CHENNAI: Settling into the political and administrative aspects of governance nearly two months after coming to power for the first time in the recent Assembly elections, the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam government has begun digging into the past to gather more information about the decisions made during the 2021-2026 period when its main rival, the DMK was in power.
According to highly placed sources in the government, key officials in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) have shot off a directive to all departments, seeking detailed information on decisions made on 31 subjects during the previous DMK regime.
“Since assuming office, the government has been reviewing the previous government’s appointments, promotions and other administrative decisions. Information has been sought from all departments,” a senior official said.
While one aim of the exercise is to understand the administrative aspects, most of which is new to the nascent party and its debutant ministers, and also to study and curb unnecessary expenditure, it also has an undeniable political purpose, said sources.
The involvement of Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s advisors, who form the inner circle involved in all major decisions made by the government, has strengthened the belief that this was a political effort, they added.
The information that the CMO sought pertains to appointments, postings, and transfers; private visits by All India Service officers to foreign countries; compassionate appointments of deceased government employees’ legal heirs; formation of trusts (mainly related to HR&CE Department); communications from the Union government; VIP visits; approval of projects prior to land acquisition; and transfer of land.
Many of these details have an obvious political angle, said sources, noting that if the information may not only put the rival leaders in the dock, but could even drag senior officials who acted at their behest. That apart, some senior officials had undertaken foreign trips fully paid for by private entities, alleged sources in the secretariat.
Then there are details sought on matters that involve huge expenditure for the exchequer. The government had earlier collected details on consultants and retired officials re-employed during the previous regime and had identified around 70 consultants working in various departments, each with a monthly salary of Rs 1 lakh and above.
The CMO seeking information on cases, appeals, and revision petitions; engaging advocates on record, creation of personal assistant posts for IAS officers, etc. is seen in this light.
The remaining topics are related to administrative activities, such as constitution, purpose and outcome of various government committees; regularisation of service; and service rules, etc.
Officials also noted that nearly 3.5 lakh vacancies remain unfilled across government departments and public sector undertakings in Tamil Nadu, and the government is examining staffing patterns and administrative requirements as part of its ongoing review.