The Goa Government is incurring a monthly expenditure of over Rs 70, 000 on the official vehicle hired through the Goa Tourism Development Corporation for Mr. N.D. Agarwal who is now the Advisor in the Department of Printing & Stationery hired on a monthly salary of Rs 50,000/-. This has been revealed in the information obtained under RTI.
The documents reveal that the appointment order was issued on 6th June without obtaining the required prior cabinet approval and also the mandatory sanction from the Finance besides Personnel department while the 70 year old retired bureaucrat Mr. Agarwal hurriedly joined the department as Advisor the very same day. The cabinet accorded ex-post facto approval only on 20th July.
The appointment of Mr. Agarwal was done at the instance of Minister for Printing & Stationery Rohan Khaunte who moved a note that he be appointed for an initial period of six months. The file notings reveal that officials at the Secretariat had raised vital queries over the proposal including that the scope of the work of the Advisor needs to be identified and as to whether the department was not capable to carry out its activities without an Advisor.
The documents also reveal that the department of Printing Stationery had taken strong objection to the fact that the vehicle hired for N.D.Agarwal was not reporting to the office neither parking the vehicle as directed in front of the office in the evenings nor submitting daily reading of mileage while the department was unaware if the vehicle was being utilized for the purpose it was hired.
