The director of the social welfare department in Lucknow suffered a heart attack on Thursday afternoon, which the staff in his office alleges is the result of the misbehaviour of the department’s principal secretary.
Bal Krishna Tripathi, the director, was part of a meeting called by Principal Secretary Babu Lal Meena on Monday. During the meeting, Meena is alleged to have said that Tripathi should be ready to face a police investigation on the matter of delaying scholarships to students from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. When Tripathi said that he was merely following due process, Meena allegedly accused him of looting government funds. After that Tripathi left the meeting.
This afternoon, he complained of pain in his heart after which he was rushed to a local hospital where he is currently undergoing treatment.
Staff at the social welfare department alleged that Meena was known for his offensive behaviour and high handedness. “This is not the first time that an officer has suffered because of Meena’s behaviour. We have also complained against him. The government is well aware of the fact, but has never taken action against him,” said a senior officer of the department.
At the time of filing this report, directors of all the departments of which Meena is principal secretary were in a meeting to decide what course of action should be pursued against him.
Meena is principal secretary for the departments of minority welfare and Muslim waqf in addition to the social welfare. He is also director of tribal development. He has been holding these posts since October 2020.
“We might consider complaining to the honourable chief minister or even go to the judiciary,” said an officer.
The scholarships issue stems from the government’s order that the money for the SC/ST students should not be transferred till the credentials of these students is duly verified. As a result of this, privately run colleges which have to adhere to the government quota of 27 per cent seat reservations for such students often face a financial crunch. As per government norms, SC/ST students are to take admissions in colleges by paying the mandated fee from their own pockets. After due verification, the government reimburses the fees and might also find the students eligible for a scholarship. Colleges which take in these students often admit them against a future guarantee of fee payment as and when the government reimbursement is transferred to the student’s accounts. A delay in this transfer means that students are unable to pay their respective colleges back, leading to financial hardship for the institutions in question.
An official from the social welfare department said that Meena’s behaviour was not pushed by any governmental sanction. “The government expects departments to fulfil their commitments but never encourages disrespectful behaviour of staff. It is in the principal secretary’s nature to harass others,” he said.
Meena could not be reached for a comment.
