Express News Service
NEW DELHI: DAYS after a political row erupted over a ‘rath prabhari’ circular, the Centre has issued a notification nominating civil servants in various ministries as ‘prabharis’ (special officers) in states barring the ones that are going to polls this month.
The officers are deployed to oversee a proposed countrywide mega rally from November 20 to highlight the Narendra Modi government’s achievements in the past nine years. The move comes a week after the Election Commission directed the Centre not to appoint bureaucrats as ‘rath prabharis’ in poll-bound states— Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Mizoram and Chhattisgarh.
Interestingly, the government had said the senior officers would be called nodal officers rather than ‘rath prabharis” after the EC ban. However, the latest order calls them Prabhari Officers — Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, with only Rath being removed.
The EC took the step after receiving complaints about the government’s plan to depute senior bureaucrats for its proposed Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra from November 20, citing the Model Code of Conduct in place till December 5.
In a notification on November 3, the Centre nominated officers in the rank of joint secretaries/director/deputy secretary level in various ministries as Prabhari Officers in connection with the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, coordinated by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
At the centre of the controversy is a circular issued by the government on October 17, asking all Union ministries to name senior officials to deploy them as “district rath prabharis” for the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra between November 20, 2023, and January 25, 2024, to showcase/celebrate the achievements of the last nine years”, of the Modi government.
However, the EC on October 26 issued a notice saying that the campaign should not be carried out in the constituencies where the Model Code of Conduct is in force till December 5. “It has been brought to the notice of the Commission that a letter has been circulated to the Ministries for the nomination of senior officers as “District Rath Praharis” as special officers for the proposed ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra‘ starting from 20th November 2023,” it said.
Meanwhile, the Opposition had alleged that the government is trying to politicise the bureaucracy, with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge writing a letter to the PM. Meanwhile, the two-month-long rally will be flagged off by PM Modi on November 15, on the occasion of Birsa Munda Jayanti in Khunti, Jharkhand. The government says that it is for the first time that all the gram panchayats will be covered through such an outreach and awareness campaign. Through the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, the Modi government is trying to deliver the initiative at the grassroots level, and to include those who may have been left out.
Special officers
At least 43 officers in various ranks have been deputed from each ministry to coordinate the preparations, planning, and execution of the programme
The officers have been given charge of at least two districts in each state
The states where the officials have been deputed include Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Meghalaya, West Bengal and Karnataka
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NEW DELHI: DAYS after a political row erupted over a ‘rath prabhari’ circular, the Centre has issued a notification nominating civil servants in various ministries as ‘prabharis’ (special officers) in states barring the ones that are going to polls this month.
The officers are deployed to oversee a proposed countrywide mega rally from November 20 to highlight the Narendra Modi government’s achievements in the past nine years. The move comes a week after the Election Commission directed the Centre not to appoint bureaucrats as ‘rath prabharis’ in poll-bound states— Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Mizoram and Chhattisgarh.
Interestingly, the government had said the senior officers would be called nodal officers rather than ‘rath prabharis” after the EC ban. However, the latest order calls them Prabhari Officers — Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, with only Rath being removed.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
The EC took the step after receiving complaints about the government’s plan to depute senior bureaucrats for its proposed Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra from November 20, citing the Model Code of Conduct in place till December 5.
In a notification on November 3, the Centre nominated officers in the rank of joint secretaries/director/deputy secretary level in various ministries as Prabhari Officers in connection with the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, coordinated by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
At the centre of the controversy is a circular issued by the government on October 17, asking all Union ministries to name senior officials to deploy them as “district rath prabharis” for the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra between November 20, 2023, and January 25, 2024, to showcase/celebrate the achievements of the last nine years”, of the Modi government.
However, the EC on October 26 issued a notice saying that the campaign should not be carried out in the constituencies where the Model Code of Conduct is in force till December 5. “It has been brought to the notice of the Commission that a letter has been circulated to the Ministries for the nomination of senior officers as “District Rath Praharis” as special officers for the proposed ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra‘ starting from 20th November 2023,” it said.
Meanwhile, the Opposition had alleged that the government is trying to politicise the bureaucracy, with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge writing a letter to the PM. Meanwhile, the two-month-long rally will be flagged off by PM Modi on November 15, on the occasion of Birsa Munda Jayanti in Khunti, Jharkhand. The government says that it is for the first time that all the gram panchayats will be covered through such an outreach and awareness campaign. Through the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, the Modi government is trying to deliver the initiative at the grassroots level, and to include those who may have been left out.
Special officers
At least 43 officers in various ranks have been deputed from each ministry to coordinate the preparations, planning, and execution of the programme
The officers have been given charge of at least two districts in each state
The states where the officials have been deputed include Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Meghalaya, West Bengal and Karnataka
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