Bureaucrats Overruling CM’s Decision: In the upcoming Delhi Legislative Assembly elections, it has become clear that the Delhi government operates differently from other state governments, especially when its own officials openly contradict the Chief Minister. A recent example of this was when two key election promises by the Delhi government were publicly dismissed by its own bureaucrats through advertisements. These two schemes— the Mahila Samman Yojana, which promised to provide ₹1000 per month to women, and the Sanjeevani Yojana, which offered free healthcare for the elderly—were both rejected by the government’s own officials.
The Mahila Samman Yojana was criticized by the Department of Women and Child Development, which published a notice in the newspaper stating that no such notification had been issued by the Delhi government. Similarly, the Sanjeevani Yojana was declared fraudulent.
Questions Raised: Will These Schemes Be Implemented?
Bureaucrats Overruling CM’S Decision: This raises two important questions: first, will these schemes ever be implemented? And second, how have Delhi’s bureaucrats gained the audacity to openly contradict their Chief Minister and ministers?
The Role of Bureaucrats and the Influence of the Center
Bureaucrats Overruling CM’S Decision: With the elections scheduled for February, Delhi Chief Minister Atishi will need to follow a process to implement these schemes, which includes obtaining approval from the Lieutenant Governor (LG). With little time left before the elections, it seems unlikely that these schemes will be implemented soon.
As for the bureaucrats’ defiance, this can be attributed to a key policy change introduced by the central government on May 19, 2023. The National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance granted the National Capital Civil Services Authority (NCCSA) control over the transfer and posting of Group-A officers of the DANICS cadre. The NCCSA is composed of three members: the Chief Minister of Delhi, the Home Secretary of Delhi, and the Principal Secretary of the Home Department of Delhi.
Although the NCCSA has the authority to make decisions regarding the posting and transfer of officials, the final decision still rests with the Lieutenant Governor. This means that the Chief Minister of Delhi, Atishi, cannot take direct action against bureaucrats. She must approach the NCCSA, where the central government holds the majority, giving Delhi’s bureaucrats the confidence to defy the state government without fear of consequences.
