Ashish Khetan appointed adviser to Chief Minister

NEW DELHI: Vice-president of Dialogue and Development Commission (DDC) and Aam Aadmi Party leader Ashish Khetan has been appointed as adviser to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

A former journalist, Khetan will now be accorded to Cabinet rank and be a part of Cabinet meetings.

The office of the Chief Minister’s adviser had been lying vacant after Ashish Talwar’s resignation. At present there are no serving officers in his office.

Kejriwals former Principal Secretary Rajendra Kumar had been arrested by CBI in a corruption case and is on suspension.

He was succeeded by Sukesh Kumar Jain, who was appointed as an Officer on Special Duty, but later was repatriated to his parent cadre. Another officer Geetika Sharma was transferred to Andaman and Nicobar, while Deepak Virmani is on study leave.

Another senior IAS officer, SS Yadav, the then VAT Commissioner who was attached with the CM’S office, had also proceeded on study leave last year.

According to sources, Kejriwal needed someone to supervise administrative work and Khetan came across as an appropriate candidate.

Meanwhile, Khetan will continue to hold his current responsibility as vice-chairman of DDC, the advisory body to Delhi government, and continue to draw compensation from there.