the council of Ministers in the Arvind Kejriwal Cabinet. The decision has been taken at a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
As per proposal, of these, 21 staff members will be attached with the Chief and 10 each will be provided to each of his six other Cabinet colleagues. ‘Co terminus’ means employees who are appointed will not have any right to continue in service after the cessation of the engagement of the person with whose engagement their services have been made.
The new appointments will thus take the total such appointments to 162 as there are already 81 permanent co terminus posts sanctioned for the Council of Ministers with respective cadre after their grade pay of the posts were upgraded in case of stenographers/DASS cadre.
A note issued by the General Administrative Department (GAD) of the Delhi Government said 81 posts sanctioned on co terminus basis to the council of Ministers may be merged with the cadre of respective posts and the same be filled by services department through the Delhi Suboridate Services Selection Board (DSSSB), Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) /promotion/transfer basis. The posts of drivers and multi tasking staff would, however, be filled up by the DSSSB in near future.
As per proposal, the CM needs one private secretary, four joint secretary rank officers, 12 personal secretary/assistants and four multi tasking staff. Similarly, each minister would require two joint secretary rank officers, four personal secretary/assistant rank officer and four multi tasking staff.
A senior officer said the new posts would be created against the sanctioned ones. In some cases, several posts would be merged to create one post. “The Government already has traditional workforce. It needs professionals. That’s why the 81 additional posts are being created for the CM’s office and his council of Ministers.”
Earlier, the Delhi Government in a reply to a RTI filed by BJP leader OP Sharma had stated that against the sanctioned 90 posts in the offices of the CM and his Cabinet colleagues, it had already appointed 199 people. On co terminus posts, the Government has recruited 28 officers against the sanctioned posts of 81. Those deputed in the CMO and his camp office include his co-terminus staff like personal assistant, advisers, joint secretary, adviser (grievances), peon, driver, media adviser and political adviser. There are 67 officials in diverted categories, employed as stenographers, peons, besides IAS and DASS-cadre officials of I, II and III and IV grade.
Besides, the Delhi Government is also working on a proposal for hiring 30 fellows between age group of 25-35 years under the Chief Minister’s Urban Fellowship programme . These fellows will have to be graduate and assist secretaries/principal secretaries level officers in policy making. The need based demand should be submitted by the HoDs in which field fellowship will be required. These fellows can help the HoDs in making /upgradation of new existing schemes/projects.