Harsh Vardhan defends AIIMS official’s job reprofiling

New Delhi, Sep 25 (IANS) Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Wednesday said there was nothing wrong with the government’s decision to "reprofile" the role of a senior AIIMS official.

"There was nothing malafide in the government’s decision to reprofile the job role of Indian Forest Service officer Sanjeev Chaturvedi," Harsha Vardhan said in a statement.

He was responding to media reports alluding to extraneous considerations behind the duties of Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) of AIIMS being assigned to a joint secretary in the health ministry.

"Selective representation often leads to obfuscation of facts as has happened in this case," the minister said.

He pointed out that the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) had brought to the previous government’s notice on July 20, 2012 that Sanjeev Chaturvedi’s appointment as CVO in AIIMS was without its approval, which is required to be obtained before such appointments are made as per the vigilance manual.

"For reasons unclear, the then government had not only ignored this letter but also two subsequent reminders dated Sep 3, 2012 and Feb 13, 2013," he said.

"The previous government’s attitude of undermining laid down rules smacks of the same hostility to the institution of the CVC as manifested by its controversial move to appoint a tainted bureaucrat as CVC chief in 2011. Thankfully, the supreme court had struck down that appointment," he added.