Gujarat CM doesn't have email ID, his office has no records of his announcements, or how these were implemented
Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani does not have any official email address, nor has he appointed any official-level committee to implement the announcements he has made over the years. This has been revealed in a Right to Information (RTI) reply, received in response to an RTI application filed by Mujahid Nafees, an Ahmedabad resident, who happens to be convenor of the Minorities Coordination Committee (MCC).
An upcoming NGO which has mobilised minorities across Gujarat over the last couple of years, MCC, a non-political body, has been successful in raising developmental issues with the Gujarat officialdom. It has offered different types of programmes to "wake up" the administration towards the minorities' needs. These range from writing post cards to the chief minister and holding meeting with the Gujarat chief secretary, to holding mass meetings and rallies.
In its reply RTI, the General Administration Department (GAD), which happens to fall directly under the chief minister, has said that the Gujarat government has "no record" of those who meet Rupani, nor does it have any information about "the expenses incurred by the Chief Minister's Office" on those who come and meet the chief minister.
It further said, there is no committee to implement the announcements made by the chief minister, adding, the department does not have any information about what all the Chief Minister has announced during the three year period ending March 31, 2018, for which the information was sought.
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| Copy of RTI reply |
While the GAD also refused to part with the mobile number, along with email ID, of the chief minister, Nafees commented, "Big advertisements to go digital in everyday life do not seem to have made any difference to the chief minister of India's 'model' state, Gujarat, where the chief minister, who, we now know, does not even have an official email address."
"Also, the replies suggest, the announcements made by the chief minister, who has been hand-picked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, appear to have not implemented at all, with their execution remaining limited to paper, as the state government has officially admitted that it does not have any mechanism to implement them", he added.
Nafees' RTI plea follows his efforts to convey developmental concerns of the minorities directly to the chief minister through email or directly meet him. Despite his efforts, he failed to get an appointment, nor did the officialdom part with any email address of the chief minister, where Nafees could send the concerns.
The ten pleas made by the activist in his RTI application included the demand to provide details of the announcements made by Rupani between April 1, 2015 and March 31, 2018, details of committee formed, if any, to implement them, and how these have been implemented.
Known in the officialdom for his administrative acumen, Rupani lately, however, is said to be feeling politically uneasy, with reports in vernacular media suggesting that he may have resign from his high post. In fact, quoting sources around Modi, a report said, ahead of the 2019 elections, the BJP high command may have a new face as chief minister.
"Also, the replies suggest, the announcements made by the chief minister, who has been hand-picked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, appear to have not implemented at all, with their execution remaining limited to paper, as the state government has officially admitted that it does not have any mechanism to implement them", he added.
Nafees' RTI plea follows his efforts to convey developmental concerns of the minorities directly to the chief minister through email or directly meet him. Despite his efforts, he failed to get an appointment, nor did the officialdom part with any email address of the chief minister, where Nafees could send the concerns.
The ten pleas made by the activist in his RTI application included the demand to provide details of the announcements made by Rupani between April 1, 2015 and March 31, 2018, details of committee formed, if any, to implement them, and how these have been implemented.
Known in the officialdom for his administrative acumen, Rupani lately, however, is said to be feeling politically uneasy, with reports in vernacular media suggesting that he may have resign from his high post. In fact, quoting sources around Modi, a report said, ahead of the 2019 elections, the BJP high command may have a new face as chief minister.
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