The Panchayati Raj Ministry, has finally got its staff—349 days after it came into existence as a UPA showpiece to push rural development.Even then, according to Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar, he has been allocated only 43 staff members by the Finance Ministry, against a requested 133.Currently, Aiyar’s Ministry has a staff strength of six, including Secretary Wajahat Habibullah.‘‘That’s the way the system works. I had repeatedly sent it (request for staff) to the Cabinet and the Group of Ministers. After everything was sanctioned, it went back to the Finance Ministry,’’ said Aiyar, who also heads the Petroleum Ministry.‘‘The delay was with having to carry the whole Cabinet with me on what the Ministry should do. That has taken 349 days,’’ he said.On the staff numbers sanctioned, Aiyar said, ‘‘The staff-to-officer ratio is the lowest. It’s a truly officer-oriented system. The Ministry of Petroleum has 400 staff members. I hope the scalpel taken to the staff proposal of Panchayati Raj will now be taken to the Fiance Ministry and other ministries.’’Aiyar’s Ministry will have a secretary, two additional secretaries, four joint secretaries and support staff, including directors and deputy directors.Besides Habibullah, who is taking over as Jamia Vice-Chancellor in June, working for the Ministry now are two joint secretaries, Aiyar’s personal secretary Ashutosh Dixit and two support staff.‘‘The Ministry had less staff then a cell of a section of a division of a Ministry normally has,’’ said Aiyar. ‘‘During Diwali, I had to organise 400 packets of sweets for the Petroleum Ministry but only eight for Panchayati Raj, including drivers and peons,’’ said Aiyar. With more staff in place, Aiyar now hopes to get on with the implementation of various projects that were hit due to lack of staff. ‘‘What can you do with six staff members? Now the National Common Minimum Programme goals can be achieved,’’ the Minister said.On the agenda now: a meeting of the council of Panchayati Raj ministers, pushing through task force recommendations such as the one on an electronic tracking system for funds from the Centre and a presentation before the Prime Minister after the Parliament session.Aiyar also plans to visit villages in West Bengal and 12 other states including Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Assam.
