Delhi’s Vigilance Department terminates CM Kejriwal’s Private Secretary

Delhi’s Vigilance Department Terminates CM Kejriwal’s Private Secretary

by Manisha Das

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

The Directorate of Vigilance of Government of Delhi has issued an order for termination of Bibhav Kumar, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's Private Secretary.

New Delhi, April 11: The Directorate of Vigilance of Government of Delhi has issued an order for termination of Bibhav Kumar, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's Private Secretary.

The order read: “Consequent upon the resignation of the Council of Ministers notified vide dated 14.02.2020 the term of the government has ended, and being a coterminous officer, the appointment of Bibhav Kumar will also have to be terminated."

"However, in terms of DOPT OM dated 26.05.2014, the personal staff of the outgoing Minister can continue to hold their post for a period not exceeding 15 days."

"Since Honourable CM has now desired that Bibhav Kumar should continue working with him as Private Secretary, to consider his fresh appointment, the earlier term of coterminous appointment shall have to be terminated first. Hence, the services of Bibhav Kumar may be terminated wef 16.02.2020 (A/N) and thereafter, his appointment as Private Secretary to CM wef 17.02.2020 (F/N) may be considered.”

The Vigilance Department has pointed out that since the individuals appointed on a coterminous basis are governed by the CCS (Conduct) Rules, it is important to consider Bibhav Kumar's character and antecedents verification that was carried out at the time of his previous appointment as Private Secretary to the Chief Minister.

This is because, during his subsequent period of working in the government with the Chief Minister, there were no negative reports against him.

“However, it may be placed on record that in case any adverse report is received in future, in this office pertaining to this last five-year period, the officer would be liable for necessary action in terms of relevant rules in the matter. As of now, the appointment shall have to be made subject to the outcome of the case at Noida, Sector-20 police station, registered under sections 353,504,506 IPC, which was reported in his character and antecedents verification report from Delhi Police,” the order further read.

(IANS)

BJP Approaches EC Over Sujata Karthikeyan's "Gross Misconduct for BJD's Electoral Gains" In Odisha

by Hemanta Pande

New Delhi/ Bhubaneswar, May 2: The central leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday approached the Election Commission here accusing Odisha’s Mission Shakti Department Secretary, Sujata Karthikeyan of “misusing” her position to mobilise women attached with self-help groups “for electoral gains" of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD).

A delegation led by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar, Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi and senior party leader Om Pathak met the Election Commission and submitted a memorandum in this regard.

"Sujata Pandian, IAS, Commissioner cum Secretary, Mission Shakti, who is the wife of VK Pandian, also known as V Karthikeyan Pandian, is not only affiliated politically to the BJD, but also indulging in grave misconduct through misuse of authority, government machinery, and man power for influencing voters through 'SVEEP' for electoral gains of the BJD," the BJP leaders wrote in memorandum.

The BJP leaders alleged that VK Pandian, who also served as the Private Secretary to CM Patnaik for over a decade, wields considerable influence within the state’s administration.

“In November 2023, after taking voluntary retirement from IAS, Pandian joined the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) party. He was subsequently appointed as the chairman of the state’s flagship programme- 5T transformational initiatives with the rank of a Cabinet Minister...His proximity to the Chief Minister as well as the BJD cannot be overemphasized,” the memorandum reads.

"With a view to preserve the unbiased and unblemished reputation of ECI, it would be the fitness of things to relieve Sujata R. Karthikeyan, IAS, from the post of Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Department of Mission Shakti, Government of Odisha and not assigned any public dealing duty till the conclusion of the impending Parliamentary and Assembly Elections in the State of Odisha" it says.

SVEEP is the flagship programme of the Election Commission of India for voter education, spreading voter awareness and promoting voter literacy in the country.

Assembly and Lok Sabha elections will be held simultaneously in Odisha in four phases, starting from Phase one on May 13, Phase two on May 20, Phase three on May 25 and the final Phase on June 1.

The results will be announced on June 4.

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Covaxin Has Excellent Safety Record, Says Bharat Biotech

by Hemanta Pande

Hyderabad, May 2: Bharat Biotech on Thursday said that its Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin has an excellent safety record without any vaccine-associated incidents of blood clots, thrombocytopenia, TTS, VITT, pericarditis, myocarditis, etc, as it was developed with a single-minded focus on safety first, followed by efficacy.

The Hyderabad-based company issued a statement amid questions being raised in some quarters over the safety of Covid vaccines after global pharmaceutical manufacturer AstraZeneca admitted that its Covid vaccine Covishield, developed by researchers from Oxford University, can cause a rare side effect of blood clotting and low platelet count after immunisation.

As many as 175 crore doses of Covishield, developed by AstraZeneca and manufactured by Pune-based Serum Institute, were reportedly administered in India.

Bharat Biotech mentioned that Covaxin was the only Covid-19 vaccine in the Indian government’s Covid-19 immunisation programme to have conducted efficacy trials in India.

"Covaxin was evaluated in more than 27,000 subjects as part of its licensure process. It was licensed under restricted use in clinical trial mode, where detailed safety reporting was carried out for several hundred thousand subjects," the vaccine manufacturer said.

The safety of Covaxin was also evaluated by the Ministry of Health.

"Ongoing safety monitoring (pharmacovigilance) was continued throughout the product life cycle of Covaxin. All the above studies and safety follow-up activities have demonstrated an excellent safety record for Covaxin without any vaccine-associated incidents of blood clots, Thrombocytopenia, TTS, VITT, pericarditis, myocarditis, etc.," it said.

"As seasoned innovators and product developers, the Bharat Biotech team was well aware that, while the efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines may be short-lived, the impact on patient safety could last a lifetime. Hence safety is the primary focus for all our vaccines," it added. (IANS)

Delhi’s Vigilance Department terminates CM Kejriwal’s Private Secretary

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