Yogi govt withdraws its order to deploy women secretaries for ministers, here's why

Women staff posted as ministers' personal secretaries and assistant personal secretaries In Uttar Pradesh have been withdrawn, and ordered to go back to their parent cadre.

Citing ‘practical constraints’ in working with women staff members, several ministers in the newly constituted Yogi Adityanath government in UP had reportedly requested the secretariat administration department to depute male personal secretaries and assistant personal secretaries, reports Shailvee Sharda. Principal secretary (secretariat administration) Amrit Abhijaat on Tuesday said ministers who had problems working with the female staff would be provided with alternatives.

The majority of the selected staff were given their postings on Sunday and Monday. Some women employees assigned to ministers, too, had expressed their unwillingness to take up their new assignments because of challenges like working for longer hours, travelling outstation and dealing with the public.

Earlier, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had approved a new system where the selection of the staff had been digitised and ministers were asked to choose from a list of candidates randomly sorted through a computer lottery undertaken by the Secretariat Administration Department.

This time no ‘jugaad’ was possible in the matter of allocation of staff to the ministers. The personnel who have worked in this post for the last five years did not get a chance this time. This process was adopted with the aim of giving opportunities to new employees.