After cabinet meet, Mohan Yadav govt issues show cause to official who ordered probe against minister
During the state cabinet meeting Tuesday, Uikey who is the minister for public health engineering and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Mandla questioned whether the official could initiate an inquiry against her, eventually leading to the show cause.
Bhopal: A day after the start of an enquiry into allegations of corruption against state minister Sampatiya Uikey, the Madhya Pradesh government Wednesday issued a show cause notice to the official who ordered the probe.
At the state cabinet briefing Tuesday, Uikey raised the issue before Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and sought to know the extent of the engineer's authority.
A state BJP leader said on condition of anonymity that Uikey also urged Yadav to act against Andhavan for initiating what she termed 'unsubstantiated' allegations. The demand was backed by a larger section of ministers present, it is learnt.
Soon after, Public Health Engineering Principal Secretary P. Narhari was issued directions to provide a clarification on the matter.
Speaking to The Print, Narhari said, 'We have issued a show cause notice to engineer-in-chief Sanjay Andhavan, seeking his explanation on ordering a probe into the complaint.'
'We receive several complaints against public representatives and public servants. The engineer-in-chief is supposed to check the facts, as well as work with authorities in his capacity, without initiating an inquiry. The engineer-in-chief is under the minister, not the other way round,' he added.
The allegations stem from a complaint Kishore Samrite, national president of Sanyukt Kranti Party, sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that ministers, officers, and contractors in Madhya Pradesh were misusing funds meant to provide tap water connections to rural households.
In his complaint, Samrite alleged that the accused had already misused Rs 1,000 crore from central funds allocated to the state. The PMO forwarded the complaint to the Madhya Pradesh chief secretary, and then, the public health engineering department.
'The response received from the engineer-in-chief on the show cause notice issued to him will decide the further course of action, whether a departmental inquiry against him will continue or not. However, any person holding his post will be well aware of the rules,' said a senior official from the MP government who did not wish to be named.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
Also Read: Madhya Pradesh CM's convoy comes to a grinding halt after cars are refuelled with 'water-mixed' diesel
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
16 minutes ago
- Time of India
5L chit fund investors to get refunds in 4 months: Samal
1 2 Bhubaneswar: State govt will refund money to all eligible investors who were duped by chit fund companies, said state BJP president Manmohan Samal here on Friday. He said the BJP, in its election manifesto, promised the people of Odisha to refund money lost in chit fund scams. The govt has already refunded Rs 47 crore to 1.26 lakh chit fund depositors in a year. "A list of 5 lakh investors is ready, and they will get refunds in the next four months," he added. Samal said that due to dedicated efforts of the BJP govt, eligible beneficiaries affected by chit funds scam will get their money back. He expressed gratitude to chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi for the initiative. He said that trusting the BJD govt, people had invested their hard-earned money in various chit fund companies. "Unfortunately, the BJD govt betrayed their trust. A total of 174 chit fund companies swindled the people of Odisha. Many ministers, MPs, and MLAs from the BJD were allegedly involved in misappropriating public money under the guise of chit funds," he alleged. Samal said several BJD members and ministers were jailed in connection with the chit fund scam. "Thousands of eligible depositors, who invested in chit funds, were left in uncertainty, leading to a loss of public trust in the govt. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Gold Is Surging in 2025 — Smart Traders Are Already In IC Markets Learn More Undo Following this, the Supreme Court intervened, leading to the formation of a corpus fund and a commission, but implementation was lacking, and the investigation report was not made public due to the questionable intentions of the BJD govt," he alleged. He said the BJP govt took immediate action to refund those affected by the chit fund scam. "The BJP govt is sensitive to the plight of the affected depositors and is committed to ensuring that all eligible people get their money back," he added. Samal said a system will be put in place to ensure that depositors can get their refunds by showing minimal proof. BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty said Samal is suffering from selective amnesia. "Last month, he was telling that chit fund-related documents are missing. Now he is confidently telling the govt can refund money to all chit fund investors, which means the govt has all the documents. He is misleading the people," he added. Mohanty said the BJP govt recently said Rs 119 crore was refunded to 2.79 lakh chit fund investors between 2014 and 2024. "It proves the BJD govt was refunding the money of chit fund depositors. For the sake of opposing the BJD, Samal should not speak whatever he wants," he added.
Time of India
20 minutes ago
- Time of India
Centre to allocate Rs 1L cr to revamp cities, says Manohar Lal Khattar
Gurgaon: Cities in India will be redeveloped through the Centre's Urban Challenge Fund, under which Rs 1 lakh crore will be allocated. The funds will be utilised to improve the infrastructure of the cities, Union minister for power, housing and urban affairs Manohar Lal Khattar said on Friday. The minister also underlined the need for making urban local bodies self-reliant. He said that while these bodies receive a fixed amount of funding from the central and state govts, achieving true self-reliance must go hand-in-hand with "ensuring transparency and accountability in their functioning". Khattar, who was addressing the concluding session of the two-day National ULB Conference in Manesar, said the best practices from leading cities around the world are being adopted to improve urban living conditions. Citing data, he said the urbanisation in India that was at 20% in 1970 has risen to 36% today and is projected to reach 50% by 2047. "A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was recently signed with Spain to facilitate the exchange of successful urban development models between the two countries," the Union minister said. You Can Also Check: Gurgaon AQI | Weather in Gurgaon | Bank Holidays in Gurgaon | Public Holidays in Gurgaon Khattar said over the years villages grew into towns and cities, "but they still have narrow roads" and the sewerage and drainage system is either missing or is insufficient. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Hence, "the funds will be utilised with the help of the state govt to redevelop these urban centres." The minister said urbanisation in India is accelerating rapidly. In response, both govts and municipal bodies must increase their pace of action. He stressed the need for proper workforce training and the efficient use of time and resources to meet future challenges. The Union minister said urban development must go hand in hand with environmental protection. "While pursuing progressive initiatives, it is essential to keep environmental sustainability at the forefront," said Khattar. The minister stressed the need to improve traffic systems and simultaneously plan for e-mobility solutions. He said while metro rail services began in India in 2002 — much later than in the US where metros have existed for over 150 years — India has made remarkable progress. Today, metro networks span 1,000 kilometres across 21 cities, which is comparable to the extent of metro systems in the US. He said there are plans to expand this network.
Time of India
35 minutes ago
- Time of India
Akhilesh's new home in Azamgarh to serve as SP's Purvanchal HQ
1 2 3 Lucknow: On the face of it, Samajwadi Party 's new office in Azamgarh that was inaugurated by Akhilesh Yadav amid much fanfare on Thursday, is described as one in the series of offices that the party is setting up across the state and beyond. But going by the plans that the party leadership has, the premises are sure to assume the dimensions of SP's Purvanchal headquarters by the time the 2027 assembly elections approaches. To begin with, the idea to have a party office-cum-residence for SP chief in Azamgarh, has been in the offing for quite some time now. The party chief had mooted the idea well before the 2022 state polls. No wonder, the first chunk of 38 biswa and 16 kadi land (approx 2.46 acre) was purchased from 11 farmers on Jan 22, 2021. The land was purchased in the name of the party for around Rs 6.5 crore. While Rs 45.90 lakh were paid for the stamp papers, another Rs 6.5 lakh were paid as additional registration charges. The need for a full-fledged party office in the region was felt soon after Akhilesh took over the reins of the party in 2017. This was because the SP chief was then handling Central UP affairs from Lucknow itself, while his Saifai residence served as the party's nucleus for West UP areas. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like An engineer reveals: One simple trick to get internet without a subscription Techno Mag Learn More Undo The Purvanchal belt which consists of 28 districts comprising 164 assembly seats had to be handled from Lucknow and the leadership was keen to keep its ears to the ground in the region. The fact that Purvanchal played the 'make or break' link belt for the SP in terms of putting the numbers on board to form the government in 2017 (14 seats) and 2022 (53) only expedited the process of setting up a party office in the region. The campus of the new SP office is located barely 3 km from the Azamgarh district headquarters and 7 km from the Manduri airstrip, thus making it easy for senior leaders to visit it at regular intervals. If sources are to be believed, the SP chief will monitor party's 2027 election campaign in 168 assembly seats of Purvanchal area from the Azamgarh party office itself. The structure of the party office when completed, promises to offer more than mere ornamental value. Apart from SP chief's office and cabins for his staff including personal assistant and likes, the office a visitor's room, waiting gallery, meeting hall and ante rooms for second rung leaders. When complete, the facility will have a 2000-capacity auditorium as well where party workers will meet the top leaders. The infrastructure promises to be at par with the party headquarters in Lucknow if not better than that. "SP office at Azamgarh also makes a political statement as well because it falls between two important power centres of the main political rival – the BJP. While Gorakhpur – the home district of chief minister Yogi Aditynath is situated in the North of Azamgarh, prime minister's parliamentary constituency of Varanasi falls in the South," said a senior SP leader. The SP strategists are confident that the renewed focus on Azamgarh will help the party push its PDA pitch across the Purvanchal demography which includes Yadavs, Dalits and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) like Kurmis, Rajbhars and Kushwahas, coupled with Muslims. Brahmins and Thakurs are also present in large numbers in Purvanchal and not all of them have got their share of the pie in the BJP government and will vote for the SP in 2027 polls," said a senior party functionary. It is no surprise then that Akhilesh had named the new party office in Azamgarh as 'PDA Bhawan'. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls the PDA – comprising Pichhade (Backward classes), Dalit and Alpsankhyak (Minorities) – has sided with the SP in UP significantly contributing to put up as tally of 37 seats – party's best ever score in Parliament polls. Choosing Azamgarh had an emotional element to it as well. In 2015, SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav had said: "Agar Mainpuri mera dil hai to Azamgarh meri dharkan hai (If Mainpuri is my heart, Azamgarh is my heartbeat)." Mulayam's emotions for Azamgarh were not unfounded. The district has been SP's stronghold in elections. In 2012 assembly polls SP bagged all 10 assembly seats in the district. In 2017 the party won 9 and in 2022 it again won all 10 again. The Azamgarh Lok Sabha constituency has so far sent 5 SP MPs to the Parliament including Mulayam Singh (2014), Akhilesh Yadav (2019) and sitting MP Dharmendra Yadav.
