Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand, Anand Bardhan, has taken a strict stand against the increasing trend of administrative departments submitting last-minute proposals for Cabinet meetings. In a strong directive issued to all Principal Secretaries and Secretaries, Bardhan emphasized that the Cabinet will no longer consider any proposal submitted in haste without following due procedure.
According to the new instructions, only those proposals will be considered that are fully prepared and submitted to the Cabinet Secretariat at least seven days before the scheduled Cabinet meeting. The proposals must also include necessary approvals from the Finance, Personnel, and Law departments, along with endorsement from the concerned minister.
In cases where presenting a proposal in a Cabinet meeting is unavoidable, departments must clearly mention the urgency in the documentation. All departments have been instructed to submit proposals through the e-Cabinet portal. Any inconvenience or delay in proposal processing due to non-compliance will be the sole responsibility of the concerned department.
The Chief Secretary also highlighted a growing concern—many departments are submitting proposals on the very day of the Cabinet meeting, or even during the meeting, without prior approval from consulting departments. This last-minute submission makes proper examination impossible and causes delays in getting the Chief Minister’s clearance.
The letter also mentions that both the Chief Minister and Cabinet Ministers have previously raised objections over such hurried submissions, expressing concern that they were unaware of some proposals before entering the meeting. This lack of transparency hinders informed decision-making and creates confusion.
With these new measures, the state government aims to bring order and accountability to Cabinet operations and ensure all proposals undergo thorough administrative scrutiny before being considered.
