No information with Raj Bhavan regarding State’s role in extension to devpt boards

 

 

 

AS PER the office records of Governor’s Secretariat, Raj Bhavan, Mumbai, no information is available with it as far as role of State Government is concerned in grant of extension to development boards.T he Governor’s Secretariat has made this clear in response to an application filed under Right to Information (RTI) Act by Dr Kapil D Chandrayan, former Expert Member,Vidarbha Development Board (VDB). Dr Chandrayan had filed application under RTI Act seeking copy of guidelines, orders, rules, notification, etc., regarding the procedure for extension to development boards in Maharashtra, copy of Presidential Order regarding the role of State Government in grant of extension to development boards,c opyo f Presidential Orders/ Directions to the Governor of Maharashtra

regarding the powers to govern the functioning of development boards. He filed yet another application seeking copy of Governor’s orders regarding the role of State Government in grant of extension to development board, copy

of order/ notification about the ‘legally tenable practice’ of getting State Cabinet approval for the extension to development boards, and copy of document that served as a basis for the said order/notification.

In response, the Governor’s Secretariat, Raj Bhavan, Mumbai, provided to him a copy of only the Presidential Order dated March 9, 1994, regarding establishment of development boards for Vidarbha, Marathwada, and Rest of Maharashtra and ‘special responsibility’ of Governor of Maharashtra in this regard. However, as far as other documents are concerned, the Governor’s Secretariat informed Dr Chandrayan,“As per the office record, no other information such as guidelines/ orders/ rules/ notification etc., in the above mentioned points, are available with this office.” Based on the response received from Raj Bhavan, Dr Chandrayan stated in a statement issued on Friday that there was no role of the StateG overnment of Maharashtra in the process of extending the tenure of development boards. “There is not a single document, rule, order or law which provides any role to the State Government. The role of the State Government (as is being projected today) is merely a matter of practice that has been followed since long. There is no legal backing to it. State Government has no role whatsoever in the appointment of the Chairpersons, public representative members and Expert Members of the Board. It is purely a responsibility (not right) of the Hon’ble Governor,” he stated. Dr Chandrayan’s statement and response he received to the applications filed under RTI Act, holds significance against the backdrop of the statements by ministers in

Maha Vikas Aghadi Government in State regarding extension to development boards including VDB. Dr Nitin Raut, Guardian Minister of Nagpur district and Energy Minister, had said in May earlier this year that the State Cabinet would take up the proposal. “We wish to make certain amendments to the parameters of functioning of the development boards. Hence, the proposal for extension has to come up before the State Cabinet,” Raut had said. State Cabinet did not decide on the issue even after passage of a few months since the expiry of the previous five-year extension to development boards.