JOIN US Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal seems keen to double the team of coterminous staff that is serving him and his ministers in the Secretariat from 81 to 162, sources said.
The co-terminus staff, which includes non-government workers, assist ministers in policy making and other technical issues. In their absence, the elected representatives need to rely on the existing talent among bureaucrats and government employees.
Sources in the AAP government claim that the plan to double the coterminous staff is aimed at improving efficiency but the proposal appears fraught with dangers of giving yet another handle to the rival BJP and the Congress to hit out at Kejriwal who is facing flak for “unconstitutionally” appointing 21 legislators as parliamentary secretaries – a move disapproved by Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung.
The 21 parliamentary secretaries are facing the heat as the Election Commission has sought replies from them by May 10 on a petition alleging that their post comes within the purview of the office of profit.
For doubling the co-terminus staff, Kejriwal has directed that a Cabinet note be prepared, said an official.
The whole exercise is aimed at speedy disposal of public related work, he said.
The new batch of 81 staff members would be in addition to the existing 81 coterminous staff working in the offices of Kejriwal and his ministers.
An official said it has still not been decided as to how many out of the new 81 coterminous staff members would be drawn from government departments and how many of them would be private persons.
At present, some of the co-terminus staff serving in the Secretariat are experts who joined the AAP before elections.
According to a proposal, 21 out of the new batch of 81 staff members would be attached with the chief minister. These may include a private secretary, four joint secretaries, 12 personal secretaries and four multi-tasking staff.
If the proposal goes through, it will be the first occasion when such a large number of joint secretaries and personal secretaries would be attached to a Delhi chief minister.
Apart from the 21 co-terminus staff members proposed to be attached with the chief minister, the new batch of 81 co-terminus staff members would be divided among other cabinet ministers.