New Delhi: Delhi Minister Atishi has been allocated the additional responsibilities of the Service and Vigilance departments, according to a statement released by the Raj Niwas on Saturday. She is now in charge of 14 departments.
This development comes after a file was forwarded to Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, receiving approval earlier today. Previously, both the Service and Vigilance departments were overseen by fellow minister Saurabh Bharadwaj.
At present, Atishi already oversees a comprehensive range of portfolios, including Finance, Revenue, Planning, Women and Child Development, Education, Higher Education, Tourism, Art, Culture & Language, Public Works Department, Power, and Public Relations departments. With these additional responsibilities, the total number of portfolios managed by Atishi has now reached 14.
Atishi and Bharadwaj were inducted into the cabinet in March following the resignations of former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and former Health Minister Satyendar Jain.
The decision to expand Atishi's responsibilities came in the wake of the Rajya Sabha's passing of the Delhi Services Bill, granting the Delhi Lieutenant Governor the authority to oversee Group A services in the city. This empowerment extends to matters related to appointments, transfers, and postings.
The bill secured passage after a division, with 131 MPs voting in favour and 102 opposing.
Home Minister Amit Shah defended the legislation in the Rajya Sabha, emphasising that its intent is to establish effective and corruption-free governance in the national capital. During the bill's debate in the Rajya Sabha, former Chief Justice of India, Ranjan Gogoi, in his inaugural debate, noted that the legislation is "perfectly, legitimately valid," and urged those in disagreement to exercise their conscience freely.