Probe recruitment of doctors, angawadi workers: Mahindar

Shimla, Mar 12 (UNI) Former Himachal Pradesh PWD minister Mahindar Singh today sought probe into the irregularities in the recruitment of doctors, anganwadi workers, allotment of mini hydel projects and misutilisation of funds under the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) during the previous government's tenure.

Participating in the discussion on the 2008-09 Budget proposals presented in the HP Assembly on March seven by Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, he said besides probing the misutilisation of funds under the SSA and 126 MW Largi project, the government should also probe irregularities in the recruitment of 66 dental doctors and several hundred anganwadi workers last year.

Mr Singh said action should be taken in those cases where complaints have been received in the recruitment of angandawi workers and if possible the entire recruitment process should be cancelled.

Referring to the delay in the commissioning of the Largi hydel project, he said a probe was necessary to fix the responsibility for the delay in the commissioning of the project following which its cost had escalated from Rs 1,300 to 1,400 crore.

Observing that a ''Hyderabadi mafia'' had cornered the majority of the mini hydel projects in the state during the previous government's tenure, he said all mini hydel projects upto five MW should now be allotted to the Himachalis only.

''This,'' he said, ''will not only provide employment to the educated youth but will also help in ensuring that 70 per cent Himachalis youth are employed in these projects.'' The former PWD minister alleged that the previous state Congress Government had misutilised the entire funds received from the Centre under the SSA and the good works of their previous government's tenure (1998-2003) were fretted away following which the quality of education had gone down.

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