K.C. Venugopal Seeks Action Against Six Chief Secretaries Over Skipping PAC Hearing

The Public Accounts Committee has held that the absence of six State Chief Secretaries from a hearing amounted to a breach of privilege, and its chairperson, K.C. Venugopal, has urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to take appropriate action.

Venugopal, a senior Congress leader, wrote to the Speaker seeking action against the officials, who had been summoned to appear before the panel.

Hearing on SC scholarship schemes

The Chief Secretaries were called in connection with the PAC’s examination of irregularities in pre-matric and post-matric scholarship programmes for students belonging to Scheduled Castes.

The officials who did not appear were from Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Punjab, Odisha, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, Venugopal said in his letter.

The PAC had examined several concerns during a study visit to Jaipur in September. These included delays in onboarding States on the national scholarship portal, gaps in coordination between the Centre and the States, and problems in the disbursement of funds.

Communications were sent to the six States on October 8 and 9, asking the Chief Secretaries and officials from the concerned departments to appear before the committee.

However, none of the six Chief Secretaries attended the meeting, Venugopal said. He also noted that exemptions had not been granted.

Officials who appeared before the panel

Secretaries from some of the departments concerned did attend the hearing. The Social Welfare Department Secretaries of Karnataka and Punjab appeared and gave evidence.

The Education Secretary of Bihar also appeared before the committee and gave evidence, along with representatives of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

The Madhya Pradesh Education Secretary arrived as scheduled. The committee decided to call the State again.

Venugopal also asked the Speaker to take action against the Social Welfare Secretaries of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha.

PAC seeks action from Speaker

According to Venugopal’s letter, all members of the PAC took note of the absence of the officials. The committee held that the absence amounted to a breach of privilege.

Venugopal urged the Speaker to take appropriate action over what he described in the letter as a violation. The request places the attendance of senior State officials before a parliamentary committee at the centre of the dispute over the handling of scholarship-related irregularities.

Source: The Hindu