Himachal: Chief Secretary gave Holi party to officers, sent the bill to the government, before this there was a ruckus over CM's samosas:

The Sukhu government of Himachal Pradesh is not able to control its officers. Sometimes the samosas brought for the Chief Minister are distributed among the security personnel and sometimes the Chief Secretary throws a party for the officers and hands over the bill to the government. The latest case is of Himachal Pradesh Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena, who has handed over the bill of his party worth Rs 1.22 lakh to the government. Prabodh Saxena was to retire on March 31. In such a situation, he threw a party for all the officers on March 14.

The Himachal government extended Prabodh's retirement date by giving him a six-month extension. In such a situation, Prabodh also handed over the bill of the party to the government. According to the news of Times of India, Prabodh had organized a lunch party for IAS officers and their family members on Holi (March 14) at the state government-run hotel Holiday Home in Shimla. Now he has sent a bill of Rs 1.22 lakh to the Secretary of the General Administration Department for payment.

What did the officer say?

The bill included 77 meals for IAS officers and their families at Rs 1,000 per person, Rs 585 per meal for 22 drivers, Rs 11,800 taxi fare and Rs 22,350 taxes and other charges. General Administration Department Secretary Rajesh Sharma said the bill should be paid as per the instructions of the final authority. No government official has publicly commented on the matter.

Bureaucrats have been misusing money

This is not the first case in the state when bureaucrats have been accused of misusing the coffers of the cash-strapped Himachal government. Earlier, former chief secretary and former chairman of the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) Shrikant Baldi was accused of gifting apple boxes to various serving and retired officials of Himachal Pradesh and other states including Rajasthan and Haryana. After retiring from the post of chief secretary, Baldi, a native of Rajasthan, served as RERA chairman from January 2020 to December 2024. Former deputy advocate general Vinay Sharma had filed a complaint with the State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau seeking registration of an FIR in the matter.

Apple boxes were bought for Rs 44,100

Vinay Sharma had said that as per information received under the RTI Act, 49 apple boxes were purchased from Himachal Pradesh Horticulture Produce Marketing and Processing Corporation (HPMC) for Rs 44,100 using RERA funds and gifted to various officials by Baldi in 2022 alone. Later, Town and Country Planning Minister Rajesh Dharmani had said that his department had called for the records and a proper inquiry would be conducted. But, till date, neither the State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau nor the Town and Country Planning Department has given any official information about the outcome of the investigation.