More muck and sleaze tumbles out from the cupboards of the Finance Ministry

Who in the Finance Ministry is responsible for granting extension-after-extension to Kumawat without even briefing the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on these facts?

By
Team PGurus
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Story of how an Joint Secretary enjoys extraordinary power in the Finance Ministry
Story of how an Joint Secretary enjoys extraordinary power in the Finance Ministry

After PGurus ran the report on the Paris rendezvous of Joint Secretary (Revenue) Udai Singh Kumawat[1], we have been flooded with messages and emails from several officials of the Finance Ministry. A lot of information pertaining to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Black Money, Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council meetings, Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN), interpersonal relationships in the Revenue Department and on Ease of Doing Business related matters has been received.

How many SIT meetings did said lady officer attend along with Kumawat outside Delhi? Why was the Director in-charge of SIT on Black Money completely sidelined and kept in the dark by Kumawat?

Udai Singh Kumawat was appointed the Member Secretary of the SIT on Black Money headed by Justice Shah. The reports of the SIT usually land at Kumawat’s desk and nowhere else; not even the Additional Secretary (Revenue) is given access to these documents. However, Kumawat, according to officials in the Ministry, made an exception to one particular lady officer. Director (Coordination) in the Revenue handled all matters pertaining to SIT but Kumawat made sure that one particular lady officer was made in-charge of some activities pertaining to the SIT to enable the two of them to travel together to various SIT meetings across India.

The lady officer was made in-charge as the Head of the Department (HoD) for the purpose of sanctioning funds/ financial proposals for the SIT. Kumawat appears to have initiated the file for this particular re-assignment. How many SIT meetings did said lady officer attend along with Kumawat outside Delhi? Why was the Director in-charge of SIT on Black Money completely sidelined and kept in the dark by Kumawat? Why did the Director in-charge of SIT never attend any meetings? Were phone calls made to the Private Secretary of the Vice Chairman to the SIT Justice Arijit Pasayat by Kumawat requesting him to send emails asking for the lady officer also to join the SIT meetings? Did Kumawat and the lady officer overstay after the SIT meetings and who were the private individuals who paid the bills? Why did the Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia not check this kind of behavior that was happening under his watch?

It is also revealed that there are certain note sheets in the Revenue Department where there has been a wide-ranging tussle between the Joint Secretary Kumawat and the then Additional Secretary B N Sharma and in every one of these cases, the Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia sided with Kumawat!

Kumawat, unquestionably, is the blue-eyed boy of Adhia. A group of Under Secretaries raised a red flag over Kumawat harassing them continuously and interestingly, in most cases, Kumawat was not even writing their Annual Performance Appraisal Report (APAR). These complaints fell on the deaf ears of Adhia.

It was not just the Under Secretaries. Every Deputy Secretary and Director working in the Revenue Department has been harassed by Kumawat. One such lady officer from an All India Service, it is learnt, abused Kumawat on his face and left the Revenue Department after having not spoken to her reporting authority – Kumawat – for a long time. Was Kumawat indeed harassing lady officers – barring one – in the Revenue Department? If yes, why did Adhia not stand up and support these lady officers who were being humiliated by Kumawat because they refused to toe his line?

Did the officers working in the Revenue Department, many of whom have discreetly informed PGurus, stand up against the harassment of Kumawat? It is known that Kumawat was throwing files and even abusing women officers. Why was Adhia a mute spectator to all these events? Did he have any compulsion to turn a blind eye to the ugly behavior of Kumawat?

There is a foreign trip angle to this story. Why should a particular lady officer accompany the Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia to Singapore and Malaysia to study the GST models of those countries, when there were many competent officers in the Central Board of Excise and Customs who were handling GST on a daily basis? Later, within a few months, this lady officer was posted on a plum posting to Belgium, ignoring several more accomplished candidates! Why were different norms applied for sending different officers for foreign trips? Also, while it came to ease of Doing Business, why was special preference shown to one particular officer for the visit to Washington DC? It is learnt that the Revenue Secretary was extremely stingy and particular about officers making foreign trips, barring this one officer! Why so? Was it pressure from Kumawat? And if yes, why did he yield to such pressures?

Well, if you thought it was just his juniors Kumawat had a problem with, think again. A senior woman IAS officer who was in the Revenue Department had a long-standing tussle with Kumawat, which apparently even got reflected in a bad (6/ 10) assessment he (Kumawat) had received in his annual performance report. Shockingly, Adhia overruled all the objections and gave Kumawat a 9.8/ 10. The best he has given to any officer till date. Why did Adhia consider an officer who everyone in the Finance Ministry despises as the best in the Ministry? This is more a telling statement on the attitude of the Revenue Secretary than an assessment on Kumawat.

It is not just the Revenue officials who have a grudge against Kumawat. Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel posted in North Block have stories to share about the red light which is on when Kumawat spends time with a particular lady officer and in certain instances, Kumawat has even abused the CISF officers or other Revenue officials who entered his cabin owing to some urgent work that couldn’t wait.

Is such behavior towards junior officers, particularly women, as per the conduct rules? Are they not unbecoming of an officer of the rank of Joint Secretary? Why was no internal inquiry constituted against the errant and abusive behavior of Kumawat? Why were the lady officers ill-treated or sidelined or repatriated if they did not toe the line of Kumawat? Is it a fact that officers who accepted Kumawat were awarded prized postings and others absolutely left in the lurch?

These are more questions than answers and it is a grave matter. Who in the Finance Ministry is responsible for granting extension-after-extension to Kumawat without even briefing the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on these facts? What about the 360-degree profiling carried out by the ACC? Did they not subject Kumawat to such profiling?

The buck stops with the Finance Secretary, Hasmukh Adhia. Will he give the dignity his officers deserve and stand up for his officers, instead of protecting Kumawat and this lady officer? This crisis is a test of the man’s character and integrity. We will wait and watch.

PGurus is in receipt of many such sleaze stories from the Finance Ministry’s headquarters in North Block from several senior officers and after verifying the authenticity of such information will continue to publish these as a series of articles.

References:

[1] Top Finance Ministry official US Kumawat tryst in Paris. French Cops handed over tapes to RAW – Mar 11, 2018, PGurus.com

Team PGurus
Team PGurus
We are a team of focused individuals with expertise in at least one of the following fields viz. Journalism, Technology, Economics, Politics, Sports & Business. We are factual, accurate and unbiased.
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19 COMMENTS

  5. It is given to the French cops to unearth the cosy relationship between the IAS/IFS officers who are paid moles & stealing secrets from India & passing to foreign countries. Every Indian has been shouting at top of his voice to remove the “babu’s & replace them with Technocrat but nothing happens in this Indian world. It is time to storm the “Babus” & strip them in office itself. let there be another Jalianwallah Bagh by govt security, let the other nations get the taste of Indian blood that it cannot stand anymore to the Indian Babus blood whose blood should bleed now !!!

  6. This is what happens when you have an inexperienced FM given the reins. He has bad ego that he fails to listen to advice from may be best in business like Swamy. Ministry is filled with bureucrats who are crooks. You need to identify them, transfer them so that you can get your business done. This was repeated by Swamy, GuruMurhty many times in the last 5 years. If you cannot do that, not only you but the entire govt and PM Modi too will need to listen to the blame from others. So, you let yourself and the entire govt down. Now, the buck stops at Modi to whip these people and get things moving.
    Meanwhile, our FM can remain silent.

  7. Shree, congrats. What a shocking revelations. Looks like a open & shut case. But the corrupt judiciary let off Maran’s, in telephone corruption case done by Guru. Then 2G by our Dr swamy. Both are fighting for Dharma

  8. The matters brought out to public domain by P gurus is FANTASTIC work. If these are true such IAS officers who bring disrepute to the service should be terminated & denied their pensions.What is the Finance Minister doing when such responsible persons right under his nose are making a mockery of the Government. Some good sense should prevail on FM. The buck stops with FM.

  9. PMO is supposed to be monitoring activities of secretaries in all ministries. Finance ministry functioning is key to the success of any country in the world. Modi is too smart to ignore the happenings in the ministry and he seems to be misguided or misinformed of its functioning. Perhaps as a last resort S Swamy should update PM personally on the behind scenes drama and rest the matter.

  10. In Punjab National Bank, when a himalayan fraud perpetrated by Nirav Modi, erupted, initially two lowest level Officers were suspended and apprehended by CBI and Banks were advised to make rotational transfers meticulously. Rotation transfers are made to avoid any person in a particular department developing vested interest. Is this formula followed in Central Secretariate? The various scams took place earlier exposed the quality of governance of UPA and now this exposes the higher level administration in Delhi. Will the Govt take immediate steps?

    • I cannot agree better. Why are people like Sambit Patra, Shazia ilmi n countless others appointed to boards oc ONGC, Engineers india ltd etc. Are they qualified? Why Ambani gets Rafaele but not HAL, Why ambani snr get Modi to advertise for jio at cost of BSNL, why this crony capitalism? Adani n his family have got winsome diamonda link, Ambani has Nirav modi links. Indian exchequer bears this with salaried middle class paying taxes through noses. SBI charges us minimum balance fee and makes crores for financing this ruch billionaired. Shame on Modi

  13. Narendra Modi should fire the FM FS and Kumawat forthwith else it’s proved that he is also involved in all.these sleaze and blackmailed

  14. Center must have a full time FM. Re Kumawat, Adhia, and the lady in question must be fired immediately from the corrupt influence of higher elite in FM.

  15. Modi govt is not that invincible after all. This officer,must have something on Revenue Secretary,which can damage the reputation of Modi Govt. But this is not something new, sleze like this are always found in the corridors of power, whichever Govt rules the country. Not in India, all over the world.

  16. ???ॐ श्री परमात्मनः नमः???
    ?भारतमाता की जय।वन्देमात्तरम।जय श्री राम?
    ? लूटा मेरा देश। चिंदबरम और उसके परिवार की खुली लूट की
    ? विस्तृत रिपोर्ट। जनिये लुटेर कॉंग्रेसियो का खेल। आंग्रेजो से
    ? भी बड़े लुटेरे । हम वेतनभोगी आयकर देते देते मर गये?

  17. ???ॐ श्री परमात्मनः नमः???
    ?भारतमाता की जय।वन्देमात्तरम।जय श्री राम?
    ? लूटा मेरा देश। वितमात्रलय के उदय सिंह कुमावत गजनी के चेले।
    ? एक महिला अधिकारी पर फिदा हुसैन। सेक्रटरी वितमात्रलय
    ? आंखे बंद किये रहे। कुमावत ने कई अधिकारियों को प्रताड़ित किया
    ? वितमात्रलय में इतना बड़ा खेल चलता रहा। सब मौज लेते रहे
    ?हमारे टैक्स के पैसे से। वितमन्त्रीजी हमारा आयकर वापस कीजिये?

  18. This reflects very badly on the FM himself. Does he have any control or interest in what is happening in his department? He might not get time for these things because he has to look after other two ministries too. This is price nation pays for not having a full time FM .. Mohandas Kochi

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