Merger of UP depts: Committee submits report to chief secy

LUCKNOW: Aimed at improving governance and maximising administrative efficiency, the move to merge and reorganise various government departments has gained momentum with the multi-member committee submitting its report to the chief secretary.

In its report, the committee headed by additional chief secretary, higher education, Sanjay Agrawal, has suggested names of departments that can be put under one group as well as those that can be merged, after holding several round of meetings.

“We have received the committee’s report regarding the reorganisation of various government departments to ensure better governance at the secretariat level,” chief secretary, Rajive Kumar said. “However, it is a preliminary report and the government may have to set up one more high-level panel to look into the issue in totality and make recommendations accordingly,” he added.

According to Kumar, once the proposal is finalised, it will take the state government approximately two months to implement it.

While the chief secretary didn’t reveal the number of

departments that could be reorganised or merged, sources in the chief minister’s office said the proposal aims to bring down the number to 40 from the existing 95.

“Departments with common issues like the energy department and alternative energy department may be put together under one additional chief secretary or principal secretary,” sources explained, adding “some very small departments like national integration, coordination, general administration, administrative reforms etc may even be merged into one department.”

Some more departments that may be clubbed together include child development and women welfare, rural development, panchayati raj and samagra gram vikas, agriculture, cooperative, cane development and agriculture marketing, basic education and secondary education, PWD, transport and rural engineering.

“While similar departments will be brought under one additional chief secretary or principal secretary, each of these departments may continue to have a different minister,” a member of the committee that submitted its report to the CS last week said.

The configuration of the departments outside the secretariat will not change and different HoDs will continue to head different departments even after they are put together in one group, sources said.

Secretary, planning, Neena Sharma had sent letters to the departments concerned informing them about the proposed reorganisation/merger to seek their comments and objections, if any, before the committee submitted its report to the CS.