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New Indian Express
31-07-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Administrative matters should be dealt internally, finance asks other depts
NEW DELHI: Inundated with unnecessary requests and approvals that don't require its clearance, the Finance Department has asked all other departments to refrain from forwarding proposals that fall within their own delegated financial powers, an order issued by the department read. Departments have now been directed to revisit the financial powers assigned to them under the Delegation of Financial Power Rules, 1978, and act within that framework, without burdening the Finance Department with routine or redundant approvals. The direction comes in the wake of what the department described as a persistent inundation of tender and budget-related files that do not require its clearance. The order noted that despite repeated guidelines, departments continue to send proposals—such as vetting of tender documents, MoUs, and rules framed under statutory provisions—to the finance department for approval, even though these fall under their own jurisdiction. It also highlighted that cabinet notes are often forwarded without verifying the department's schemes or fund allocations, violating the Transaction of Business Rules, 1993. Departments have been reminded that routine operational and administrative matters should be dealt with internally.
Indian Express
25-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Hope for good news in August, says J&K Deputy CM on statehood: ‘No better time'
Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary on Friday said that the National Conference is hopeful of receiving good news regarding the restoration of statehood in August. Hitting out at the BJP, Choudhary said that they 'question us about our poll promises, but I would also like to remind them about their own promise of the return of statehood to J&K.' Emphasising the limited powers of the Omar Abdullah government due to certain 'obstacles' such as the delay in the clearing of Transaction of Business Rules by the Raj Bhawan, the deputy CM said, 'I hope that the Prime Minister and the Home Minister will live up to the promises they have made in the Parliament. It is where Indian democracy draws its power, and I hope that they will fulfil their promises.' Choudhary added that 'there cannot be a better time than this' for the restoration of statehood. Speaking on the sidelines of an event at the National Conference headquarters in Srinagar, Nawa-i-Subh, he said that the UT government has had a 'cooperative' relationship with the Centre and the 'Centre must restore statehood at the earliest possible time.' Over the past week, the Congress, an NC ally in the J&K government, has turned up the tempo in its demand for the restoration of statehood. On July 16, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to the Prime Minister, seeking restoration of J&K's statehood. After this, the party's J&K unit held protests in Srinagar and Jammu, followed by a protest demonstration at New Delhi to push for restoration ahead of Parliament's ongoing monsoon session. The NC government has repeatedly urged the Centre to restore statehood to J&K ever since it was elected in September last year. In June, as PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the Katra Srinagar rail link, Chief Minister Abdullah told him, 'I am of the belief that it will not take too long to correct this (statehood). Aur aap hi ke haathon Jammu Kashmir ko dobara riyasat ka darja haasil hoga.' Since J&K's downgrading from a state to a UT, the security apparatus and officials of central services remain outside the ambit of the elected government. Earlier this month, as the CM was restricted from visiting the martyr's graveyard in Srinagar, he took aim at the Lieutenant Governor, underlining that his decency 'should not be mistaken for weakness.'
News18
25-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
Jagdeep Dhankhar's April Drama: An Appointment That Led To V-P's Resignation
Top government sources alleged that Jagdeep Dhankhar wanted a junior officer to take charge as the Secretary and Incharge of Sansad TV in April Did Jagdeep Dhankhar, who suddenly resigned as the Vice-President earlier this week, go beyond his mandate and powers to appoint an officer as the Secretary and In-charge of Sansad TV in April? In what top sources in the government called 'a coup-like situation", Dhankhar allegedly attempted an appointment, which only the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) can carry out. ' Dhankhar wanted a junior officer to take charge as the Secretary and Incharge of Sansad TV after then Secretary Rajit Puhnani was made the Skill Development Secretary in April. These are ACC posts and the Rajya Sabha can't appoint officers. The Rajya Sabha, Lok Sabha, VP and President can't make appointments. The officers have to be picked from the offer list of the central government. Allotment of officers is the job of the ACC and those appointments are only considered valid Dhankhar was to issue orders," alleged sources. 'The PM was abroad and top officials intervened to stop that. Even the officer was told not to join. He was told that appointment would be illegal and would create a legal crisis. Multiple calls were made between cadre controlling authorities, the PMO and Rajya Sabha Secretariat to avoid it. The officer was even suggested to proceed on leave if pressure comes to join and the Rajya Sabha Secretariat issues orders," alleged sources. Sources alleged he created lot of tension during shifting of his home and the government changed then Urban Development Secretary on his complaint. The 74-year-old resigned from his post citing health reasons in a letter to President Droupadi Murmu, also shared by the Vice-President's official X account late on Monday. Dhankhar was elected as the 14th vice-president in August 2022 and his term had two more years. What is the ACC? The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) is a key decision-making body in the Government of India responsible for approving appointments to top-level posts in the civil services, public sector undertakings (PSUs), and statutory bodies. It is composed of the Prime Minister, who serves as the Chairperson, and the Union Home Minister. The ACC approves the appointments of secretaries, additional secretaries, joint secretaries, and other senior bureaucrats in ministries and departments, as well as the heads of various regulatory bodies such as the Election Commission, UPSC, and CBI (in consultation with other committees). It also clears appointments of chairpersons and managing directors of Central Public Sector Enterprises. The committee functions under the Transaction of Business Rules, 1961, framed under Article 77(3) of the Constitution, and its decisions play a vital role in shaping the leadership of India's administrative and institutional framework. With Agency Inputs Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Indian Express
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Why J&K Deputy CM is turning up heat on L-G Sinha over ‘dual power centres'
Barely a few weeks after Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Manoj Sinha claimed his limited administrative authority, J&K Deputy Chief Minister and National Conference (NC) leader Surinder Choudhary on Sunday raked up the issue of dual power centres in the Union Territory (UT), saying the elected government was 'not able to do enough for the people'. Asking Sinha why he was not returning the file relating to the Transaction of Business Rules (TBR) that would define the respective powers of the L-G and the elected government, Choudhary said, 'We are pained that we are not able to provide jobs to our youth even eight months after assuming power.' Choudhary was flagging off a bus from Jammu to the remote Daddal Kalasara village via Sunderbani in the border Rajouri district. He said the Omar Abdullah-led J&K government, like other elected governments of the country, wanted to take 'big decisions' for the welfare of the youth and the elderly but was unable to do it due to 'dual power centres'. The Deputy CM's bid to reiterate such remarks assumes political significance as he has been seen taking a more vocal stand on the issue as compared to Abdullah, who has been emphasising on 'cooperating' with the L-G for people's welfare since taking charge last October. After having emerged as a giant killer in the 2024 J&K Assembly polls, when he defeated then state BJP chief Ravinder Rana, Choudhary's vociferous stance on issues like statehood, power distribution, and restoration of special status are aimed to claim that the people of Jammu, like their Kashmiri counterparts, are not happy with the Centre's move on August 5, 2019, when it abrogated Article 370 and downgraded J&K state to a UT. Sources said Choudhary's position is meant to help the NC keep its vote base intact in Kashmir as well parts of Pir Panjal and Chenab Valley in Jammu while steering the party to take on the BJP in the latter's bastions of Jammu, Samba and Kathua. The Deputy CM has raised these issues in the Assembly too. Amid protests by the BJP MLAs, it was Choudhary who moved a resolution in the House urging the Centre to hold dialogues with the elected representatives of J&K over restoration of Article 370. After the NC-led government recently alleged that the L-G's move to transfer 48 officers of the Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Services (JKAS) violated the provisions of the J&K Reorganisation Act, it was from Choudhary's home in April that the ruling MLAs 'warned Delhi for the last time' against interference. On Sunday, reminding Sinha of his recent statement that only 'the police came under him', Choudhary also urged the J&K BJP leaders to take up the issue with the L-G. However, the BJP claimed that the powers of the L-G as well as the elected government were 'clearly defined' in the J&K Reorganisation Act. 'The issue concerns the L-G and the government. Both should take care of their respective domains and sort out any confusion instead of making the people suffer,' BJP vice-president and Jammu North MLA Sham Lal Sharma said. On June 14, in an apparent bid to put the controversy over the existence of 'two power centres in the UT' to rest, Sinha had said that only the police came under him while the rest of the administrative departments fell under the purview of the elected government. He subsequently echoed this while responding to state Education and Health Minister Sakina Itoo's criticism.
Indian Express
14-06-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
Amid Omar Abdullah soft-pedalling, why NC is hardening stance against L-G Sinha?
Jammu and Kashmir BJP leader Manzoor Ahmad Bhat visited the Bone and Joint (B&J) Hospital in Srinagar Friday, following which he, in a statement, said that he 'reviewed' the functioning of the hospital. He also called for 'prompt appointment of the Medical Superintendent' in the hospital. The BJP's former media in-charge in the Valley, Bhat currently does not hold any post in the party. While sources said that Bhat visited the hospital to see a patient and was visibly upset when he asked for a meeting with the Medical Superintendent (MS), which could not materialise because of the acting MS's busy schedule, the tone and tenor of his statement was seen in a section of J&K political circles as 'a reflection of the BJP's grip on power in the Union Territory despite the elected National Conference (NC)-led government being in place'. It is such a perceived proximity of the principal Opposition BJP to the power centres in the UT that seem to be fuelling resentment in the ruling NC, which came to the fore Thursday when senior NC leader and J&K Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary accused the BJP of allegedly running a 'proxy government' through Lt Governor Manoj Sinha. Without taking names, Choudhary said if someone thought that he could 'crush the mandate of the people' he would not be allowed because 'the government is not scared and is ready to fight for the people'. In an apparent reference to the BJP, Choudhary alleged: 'The government is ours but someone else is running the proxy government.' He said, 'People have given us a mandate… but what is happening here today? And that's why we keep saying that Jammu and Kashmir should get back statehood.' He also said that some 'people will mend their ways' only after the return of J&K's statehood, which was a thinly-veiled attack on bureaucrats who, NC leaders believe, were taking orders mostly from the Raj Bhawan. Choudhary's tirade against Sinha marked the first direct attack of the NC government on the Centre-appointed L-G. Since October last year, when he took the helm of the NC-led government, CM Omar Abdullah has been treading cautiously in a bid not to upset the Centre amid the party's hope that it would facilitate in early restoration of statehood to J&K. Omar did not openly confront the L-G despite various rows like the one that erupted over the transfer of the Kashmir Administrative Service (KAS) and revenue officials by the Raj Bhavan. However, Choudhary's open attack indicated the party's changing position due to its rising frustration over the 'conflicting jurisdictional powers' of the elected government and the L-G, even as the Centre has yet to approve the Transaction of Business Rules (TBR) to define their respective powers across the departments. An NC section believes that Omar's non-confrontational approach towards the Centre and the Raj Bhawan was 'denting' his popularity in the Valley. Some party leaders are also said to be unhappy with his 'docile attitude' in running the government. 'We understand that there is a need to make a balanced approach, given that there are dual power centres. We can't move forward without the Centre's support,' said an NC leader. 'But here it is getting too far, you are asked to bend and you start to crawl. This is not going to help the government or our party. We are losing public respect by doing this.' An NC legislator said Omar needed to put his 'foot down', saying that there has been 'growing anxiety' within the party about the direction the government is taking. 'We know it is very tough to run this government, only the wearer knows where the shoe pinches. But many legislators feel that we need to fight at least where the Raj Bhawan is stepping into our jurisdiction,' said another NC MLA. 'The more we are ceding power, the weaker we are becoming. Now, even the bureaucrats feel where the original power lies and they don't want to annoy the Raj Bhawan. The legislators are not even entertained by the bureaucrats now while the BJP leaders and even its karyakartas have an easy access to the corridors of power, especially bureaucracy.' An NC leader, however, said that Choudhary's statement reflected the party's mood. 'The water has gone above the head now and even Omar sahib has spoken about it,' he said. 'If the Deputy Chief Minister talks about something, obviously he would have first discussed it with the Chief Minister'. Some non-BJP Opposition parties, however, claim that the elected government has itself 'ceded power to the Raj Bhawan'. 'There was a strong mandate to the party (NC) and they had the powers to revoke the laws that were framed during the last five years,' said Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader and legislator Waheed Para. 'But they (NC) have ceded the power themselves. They have been saying that the business rules don't allow this, business rules don't allow that. They are not fighting for the issues that they were given this mandate for, but instead for transfers. They have reduced themselves to an elected bureaucracy,' Para alleged.
