State 1 CM appoints personal secretaries before appointing ministers

ITAHARI: DEC. 23 – It is common practice to appoint a personal secretary by the concerned minister. This time, however, Chief Minister of State 1 Rajendra Rai has appointed personal secretaries of the ministries even before appointing ministers.

He has appointed two personal secretaries- namely Nirmal Bhandari and Rohit Gautam- for the Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Forest and Environment. Bhandari is appointed as the Chief Personal Secretary and Gautam is appointed as Personal Secretary.

The line minister for the ministry is still vacant. Likewise, Two personal secretaries i.e. Chief Personal Secretary and Personal Secretary namely -Kishan Bhagat and Udaya Yadav respectively for the ministry of Land Reform, Agriculture and Cooperative where a minister is not appointed yet.

CM Rai has said he was appointed to carry out ministerial works by appointing personal secretaries. Leaders of the five-party coalition, however, have voiced their concerns.

”Personal secretaries have nothing to do unless the minister is appointed”, said a leader from the ruling coalition who is said to be future minister for one of the vacant ministries urging for anonymity. He added, ” Bureaucrats are enough to run the ministries and personal secretaries are not something to be appointed by Chief Minister, it is the task of ministers.”