Tackling top cops is no easy task

The most challenging task before the new additional chief secretary (home) Umeshchandra Sarangi will be to ensure perfect coordination between various wings of the police department, which likes to operate as autonomous body.

An extremely low-profile and senior bureaucrat, Sarangi likes to operate silently, allowing others to walk away with the credit for the good work he has always done.

In that sense, top cops in the police department should not have any problems dealing with their administrative boss, a thorough gentleman. It was home minister RR Patil who was keen on having Sarangi in the ministry after the latter’s tenure as Nabard chairman came to an end in November, 2010.

Sarangi has worked as principle secretary (chief minister’s office) during Vilasrao Deshmukh’s tenure. He has made a mark in every assignment, thanks to his sincerity and ability to handle difficult situations. His expertise in the agriculture sector is well known to his close associates. Now, what remains to be seen is his ability to tackle the top cops who rarely like to take orders from Mantralaya bosses.

Tatkare takes the beating
Minister for irrigation Sunil Tatkare is having a difficult time in the ongoing winter session at Nagpur. The BJP, which had meticulously done its home work to expose the corruption in ministry of irrigation, often found Tatkare helplessly trying to defend the government.

The minister is in a vulnerable situation since he was awarded the portfolio of irrigation only on November 19. Earlier he held the finance portfolio, which was later taken over by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar.

A close aide of Tatkare revealed, “He is facing the flak for what he is not even responsible for. The issues which the opposition raises relates to decisions taken during the tenure of Pawar, who held the irrigation department for eleven years.”

But when it came to taking a beating, Pawar has escaped the opposition’s wrath, leaving Tatkare to grapple for solutions.

As it is, Tatkare was not pleased with NCP leaders’ decision to divest him of the finance portfolio. Although irrigation is more significant as it has the highest annual budget of Rs8,000 crore, all the major decisions related to the ministry for next three years have already been taken by Pawar. Now, Tatkare, who is seen as Pawar’s close friend, can neither complain nor digest the change.

Where is the monitoring mechanism?
Minister for tribal welfare Babanrao Panchpute in a shocking revelation said the primary reasons for under utilisation of funds is the absence of monitoring mechanism in tribal areas spread across Maharashtra.

Almost 45% of the funds in the tribal ministry remained unspent. The funds allocated to the ministry account for almost 9% of the total state budget. In that sense, it is among the top three departments in terms of allocations. It may be recalled that the Congress and the NCP were at loggerheads over the tribal ministry as both prime minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi give utmost importance to that department.

Despite pressure from the Congress, the NCP managed to hold on to the ministry of rural development and tribal welfare, which is flushed with funds to the tune of Rs4,000 crore from both the state and the Centre.

Sadly, Panchpute has not been able to divert the funds for tribal welfare, a move that could go a long way in changing the face of Maharashtra. Instead of complaining about the lack of monitoring system, he should work with his cabinet colleagues to evolve a comprehensive mechanism to ensure funds reach the needy.