BENGALURU: State Primary and Secondary Education Minister Tanveer Sait isn’t happy with the recent shuffle of IAS officers. He is upset over the transfer of Additional Chief Secretary Ajay Seth who was supervising the Primary and Secondary Education department. Ajay has been moved to the Health & Family Welfare department.
Sait said that he had requested CM Siddaramaiah not to shift Ajay at least for the next six months as both SSLC and second year PUC board exams were approaching and shifting an officer during the preparation period is not a good idea.Soon after the transfer orders were issued, Sait even sent an official communication to the CM requesting him to retain Ajay’s post. However, despite repeated requests, the officer was transferred. A copy of the letter written by Sait on October 11 which is available with Express reads: “Ajay Seth, the Additional Chief Secretary of Primary and Secondary Education department has been transferred to Health and Family Welfare department. But, this is to bring to your notice that his services are needed in the Education department and this is a request to let him continue with the same.’’
The letter further read: “The schemes announced during 2017-18 budget are under progress and need to be implemented in a full fledged manner by March 2018. The SSLC and PUC exams during the previous academic year were conducted without a single error and it had been appreciated. The same needs to be continued even during the 2018 exams. Considering all this, and in the interest of the department, I request you to let Ajay Seth continue in the Primary and Secondary Education department and direct the officials concerned to issue a revised order.” Sait said that conducting a board exam without any hassle was nommea feat and credited Seth for the success.
Transferred due to pressure?
It is being said that the IAS officer has been shifted out of education department due to the pressure from a few elected representatives, both MLAs and MLCs. According to sources in the CM’s office, during the recent meeting of MLCs with Siddaramaiah, some of the MLCs demanded not to involve Ajay Seth in the meeting. Earlier, an MLA barged into Ajay Seth’s chamber at M S building in February 2017 and verbally abused him for not clearing a file related to grant in aid. The issue even reached the CM where IAS Officers Association demanded action against that MLA and even Tanveer Sait wrote to the CM, asking him to warn the MLA not to repeat such behaviour.