Penny wise and pound foolish! The idiom aptly explains the contradictions in governance by the cash-strapped Himachal Pradesh government.
The government, which complains daily about financial crisis and cuts down on jobs, benefits to serving employees, and development works, seems to have no hesitation in spending money on its favourites — whether it is adjusting retirees or sanctioning foreign trips.
The latest case in point is senior IAS officer Prabodh Saxena, who was appointed Chief Secretary by the Congress government in December 2022.
He not only got a six-month extension from the Government of India on the Sukhu government’s recommendation in March this year but was also appointed Chairman of Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Ltd. (HPSEBL) on the very evening he retired as Chief Secretary on September 30.
The notification said he would continue to enjoy the rank of Chief Secretary as HPSEBL Chief. Sanjay Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary and then HPSEBL Chairman, was transferred to another department with the additional charge of Chief Secretary. This is probably the first time that the government has given the additional charge of Chief Secretary to any officer. Ironically, Sanjay Gupta (batch 1988), who was senior to Prabodh Saxena (batch 1990) in the IAS cadre, had earlier been overlooked for the top post by the same government.
Another former Chief Secretary, Ram Subhag Singh, who retired over two years back, continues to serve as Advisor to the Chief Minister after the Congress came to power. There are many such examples where retired officers have been appointed to lucrative posts with high salaries — jobs that existing serving officers could have easily handled.
Not only this, ministers and senior officials of the current government are frequently on foreign trips. The issue came to limelight recently when a delegation of the Health Department, headed by Health Minister Col. Dr. Dhani Ram Shandil, was scheduled to visit France and the UK to study health systems for implementation back home.
The controversy erupted when the list came out on social media wherein the name of the minister’s son appeared on the official list as the minister’s “accomplice.” Following sharp public criticism and objections raised by Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur, the trip was cancelled.
Thakur posted on social media that the government should focus on improving the health sector on the ground instead of wasting public money on foreign trips to study their systems. “Whatever we have is deteriorating. And we want to study new things,” he remarked, urging the government to stop such extravagance and instead provide jobs to youth, whom the Congress had promised regular employment during elections.
In fact, foreign visits by ministers and delegations have become routine practice under the present government, often funded by the state exchequer or special projects, with no tangible results back home. Adding to the public resentment, the government earlier this year raised the salaries of chairpersons of boards and corporations (political appointees) by Rs1 lakh per month, while at the same time reducing the salaries of essential categories such as newly recruited doctors by scrapping the Non-Practicing Allowance, citing financial crunch.
Himachal Pradesh is in debt of around Rs one lakh crore now and the present government has referred to the financial crisis off and on. Yet there is nothing rational in the name of austerity in the government functioning.
The unemployed youth are the worst affected. The ruling party, which had promised regular jobs and retirement at 58 years during elections, has since shifted to offering temporary positions in all departments after coming to power in the state.
From Van Mitra to Rogi Mitra to Bijli Mitra, the government is placing educated youth in petty jobs with meagre salaries, leaving them insecure about their future. The much-criticised “trainee officer” policy for Class I recruitment has further drew sharp criticism. Adding to the anger, the government’s order denying even a 3 per cent increment to those serving on a contract basis prior to the trainee officer notification has worsened the situation. Regular employees are also discontented as they have not received their due Dearness Allowance (DA) and arrears.
“What is this Vyvastha Parivartan? It is Vyavastha Pattan. The educated youth have been left in the lurch by this government as they are being offered petty jobs now. The government has failed on every account and has not met any poll promise. Rather they have ruined the systems in the state at their own whims and fancies. People will serve them right in the next Assembly elections as the Congress cheated the voters with false promises this time,” said State BJP Chief Dr Rajeev Bindal.
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