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Narendra Modi government carries out another secy-level reshuffle

By FnF Correspondent | PUBLISHED: 01, Feb 2015, 12:59 pm IST | UPDATED: 01, Feb 2015, 12:59 pm IST

Narendra Modi government carries out another secy-level reshuffle

New Delhi: In another secretary-level bureaucratic reshuffle, the Narendra Modi government Saturday shifted Urban Development Secretary Shankar Agarwal to the Ministry of Labour and Employment and Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (HUPA) Secretary Anita Agnihotri to the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment. A "no-show" on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pet project — smart cities, is being viewed as the reason behind both the transfers.

Both officers of the 1980-batch, Agarwal is from the Uttar Pradesh cadre while Agnihotri is from Orissa cadre. Smart cities, which is one of the flagship schemes of the NDA government, has not kicked off even after eight months of being announced. Sources in UD Ministry said there was resentment against Shankar Agarwal among his officers as well. It is learnt that some joint-secretary-level officers gave a representation against Agarwal to UD Minister M Venkaiah Naidu.

Department of Commerce Special Secretary Madhusudan Prasad, a 1981-batch Haryana cadre IAS officer, has been appointed as the new Urban Development Secretary. National Commission of Women’s Member Secretary Nandita Chatterjee, a 1980-batch West Bengal cadre IAS officer, will be the new HUPA Secretary.

Though Rs 7,060 crore was allocated for smart cities in the last Budget, the project is yet to be given a final shape and no funds have been spent so far. “There is no clarity on the smart city project so far. Everything is still disjointed and there is no clarity on the number of cities to be included or the parameter,” a senior official said.

Anita Agnihotri, secretary, HUPA was transferred as the PMO is learnt to have been not impressed with the work being done on the Housing for All scheme, another NDA government initiative.

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