Maharashtra: No personal secretaries for over six ministers, CM says ‘nothing to worry'
More than six months after the Mahayuti government assumed power in Maharashtra, over half a dozen Cabinet ministers continue to operate without officially appointed Personal Secretaries (PSs) and Officers on Special Duty (OSDs), as Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis remains firm on withholding approvals for staff he deems 'corrupt' or 'fixers.'
In February, Fadnavis had cleared 109 out of 125 names proposed by ministers for PS and OSD roles. As many as 16 names were withheld, with the Chief Minister citing 'serious concerns' — including pending inquiries and links to lobbying networks operating within Mantralaya.
According to sources, the delay has affected several senior ministers, including Ganesh Naik, Shambhuraj Desai, Chhagan Bhujbal, Uday Samant, Gulabrao Patil, and Datta Bharne, who continue to function without full-time staff.
While some of the proposed appointees have returned to their parent departments, others are assisting ministers unofficially.
When the CM was asked about the delays in appointment of PSs and OSDs to over half a dozen ministers, he told mediapersons: 'There is nothing to worry about it'.
According to service rules, each Cabinet minister is entitled to a personal staff of 16 and ministers of state to 14.
However, the CM's Office has insisted on close vetting, particularly objecting to staff who had served in earlier governments and developed proximity to political intermediaries.
A senior bureaucrat said, 'There were staffers who had been in the system for years and were seen as power centres. The CM wants a Mantralaya free of dalals (middlemen).'
The CMO also held a two-day training session for approved PSs and OSDs in Pune, earlier this year, underlining expectations for professionalism and integrity.
Tensions had surfaced publicly recently in February when Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate of the NCP had openly expressed dissatisfaction, stating that ministers had no say in appointing even their personal secretaries and PAs.
Ministers have privately complained that the vetting process is being selectively applied with most rejected staffers said to be nominees of alliance partners and not the BJP.
Despite criticism, Fadnavis in February had said that his priority is clean governance.
'Fixers will not be allowed to operate through ministerial staff,' he had said.
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