NAFED post goes to Agri Ministry official, a week later Cabinet committee reassigns it Cooperation Ministry

It is learnt that the Agriculture Ministry, in an order on September 23, assigned additional charge of MD, NAFED, to Muktanand Agrawal, Joint Secretary in the Ministry. The order was issued a day after Ritesh Chauhan demitted office as MD. The order was issued “with approval of the Competent Authority” – in this case the Agriculture Minister, sources said, adding that the order was also copied to NAFED and the Department of Personnel and Training.

Agrawal was assigned additional charge of MD, NAFED, sources said, “in addition to his existing duties, till appointment of a regular incumbent to the post or until further orders, whichever is earlier.” Since he was away on election duty in Haryana, where he was deployed as a Central Observer for the Assembly elections, the Agriculture Ministry asked Dr Pramod Kumar Meherda, Additional Secretary in the Ministry, to take the additional charge until Agrawal’s return from poll duty.

But on September 30, the ACC issued an order that took away the additional charge from the Agriculture Ministry’s choice.

“The Competent Authority has approved assignment of additional charge of the post of Managing Director, National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) under the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare to Shri Pankaj Kumar Bansal, lAS (TN:97), Additional Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation, initially for a period of three months with immediate effect or till the appointment of a regular incumbent to the post or until further orders, whichever is earlier,” stated the order issued by Manisha Saxena, Secretary, Appointments Committee of the Cabinet and Establishment Officer.

Established on October 2, 1958, the NAFED is registered under the Multi State Co-operative Societies Act. It comes under the Ministry of Agriculture and the Agriculture Minister answers NAFED-related queries in Parliament. While the Board of NAFED is responsible for appointing its MD, it approves the official appointed by the government to the post.

Sources said the ACC’s move to assign additional charge of MD, NAFED, to an official other than the one decided by the Agriculture Ministry is unusual.

Responding to a query from The Indian Express, a spokesperson for the Agriculture Ministry said, “Agriculture Ministry gives charge on purely temporary basis to JS, Agriculture to fill vacancy in the interim till ACC orders. Now ACC has given charge to AS, Cooperation. It is routine.”

Sources, however, pointed out that last year, the ACC had approved the Agriculture Ministry’s decision to give Ritesh Chauhan additional charge of MD, NAFED, after the retirement of Rajbir S. Panwar, an Indian Forest Service officer of the Gujarat cadre, on April 30, 2023.

On December 31, 2023, the ACC order stated: “The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the proposal of the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare for extension of entrustment of additional charge of the post of Managing Director, National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) under the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare to Shri Ritesh Chauhan, IAS (HP:2005) for a period from 01.08.2023 to 22.09.2024 or until further orders, whichever is earlier.”