UP govt to scrap post of cabinet secretary

The Uttar Pradesh government on Friday decided to withdraw a proposed amendment bill which was intended to give immunity to panchayat heads from no-confidence motion for two years and also scrap the post of cabinet secretary.

The decision to withdraw 'kshetra panchayat and district  panchayat amendment bill', 2011 proposed by previous  Mayawati government, was taken in a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow.

The proposed amendment bill intended to give two years' immunity to kshetra panchayat heads and chairman of district panchayats from no-confidence motion.

A lot of hue and cry was raised by the opposition against the then Bahujan Samaj Party government when it introduced the bill.

The bill was sent to Govenor for his ascent on August 19 last year, but is still pending.

The cabinet decided that the prevailing system of bringing a no-confidence motion after one year was better and hence the bill should be withdrawn, sources said.

From now on, chief secretary will also be the secretary of cabinet unlike previous government in which a post of cabinet secretary was created.

The cabinet also decided to withdraw SLPs filed in Supreme Court in several matters including the then UP Public Service Commission Chairman Ram Sewak and UP State Adhivakta Kalyan Samiti.

The cabinet also decided to rename Manyawar Sri Kanshiram Forest, Environment conversation award scheme in the name of Veer Abdul Hameed award.