School gets notice over error on minister’s rank

HARIDWAR: The management of a school in Haridwar district has been served a notice after Uttarakhand cabinet minister Swami Yatishwaranand expressed his displeasure over his previous rank – minister of state – being inscribed on an inauguration nameplate, officials said.

Saint-turned-politician Yatishwaranand was a minister of state under the previous Tirath Singh Rawat government. He was elevated to the cabinet rank in the Pushkar Singh Dhami ministry that took oath recently.

Yatishwaranand, sugarcane and rural development minister, was invited as the chief guest to unveil the inauguration plate at the school in Pathri. Education minister Arvind Pandey had earlier virtually inaugurated the school. The minister got angry when he noticed that he was described as a ‘minister of state’.

Yatishwaranand sought a clarification from the school principal, but he was told that the acting principal was not present at the function. He called the error in the nameplate as a violation of protocol and “lack of seriousness and respect” by the school to a cabinet minister, officials said.

Taking cognisance of the incident, Haridwar chief education officer Anand Bharadwaj served a notice to the acting principal of the school, asking for an explanation over the error. The principal has also been asked to explain why he was absent at the cabinet minister’s function without reason and information.HTC