Every week after Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s determination to assign extra cost of Managing Director, Nationwide Agricultural Cooperative Advertising Federation of India Ltd (NAFED), to an Agriculture Ministry official, the Appointments Committee of the Cupboard (ACC) entrusted cost of the put up to an official of the Ministry of Cooperation.
The ACC, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has Amit Shah, Union Minister of House Affairs and Cooperation, as its solely different ministerial member. It’s chargeable for appointing senior officers to key positions within the Central authorities, public sector undertakings and autonomous our bodies.
It’s learnt that the Agriculture Ministry, in an order on September 23, assigned extra cost of MD, NAFED, to Muktanand Agrawal, Joint Secretary within the Ministry. The order was issued a day after Ritesh Chauhan demitted workplace as MD. The order was issued “with approval of the Competent Authority” – on this case the Agriculture Minister, sources stated, including that the order was additionally copied to NAFED and the Division of Personnel and Coaching.
Agrawal was assigned extra cost of MD, NAFED, sources stated, “along with his current duties, until appointment of an everyday incumbent to the put up or till additional orders, whichever is earlier.” Since he was away on election obligation in Haryana, the place he was deployed as a Central Observer for the Meeting elections, the Agriculture Ministry requested Dr Pramod Kumar Meherda, Further Secretary within the Ministry, to take the extra cost till Agrawal’s return from ballot obligation.
However on September 30, the ACC issued an order that took away the extra cost from the Agriculture Ministry’s selection.
“The Competent Authority has authorised task of extra cost of the put up of Managing Director, Nationwide Agricultural Cooperative Advertising Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) underneath the Division of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare to Shri Pankaj Kumar Bansal, lAS (TN:97), Further Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation, initially for a interval of three months with instant impact or until the appointment of an everyday incumbent to the put up or till additional orders, whichever is earlier,” said the order issued by Manisha Saxena, Secretary, Appointments Committee of the Cupboard and Institution Officer.
Established on October 2, 1958, the NAFED is registered underneath the Multi State Co-operative Societies Act. It comes underneath the Ministry of Agriculture and the Agriculture Minister solutions NAFED-related queries in Parliament. Whereas the Board of NAFED is chargeable for appointing its MD, it approves the official appointed by the federal government to the put up.
Sources stated the ACC’s transfer to assign extra cost of MD, NAFED, to an official aside from the one determined by the Agriculture Ministry is uncommon.
Responding to a question from The Indian Specific, a spokesperson for the Agriculture Ministry stated, “Agriculture Ministry provides cost on purely non permanent foundation to JS, Agriculture to fill emptiness within the interim until ACC orders. Now ACC has given cost to AS, Cooperation. It’s routine.”
Sources, nevertheless, identified that final yr, the ACC had authorised the Agriculture Ministry’s determination to provide Ritesh Chauhan extra cost of MD, NAFED, after the retirement of Rajbir S. Panwar, an Indian Forest Service officer of the Gujarat cadre, on April 30, 2023.
On December 31, 2023, the ACC order said: “The Appointments Committee of the Cupboard has authorised the proposal of the Division of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare for extension of entrustment of extra cost of the put up of Managing Director, Nationwide Agricultural Cooperative Advertising Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) underneath the Division of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare to Shri Ritesh Chauhan, IAS (HP:2005) for a interval from 01.08.2023 to 22.09.2024 or till additional orders, whichever is earlier.”
