Pankaja tops in absenteeism at Maha cabinet meets: RTI

Mumbai, Aug 1: Maharashtra Women and Child Welfare Minister Pankaja Munde tops the list of ministers remaining absent from state cabinet meetings, a RTI query has revealed here.

Other state ministers who were high on absenteeism include PWD minister Eknath Shinde, Health Minister Deepak Sawant, Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar and Social Welfare minister Rajkumar Badole.

Barring Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Water Supply Minister Babanrao Lonikar who have attended all cabinet meetings, none have a 100 per cent track record, according to the information provided to RTI activist Anil Galgali by the Chief Secretary office.

Galgali had filed a RTI query with the Chief Secretary office seeking details of the total number of cabinet meetings held by the state government and the attendance of ministers.

The Under Secretary and the public information officer N B Khedekar informed Galgali that since December 11, 2014 to June 23, 2015 a total of 28 cabinet meetings were held. Prior to this, eight meetings were held in the period when the complete ministry was not constituted.

Out of the 18 ministers, barring CM Fadnavis and Lonikar rest 16 ministers have been absent in some or other cabinet meetings.

Pankaja remained absent in 9 out of the 28 cabinet meetings, Eknath Shinde in 7, Deepak Sawant in 6, Sudhir Mungantiwar in 5, Social Justice Minister Rajkumar Badole in 5, Housing Minister Prakash Mehta in 4, Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam in 4, Higher and Technical minister Vinod Tawde in 3, Revenue Minister Eknath Khadse in 3, and Energy Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule in 3.

Galgali further sought to know if any advisory was given by Fadnavis to curb the absenteeism, to which the CS office replied in negative stating it has no record of the same. The activist also queried if there is any rule for removal of the minister for remaining continuously absent from the cabinet meeting to which he was informed that no such rule.

PTI