New Delhi, July 29
Whistleblower bureaucrat Sanjiv Chaturvedi, who won the Ramon Magsaysay
award, on Wednesday said he was highly disappointed with the political
interference in the administrative work of the country's premier health
institution, AIIMS, and the PMO's response to it.
Chaturvedi told IANS in an interview that political interference has increased under the Narendra Modi government.
"During
the past 3-4 years, a lot of unwanted activities have happened at
AIIMS. I am deeply disappointed with the Prime Minister's Office. Honest
bureaucrats are not allowed to work independently as there is a lot of
interference by the political class in the administrative work,"
Chaturvedi, who got to know about the Ramon Magsaysay award given to him
on Wednesday morning, told IANS at his official residence.
The
40-year-old, 2002 batch, Indian Forest Service officer of Haryana cadre,
said bureaucrats in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)
were also subjected to humiliation if they worked against the
government's will.
Emphasising that he was highly inspired by
Modi's slogan "Na Khaunga Na Khane Dunga" or "Zero tolerance against
corruption", Chaturvedi said he was later disappointed, when action was
taken against him and not the corrupt officials after he exposed
corruption at AIIMS and other departments where he had served earlier.
Chaturvedi,
who is currently the deputy secretary at AIIMS, was removed from the
post of Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) of the institute in August 2014
much before the completion of his tenure that was till 2016.
Dedicating
the award to all honest government officers across India, he said: "It
is a strong morale booster for honest officers of the country who are
discharging their duties in difficult circumstances.
"My tribute
to the founding fathers of the Constitution, particularly Sardar Patel,
who was behind the creation of the all India services."
Chaturvedi
is the younger son of Uttar Pradesh Electricity Board retired engineer
D.S. Chaturvedi. His elder brother Rajeev Chaturvedi is also an IFS
officer of Rajasthan cadre.
Noting that his grandfather was a
freedom fighter and had participated in the 1942 Quit India Movement for
which he was awarded in the year 1972 by the Centre, Chaturvedi said
he was highly influenced by late former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam,
who wanted to serve the country with the same positive attitude and
selfless manner.
"During my convocation after the IFS course
training, Kalam was president, and he had come to our academy in August
2005 and awarded me two medals for excellence in training. His lecture
was very inspirational," Chaturvedi told IANS.
Asked if he
received any call from the health ministry, Chaturvedi answered in the
negative, saying the first to congratulate him was Indian Administrative
Service (IAS) officer Ashok Khemka, who also faced government action
for his fight against corruption.
Recalling his fight against
corruption at AIIMS, he said: "My approval as the AIIMS CVO had the nod
of all the statutory authorities of the institute and was also a part of
the commitment to the Parliamentary Committee. However, all these were
violated and a false excuse was given that my appointment had no prior
approval of the CVC and that was why I was removed."
"The worst
part is that even as I sent more documentary evidence to the PMO
demanding a probe against the culprits, harassment against me
accentuated, work was withdrawn from me, instead of taking action
against them.
"Attempts were made to implicate me in fake cases,
and spoil my annual confidential report, my promotion was withheld and
even my own ministry issued a defamatory press release against me of
so-called complaints and inquiries," the officer added.
Indicating
corruption in the political system, he said: "When I had to be removed
from the CVO's post, 20 signatures were recorded within 24 hours, and
when my reasonable and lawful cases of promotion, cadre change,
deputation were concerned, these were kept pending for months. It shows
how the system is working."
Stating that he just had one message
for the entire country, Chaturvedi said: "As long as I am a part of the
bureaucracy, I will serve the country with full honesty and
transparency, regardless of the consequences I face."
(Rupesh Dutta can be contacted at [email protected])
