Sharad Pawar Talks About IAS Puja Khedkar Controversy and Administration Issues
Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar criticized the current administrative setup, highlighting a lack of dialogue. He mentioned that earlier, states like Gujarat, Bihar, and Tamil Nadu were known for good administration, but now only directions are given.
ACB Investigation
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Pune has started an inquiry into the unaccounted wealth of Dilip Khedkar, father of IAS officer Puja Khedkar. Puja Khedkar, who secured an All India rank of 821 in the UPSC exams, is under scrutiny for allegedly abusing her authority. A detailed report has been sent to the headquarters for further action, with the complainant’s identity kept confidential.
RTI Activist’s Allegations
RTI activist Vijay Kumbhar raised questions about Puja Khedkar’s OBC non-creamy layer status, citing her father’s assets worth Rs 40 crore. According to Kumbhar, only those with an annual income under Rs 8 lakh qualify for this category. He also mentioned that Dilip Khedkar’s election affidavits show a conservative estimated wealth of Rs 40 crore and an annual income of Rs 49 lakh.
Doubts Revealed
Sharad Pawar -: Sharad Pawar is a senior Indian politician and the chief of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). He has been involved in Indian politics for many years and has held various important positions.
IAS -: IAS stands for Indian Administrative Service. It is one of the premier civil services in India, and IAS officers hold key positions in the government.
Puja Khedkar -: Puja Khedkar is an IAS officer. In this context, she is involved in a controversy related to her father’s unaccounted wealth and her OBC non-creamy layer status.
Anti-Corruption Bureau -: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) is a government agency in India that investigates and fights corruption within the government and public sector.
RTI activist -: RTI stands for Right to Information. An RTI activist is someone who uses the RTI Act to obtain information from the government and often works to promote transparency and accountability.
OBC non-creamy layer -: OBC stands for Other Backward Classes, a category of people recognized by the Indian government as socially and educationally disadvantaged. The ‘non-creamy layer’ refers to those within this category who are eligible for certain government benefits because their family’s income is below a certain threshold.
NCP -: NCP stands for Nationalist Congress Party, a political party in India. It was founded by Sharad Pawar and focuses on promoting social justice and economic development.